In recent days, I finally got the chance to play Dying Light: The Beast, and I could hardly believe what I was experiencing. What started as an expansion for Dying Light 2 grew in size and ambition until it became a full-fledged standalone game, lasting 40–50 hours including side content. Thankfully, this is exactly the kind of experience I had hoped for from the disappointing second entry. Here’s my full Dying Light: The Beast Review.
Story Without Spoilers
The events unfold 13 years after the expansion The Following from the first game, once again starring Kyle Crane. This time, Crane is kidnapped by a mysterious villain known as The Baron, who experiments on him due to his immunity to the zombie infection. These experiments last for 13 years, transforming him into a hybrid with superhuman powers—half human, half zombie.
The story is the weakest element of the game. Not because it’s terrible, but because it’s predictable and overly straightforward. On the other hand, the pacing, voice performances, and cinematic presentation are a big step up. The narrative moves quickly, stays engaging, and delivers some intense moments.
Voice actor Roger Craig Smith shines once again as Kyle Crane, delivering a powerhouse performance. Fans will recognize him from his iconic roles as Batman in Arkham Origins and Ezio in Assassin’s Creed. Here, he delivers another legendary portrayal.
Gameplay
Dying Light: The Beast offers a more compact open world compared to Dying Light 2, largely because it began as an expansion before evolving into its own title. The game’s director even called it “Dying Light 3 in spirit,” since it’s bigger and better in almost every respect, while clarifying that it doesn’t reinvent the series’ formula.
Unlike Dying Light 2, which tried to juggle horror, parkour, RPG systems, and cinematic storytelling all at once, The Beast strips away the RPG elements. There are no branching dialogue choices or deep progression systems outside of crafting. Instead, you get a focused 20-hour main story with rich, enjoyable side content.
Gameplay is divided into combat, crafting, and traversal.
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Combat: Just like the first game, you’ll wield melee and ranged weapons, which can be upgraded by finding blueprints and scavenging resources.
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Parkour and Traversal: Movement is heavier but more realistic, and much more fun—especially with the grappling hook back, giving you a Spider-Man-like feel as you swing between structures. Vehicles return with limited fuel, and they’re even featured in side-race missions that make excellent use of their design.
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Crafting: Essential for survival, requiring resource gathering and smart upgrades.
The highlight is combat. Built on the same engine as Dying Light 2 but with improved physics similar to Dead Island 2, every strike shows realistic impact on enemy limbs and bodies.
The new Beast mechanic is the only major addition. It fills up as you take and deal damage, allowing Crane to unleash devastating abilities reminiscent of the Hulk. It’s not groundbreaking, but it’s incredibly fun, encouraging players to dive into the chaos.
The game also reintroduces stamina management as a critical factor. Poorly timed attacks can drain your stamina bar, leaving you wide open. This forces players to think tactically rather than button-mash.
Side Missions and Night Gameplay
Side missions are outstanding, with strong writing and memorable stories for secondary characters. Optional content is plentiful yet polished, with fewer filler-style “Ubisoft” activities. Dark Zones and dungeons return, offering loot-driven challenges that are easier than before but still rewarding.
Night gameplay is scarier than ever. Unlike Dying Light 2, which failed to make the night feel threatening, The Beast fully restores the horror factor. At night, the deadliest zombies—Volatiles—roam the streets, forcing you to flee or hide. Completing missions during nighttime doubles your XP, rewarding risk-taking.
The combination of eerie design, lack of visual aids, and complex environments makes the night genuinely terrifying. You’ll rely on instinct and environmental awareness to survive.
In short, this is the most polished and balanced gameplay in the trilogy, combining the strengths of both previous games while eliminating their weaknesses.
Graphics and Audio
On a standard PS5, the game runs at a stable 60 FPS, even during intense combat and fast parkour sequences. Graphically, it resembles Dying Light 2: Stay Human, but with better cutscenes, facial animations, and character detail.
The soundtrack is a major highlight, bringing back themes from the first game while refreshing them with new arrangements. Voice acting is stellar across the board, while sound effects for weapons, explosions, and zombies are crisp and immersive.
Across roughly 30 hours of play, I only encountered one minor technical issue prior to the day-one patch.
Dying Light: The Beast Review Final Verdict
Dying Light: The Beast is the best entry in the series—not because it reinvents the formula, but because it refines every single pillar to its highest level.
Parkour and combat are more satisfying than ever, the story is cinematic and focused, and the side content is rich without feeling overwhelming. At $50, it delivers immense value for fans of the franchise and the zombie-action genre.
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