Dying Light was one of those games that I knew I had to get eventually, as someone who enjoyed both the Walking Dead and the Left 4 Dead games. Coupled with my admiration for free running, it was a disappointing day when Dying Light’s development for previous generation consoles was cancelled (I only had a PlayStation 3 at the time). It would be some time after the base game’s release before I’d scrap up enough money for my only PlayStation 4, but it was certainly a game that I played in chunks and pieces on various friends’ consoles, though I never went too far, as I didn’t want to spoil the story for myself.
Game Name: Dying Light: The Following Enhanced Edition
Platform(s): Playstation 4 (Reviewed), Xbox One, PC
Publisher(s): Techland, Warner Brothers
Developer: Techland
Release Date: February 9, 2016
Price: $19.99 as standalone, $59.99 for Dying Light: Enhanced Edition
I’d eventually be bogged down by more recent releases like Fallout 4 and Witcher 3, but my eyes were always waiting for Dying Light to drop to a price that would be acceptable for someone running on a college budget. Having received a copy for review gives me a unique opportunity to experience everything all at once while things are still fresh in my head, though the bulk of this review will only be about the Following DLC.
Dying Light: The Following throws players back into the shoes of Kyle Crane, who is once again voiced wonderfully by Roger Craig Smith. A wounded man is brought into the Tower who claims that there’s a group in the countryside who are immune to the virus and don’t turn when they’re bit. Running out of Antizen, Crane travels through the sewers to seek out this mysterious group. What players will immediately notice is that the Following is accessed through the main menu instead of being a location one travels to manually. I spent several days before the release of the DLC pumping my way through the main campaign, levelling and gathering what I could. The good thing about the Following for new players (and old ones) is that you can freely transfer your character back and forth between the main game and the Following, so any levelling up or items you may find can be used on the other.
The biggest additions to the game is the transferring of the city setting to one that is more urban. Plots of farmland stretches across in all direction, and the Following boats a map size that is bigger than the previous maps combined. The buggy that adds a driving element to the game is quite fun. Parts of your buggy will get damaged and fail just like your weapons do. Looting from cars left behind will grant you fuel and parts to keep your buggy in good condition. I personally lost my buggy and was too lazy to run back for it, so I spent a good hour on foot, gathering up enough resources to last me throughout the DLC, so scarcity isn’t really an issue (Freeways are a good place to farm for buggy parts).
The density of zombies is the countryside definitely seems to outnumber that of Harran, which can be quite jarring if you jump in with an underleveled character.
The driving controls are smooth for the most part, but they are some sharp turns and falling off a cliff could mean that you’re without a ride until you get back to a base to do a vehicle recall. It’s a useful feature if you lose your buggy or had to ditch it for whatever reason, but it does break immersion a bit (you could force yourself to not use the recall feature if you wish, I suppose). Driving also has its own skill tree, which gives you another set to work on if you’re already maxed out.
The DLC is relatively short, however in terms of main storyline gameplay. After meeting with members of Children of the Sun (the mysterious cult), you must complete various side quests and encounters to build up your ranking to progress further in the story. After a while, it does get a bit bland but every so often you hit a quest or two that just adds to the story in fun little ways, with my favorite being where on my way to return some mail I found, one man has me read his letter to him as he’s illiterate, and it’s his best friend telling he’d better not die, or he’d kill him. This of course made my next delivery, which ended up being a power bill all the more hilarious.
*A copy of the game was supplied for the purpose of review
For $20, it's almost a no brainer!
Just like the base game, the Following still maintains that creepy feeling that made it such a hit in the first place. Hives of infected and deep caves also add new elements that are a nice change from the original game.
The Following also adds new weapons like the crossbow, which might be a fun weapon to own for those Daryl Dixon fans. It’s a short DLC, but there’s definitely a lot of side content and space to run around in. Caves are spooky, and can be a bit more of a challenge if you don’t have the grappling hook (which I didn’t), but people have been starting fresh characters on the new DLC, so it’s definitely doable, though it’ll be a bit of a challenge.
Pros:
- Tons of fun!
- Driving is somehow incorporated seamlessly into a game where parkour is a big part of it
- Interesting story
Cons:
- Bit short
- Mandatory side quests gets a bit repetitive
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Gameplay - 9/109/10
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Graphics - 9/109/10
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Audio - 10/1010/10
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Value - 9.5/109.5/10
