Dying Light 2 Hands-On Preview

We got hands-on time with Dying Light 2, the anticipated sequel to 2016’s open-world post-apocalyptic game. The build Mark Delaney played was about a month old and kicked off in the game’s opening region Old Villedor. This was, as lead game designer Tymon Smektala explained it, a tamer region meant to allow players to get to grips with the game’s melee combat and parkour moves, and come to understand how to manage crowds of infected and survivors alike. The first thing I realized when I started to play Dying Light 2 was how fluid the movement felt. Smart changes like faster strafing and back-pedaling, and an always-on sprint ability, make the anti-hero protagonist Aiden Caldwell feel more adept at performing his death-defying feats than Kyle Crane ever was. He’s lighter on his feet and animations are smoother, even from the get-go, and despite me seeing some really tantalizing skills not yet unlocked during my play sessions. I especially loved how quickly I was able to intuit whether or not I could make an