Dying Light: The Beast

Last updated
Dying Light: The Beast
Dying Light The Beast cover art.jpg
Developer(s) Techland
Publisher(s) Techland
Director(s)
  • Paweł Marchewka
  • Nathan Lemaire
Producer(s)
  • Szymon Strauss
  • Michał Broda
Designer(s)
  • Marta Fijak
  • Brice Laborde
  • Andrey Velkov
Programmer(s)
  • Kacper Kowalczuk
  • Adam Michałowski
  • Galust Saakov
Artist(s) Katarzyna Tarnacka-Polito
Writer(s) Paweł Marchewka
Composer(s) Olivier Deriviere
Series Dying Light
Engine C-Engine
Platform(s)
Release
  • PS5, Windows, XSXS
  • 18 September 2025
  • PS4, Xbox One
  • Late 2025
Genre(s) Survival horror
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

Dying Light: The Beast is a 2025 survival horror video game developed and published by Techland. Originally envisioned as a downloadable content pack to Dying Light 2: Stay Human , The Beast was released for Windows, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S on September 18, 2025, and PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in late 2025 as a standalone game. [1] [2]

Contents

Gameplay

Dying Light: The Beast is an action-adventure video game played from a first-person perspective. The game is set in Castor Woods, a popular rural tourist destination overrun by zombies. Players can explore this open world using Crane's parkour skills, or driving a 4x4 vehicle. [3] Like the first game, the zombies are slow when exposed to sunlight, but they become more aggressive and hostile at night. Crane can utilize a variety of melee weapons and firearms to defeat enemies, [4] as well as superhuman abilities, allowing him to run and sprint faster than typical human beings. He can also enter "Beast Mode", which allows him to launch powerful bare-handed attacks and hurl environment objects at enemies to greatly damage them. [5] As players progress, they will be able to unlock more skills for Crane to further boost his combat prowess. As with its predecessors, the game supports 4-player cooperative multiplayer.

Story

Premise

Kyle Crane, the protagonist of the first game, returns as the protagonist of The Beast. After his transformation into a sentient volatile at the hands of the Mother in Dying Light: The Following , Crane is captured by the Global Relief Effort (GRE) and taken prisoner by a mysterious villain called the Baron. After being subjected to 13 years of torture and experimentation by the Baron, Crane, who now has a mix of zombie and human DNA, escapes captivity and swears revenge on the Baron, while also having to fight the beast within. [6] [7]

Plot

Years after being captured by the GRE and experimented on by the Baron, Marius Fischer, Crane finally has an opportunity to escape when another test subject, Subject Beta, breaks containment. Taking advantage of the resulting chaos and with the assistance of a woman named Olivia, Crane escapes the lab, but discovers that thanks to the experiments performed upon him, he is part Volatile and can temporarily gain the strength of one. He meets up with Olivia outside the lab, who agrees to assist him in his desire for revenge against the Baron in return for helping her escape the Baron's clutches. She explains that the Baron once owned a biotech company before the outbreak, and now he is obsessed with perfecting the virus so he can control the world. In order to gain the strength to stand against the Baron and his army, Olivia instructs Crane to slay the Baron's experimental Chimeras, extract the GSB from their bodies, and use it to empower himself. In addition, he must seek allies willing to help him against the Baron. Meanwhile, Olivia collects samples form the Chimeras Crane defeats in order to figure out the Baron's plans.

Seeking allies, Crane first comes across survivors in the local Town Hall led by the Sheriff, who warn him that a "Beast" has been going around hunting down the Baron's men. However, the Sheriff betrays Crane and tries to hand him over to the Baron, but he manages to escape, and the Sheriff flees with the Baron. The Town Hall's second in command, Jacob, informs Crane about the group of infected exiles who are former test subject that managed to escape from the Baron's lab. Crane makes contact with their leader Lydia and captures one of the Baron's scientists, Camilo, who agrees to help them enhance their telepathic abilities to control the infected. Meanwhile, Olivia admits to Crane that her father was a scientist in Harran who was studying the virus, and is now being kept prisoner by the Baron.

Eventually, the Baron sends Chimeras to destroy the Town Hall. The Sheriff returns from exile to help Crane defend the Town Hall until Lydia can use her telepathy to mind control the Chimeras and send them away. The Sheriff apologizes to Crane, explaining she was coerced by the Baron into betraying him to protect her people. With the Town Hall and exiles united, Crane figures their next step is to capture the Beast and use him to lure the Baron out of his fortress. He manages to lure the Beast into a trap and subdues him long enough for Lydia to take control of his mind. The Beast later wakes up and reveals that he is Aiden Caldwell (the protagonist of Dying Light 2). He and Spike had teamed up to try and rescue Crane from the Baron's custody, but were captured. The Baron then contacts Crane, revealing he has captured Olivia and Spike and offers their lives in return for turning over Aiden. Aiden escapes and turns himself in to the Baron in hopes of saving Spike, but the Baron changes his conditions and orders Crane to turn himself in as well.

Realizing they are out of options, Crane and his allies decide to assault the Baron's fortress directly, but Olivia ends up betraying them, allowing the Baron to capture them all. He then executes Spike and Camilo before Olivia enacts her true plan and betrays him, freeing Crane and his remaining allies. Crane is able to corner the Baron at his helipad, where he injects himself with the perfected virus to turn himself into the ultimate Chimera. Undeterred, Crane defeats the Baron and kills him by impaling his heart with a metal pipe. He is then contacted by the GRE Director, who thanks him for eliminating the Baron for her, since he had become a liability for the still active GRE. As reward for his service, the GRE Director grants Crane his freedom and expresses her hope that they can cooperate in the future. Instead, Crane and his allies swear to take their fight to the GRE.

Development

The Beast was originally intended to be the second downloadable content pack for Dying Light 2: Stay Human . After the pack's main story was leaked by a dataminer in April 2023, the team pivoted to turn it into a separate game. [8] [9] Techland described the game as a compact experience, being shorter than both Dying Light and Dying Light 2. The game also had a linear narrative, as opposed to the branching structure introduced in Dying Light 2. According to Tymon Smektala, Techland's franchise director, the decision to bring back Crane as the game's protagonist was met with enthusiasm within the studio. Crane, who was "older, more haunted, and driven by a strong desire for revenge", was voiced by Roger Craig Smith. [10] Smith added that he was surprised when Techland asked him to return to the role due to the character's fate in Dying Light and its expansion, The Following . [11]

According to Techland, the game had a larger emphasis on survival when compared with Dying Light 2, with the team seeking to "recapture" the fear players may have experienced when they first played Dying Light. [10] Weapons and vehicles were not durable in the game, forcing players to adapt to different combat scenarios. [12] Castor Woods was described by the team as a "rural, forested valley" inspired by Twin Peaks . [10] [13] While the natural setting provided less opportunities for players to use parkour skills for transversal, landmarks and buildings in the game were designed to ensure players must use the agility of Crane to reach their objectives. [10] The game uses an evolved version of Techland's C-Engine. [14]

The Beast was officially announced by Techland at Gamescom 2024. [15] The game was initially set to be released for Windows PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and Series S in August 2025, but in July it was announced that the game would be delayed to September [16] . Players who owned the Ultimate Edition of Dying Light 2 will receive The Beast for free, as Techland "wanted to show appreciation for the community who patiently waited for the DLC". [17] The Ultimate Edition, however, was removed from sale in September 2024. [18]

Reception

Dying Light: The Beast received "generally favorable" reviews from critics, according to review aggregator website Metacritic. [19] [20]

References

  1. "Dying Light: The Beast". Dying Light - Official Website. 2025-09-18. Retrieved 2025-09-12.
  2. Taylor-Hill, Grant (2025-09-12). "Dying Light: The Beast To Launch One Day Earlier Than Intended". Insider Gaming. Retrieved 2025-09-12.
  3. Livingston, Christopher (August 21, 2024). "Dying Light: The Beast is a standalone game starring Kyle Crane that started out as DLC, and will be free for owners of Dying Light 2 Ultimate Edition". PC Gamer . Archived from the original on January 25, 2025. Retrieved January 25, 2025.
  4. Purslow, Matt (August 23, 2024). "Dying Light: The Beast Literally Brings Out the Big Guns for a Shooting-Heavy Spin-Off". IGN . Archived from the original on January 25, 2025. Retrieved January 25, 2025.
  5. Oloman, Jordan (August 24, 2024). "Dying Light: The Beast is more of the same, but with superpowers". Polygon . Archived from the original on January 25, 2025. Retrieved January 25, 2025.
  6. Shani, Ravi (17 September 2025). "Dying Light: The Beast Trailer Recaps Kyle Crane's Harrowing Story". Gaming Bolt. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
  7. Sheenan, Gavin (16 September 2025). "Dying Light: The Beast Releases New Video Explaining What's Happened". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
  8. Batchelor, James (August 23, 2024). "Techland: Shorter standalones like Dying Light: The Beast are "the future of games"". Archived from the original on January 25, 2025. Retrieved January 25, 2025.
  9. Carter, Justin (August 22, 2024). "Turns out Dying Light: The Beast started out as leaked Dying Light 2 DLC". Game Developer . Archived from the original on February 27, 2025. Retrieved January 25, 2025.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Parijat, Shubhankar (November 8, 2024). "Dying Light: The Beast Interview – Story, Map, Parkour, and More". Gaming Bolt. Archived from the original on January 25, 2025. Retrieved January 25, 2025.
  11. Vitelli, Jesse (September 24, 2024). "Dying Light: The Beast dev says the smaller spinoff is a dream game that "remotivated us to work" on the Dying Light series". Archived from the original on January 25, 2025. Retrieved January 25, 2025.
  12. Bergin, Lauren (August 23, 2024). "Dying Light The Beast is "bringing survival back," and I'm excited". PCGamesN . Retrieved January 25, 2025.
  13. Francis, Bryant (October 1, 2024). "Dying Light: The Beast reflects Techland's passion for games players will finish". Game Developer . Archived from the original on February 27, 2025. Retrieved January 25, 2025.
  14. Palumbo, Alessio (September 18, 2025). "Dying Light: The Beast Shows an Aging Engine" . Retrieved September 19, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  15. Hornshaw, Phil (August 20, 2024). "Dying Light: The Beast Announced With A Trailer Teasing The Return Of The First Game's Protagonist". GameSpot . Archived from the original on January 25, 2025. Retrieved January 25, 2025.
  16. "Dying Light: The Beast Release Date Moves to September 19". Dying Light - Official Website. 2025-07-25. Retrieved 2025-07-25.
  17. Phillips, Tom (August 20, 2024). "Dying Light: The Beast is a new 18-hour standalone game that began life as DLC". Eurogamer . Archived from the original on January 25, 2025. Retrieved January 25, 2025.
  18. Dinsdale, Ryan (August 28, 2025). "Techland Removing Dying Light 2 Ultimate Edition From Sale After Saying Dying Light: The Beast Comes Free With It". IGN . Archived from the original on January 25, 2025. Retrieved January 25, 2025.
  19. 1 2 "Dying Light: The Beast for PC Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved 18 September 2025.
  20. 1 2 "Dying Light: The Beast for PlayStation 5 Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved 18 September 2025.
  21. Delaney, Mark (18 September 2025). "Dying Light: The Beast Review - Despite All My Rage". GameSpot . Retrieved 18 September 2025.
  22. Gould-Wilson, Jasmine (18 September 2025). "Dying Light: The Beast review – "A playful sandbox of horror and mayhem with a surprising amount of depth"". GamesRadar . Retrieved 18 September 2025.
  23. Northup, Travis (18 September 2025). "Dying Light: The Beast Review". IGN . Retrieved 18 September 2025.
  24. Livingston, Christopher (18 September 2025). "Dying Light: The Beast review". PC Gamer . Retrieved 18 September 2025.
  25. Kelly, Paul (18 September 2025). "Dying Light The Beast review - a gloriously silly zombie sandbox". PCGamesN . Retrieved 18 September 2025.
  26. Schutt, John (18 September 2025). "Dying Light: The Beast review: The real monsters are exactly who you'd expect". Shacknews . Retrieved 18 September 2025.