Zombies have become fodder, motive, or set dressing for a variety of genres in games today. There is the player interaction experience of DayZ orH1Z1, the brutal combat bloodbaths of Left 4 Dead and Call of Duty Zombies, and the story and character driven Walking Dead, and the suspenseful survival in Resident Evil. Many releases find themselves pigeonholed into one type of experience, directed by the story the designers want to tell. When a game comes along set in an open world but putting the impetus on characters and their interactions, it is a strangely refreshing experience. Dying Light is Techland’s second game looking to achieve that balance, and unrelated follow up to their Dead Island release a few years back. Does a fresh start in a similar setting allow Dying Light to realize its potential, or is it infected with shortcomings?
