Test de Dying Light 2

there is something rotten in this world

The story is happening about 15 after the Harran event. Remember, a virus had answered and transformed most of the population in Zombis. The Kyle Crane agent was sent by the GRE (Global Relief Effort) to find a stolen file that could contain information for a virus cure. It was therefore the case, but obviously it is not stopped there and research continued to be carried out, and obviously a version of the virus spread, creating a pandemic. It is in this world ravaged by the virus that the adventure begins, under the features of Aiden Caldwell, apparently old guinea pig, who is looking for her sister disappeared from children. Past an introduction by thirty minutes, we arrive in a city, called "the city" which is the theater of the adventure.

• there is something rotten in this world
• the good, the brute and the zombie
• The consequences
• PARKING THE CITY
• an open world that smells a little half
• at night All zombies are gray
• Capacity Mutation
• A game not fresh

Before talking a little more in detail of the game writing, a small passage on the introduction. It's personally one of the passage I have appreciated most. This passage in the abandoned house, with what remains of its former occupants and their business, the passage in the forest and the train station and the surroundings abandoned to nature and infected. There is a feeling of melancholy, sadness, and a little beauty too, to travel what remains of a past world. The fact that the character is very weak at this time in relation to the surrounding hazards adds a welcome feeling of insecurity and encourages attention to pay attention to the slightest thing. Really a very good passage of the game.

But let's go back to the rest of the game and his writing. That of the first game was not really strong and accumulated a lot of pundideos, possibly partly with reference to the genre of zombie (on various media). But there was a certain coherence in its main history and a lot of ancillary quests. Her world seemed a little credible because the playing protagonist arrived at Harran a few weeks or months after the virus spread, a wall was erected around the city for the infection. It was the story of a city bell, with lots of zombies inside and survivors who were trapped and had to adapt very quickly as they could. The frame of this second episode is different. It's about a dozen years that the city is almost cut from the rest of the world. So it's a bit weird to see that there are as many infected in the streets (well not so much, but it is to see below), in residences or stores on the ground, and more Still there are so many zombies up sometimes very high in skyscrapers. Since there are almost no newcomers for a long time (so no new infected), there should have been a small household of time, at least in some places, even more in places as much In height that are primarily easy to clean and defend. It was the basic QG of the first game, a building, for logical reasons. Especially seeing the arsenal that can be disposed of the capture faction or even renegades. So, there are zombie packs at various floors of buildings, curled up the day, waiting for years... They are not likely to die of at least... Ahem... yes good... One could also talk about the key to the GRE, this incredible tool, one of the main patterns of the scenario that is the subject of covet, which opens so many doors and unlock so many things. This key that seems so much used in so many places of GRE, of which there are several large centers and a lot of small sections in the city, and many of which doors and coffers open with. But there is only one! One key to found for years! Maybe the many members, scientists or others, from GREs got rid of itself in junk crushers who still worked, or zombies have eaten them or other reasons that make it just only one key to GRE available. It seems aberrant, let's say it!

So yes that kind of considerations can be a little weird, but... it's like a little something that breaks the immersion and remember that one of the first forces was his atmospheres, his stress; In a world that seems fake, it's complicated. There are things that are clutching in this story, in this world, and this taints the experience.

the good, the brute and the zombie

Let's talk a little about the writing of the characters, the quality of the quests, etc. This is still pretty medium, even bad. Overall, there are two factions that do not agree, survivors and peacemakers. There are renegades too, but they are pretty simple: they behave almost like savages for the most part and look like villains of Mad Max. We will not hold it again, it's just standard ugly, we need it. So the survivors, the poor, suffered the epidemic, they try to get out of it as they can, many think that the old system has failed, that it was bad, that's why the epidemic 'Is widespread and so they want a new company, Bla Bla Bla. Pacificers are remnants of an old police or army. There is well established, hierarchical, a lot of discipline, etc. They make sure to maintain a semblance of order and cohesion in this city a priori, but the survivors feel oppressed and there are abuses, all that. It's frankly enough of the forehead all that. There are various passages to the questionable logic, reversals of opinions frankly debilitated of the genre: "Ah you did not beat or killed this ugly, that means that you are against us, we will make you the skin!" Coming from people who are short of it in great esteem, and most of the members of the faction too. You are with them, or against them, but be careful because it can change quickly. There are some semblance of nuances that are brought in both factions to a few passages and soon after it's the return to very limited reasoning and pretty binary opinions, it's a shame. The Annex Quests, they are quite basic, there are some who bring a little emotion, but not more than that. I have the impression that there are fewer touching or funny quests than in the first. Let us add to that that Aiden says it several times, it does not in any way do not happen to fuck and that he just wants to find his sister, and the attachment to what is happening in this city Find very limited. It is all the more pity that the game proposes to impact the course of events.

The consequences

One of the features that has been put forward when promoting the game is the possibility of making significant choices during the adventure and this impacts the city. There are some choices here for ancillary quests, but it's relatively anecdotal, although it affects the grumbling of characters at a variety of moments and some lines of dialogues, it remains sympathetic. In addition, there are several big points of interest in the city, water tanks and power plants to be precise, that it is possible to give one or other of the two factions. In practice, beyond the emotional or moral aspect for a faction, it modifies the surroundings and increases a gauge that gives bonuses. Thus, a conclusion of survivors adds stepping stones in the controlled areas, another unlocks additional ventilation grids for paragliding, etc. It's really nice to see the city turn into the adventure. Because beyond these bonuses, there seems to be more than more faction members in the surrounding area. The big problem of this system is that ultimately choices are more made depending on the gameplay than the scenario, it's a shame. In practice, the survivor bonuses are obviously much more useful because it adds many extra parkour options, which is one of the major aspects of the game. Conversely the first pacificler bonus adds cars to blow up, Who do not do much damage and attract infected after the explosion (so the opposite of the idea of ​​clearing the surroundings and to attract them elsewhere, there is better as options available). Pacificers give mainly offensive options, in a game that logically pushes to avoid massively fighting zombies, what curious idea... There are also important choices to do during the main scenario, which have real passer paras.. Thus, there are at least two mission branches at several moments of the adventure (different missions), according to the faction you have chosen to help, knowing that helping one at a time helps to help L another later on another problem. The idea is quite successful, the problem comes from the quality of writing that it is a bit difficult to choose or maybe we do not care a little. Because overall, it seems to be asshole, liars, for the most part and that in addition they regularly take this poor aid for a rubbish. However, the city is evolving, it's more or less successful, but the promise is held.

PARKING THE CITY

We come to the greatest success of the game: as its predecessor, Dying Light 2 offers a fantastic parkour experience. Thanks to a neat design level, we travel the city with great ease. Disseminated here and there, beams, scaffolding and other structures are present to allow to switch from one building to another easily. These are partly explorable freely for many of them. We will appreciate a slight effort to avoid making too artificial the points to which cling. So yes, there are yellow tissue pieces, brands, in places, but not all the time and it's quite integrated. Very appreciable point too, for many goals, there are many ways to reach them, allowing a more personal experience. There are some little frustrating parts, like these roof edges that catch them below is a shot to take, and in the urgency regularly source of problems. But this aspect of the game is a real good point. A special mention to the game music that vary according to the movements, failures or successes, the intensity of the races, etc.

Further in the adventure, access to a kind of paraglider is possible. It's a feeling a bit mixed on the idea. In itself, why not, there are appreciable moments with this sail that allows to start, from the ground or a roof via ventilation grids, to explore places lighter or simply escape from pursuers. Moreover, jumping from a high position, sometimes very high, to reach a goal far below is friendly. The problem is that the control of this tool is quite limited, making the experience sometimes unpleasant. Finally, towards the end of the game, we have access to a kind of grapple, far from that of the first, which mainly serves to swing via a tie in height to reach another platform. It's nice enough, but finally not helpful out of the main mission passages.

We said above that the Level Design is neat, it is true with regard to the functionality of Parkour. On the other hand, it is less the case on the variety of environments. While the first possessed some diversity and highlights (the famous train station, the big bridge, the beaches, etc.), this second episode fishing a little on it. Each zone is finally quite a variety of and even generic, in the outside of its buildings, but also in its interiors and especially without really striking place. It's a shame by seeing the work done on the details to enhance the travel experience.

an open world that smells a little half

Past the issue of this open world in its Level Design, then arises another problem, its game design. It's simple, it's Archaic, it's more or less the same as that of DL1, than that of a game Ubisoft , and so many other standard open world. It is full of small ancillary activities, obscure areas to search, vehicles surrounded by infected but containing useful (or not) resources, exclamation points of quest donors, a lot of things to pick up ( Consumables, resources, pieces of background, etc.). Before positions to unlock by dozens, whose interest arises for a good part. The impression that it has not evolved since the game of 2015. A little ironic a game that leaves so much freedom in its travels, either very well marked by its points of interest. They said that there is 500h of play to complete everything, saw the filling yes, but what should it be boring.

at night All zombies are gray

Another feature at the heart of the Dying Light 2 experience at night. Indeed, while the day wander is relatively simple, it is the lower the case in the dark. Indeed, the night infected are more numerous, some sleeping the day are awake, specials come out outside, etc. This is also that prosecutions can engage. Bezzed by a howler causes the start of the hunt. In concrete terms, infected people get out of various access and run after. The larger the hard offset and the more it is intensifying. The goal is to run for sealing or sheltering in a secure area. This is where a big difference comes from the first game. There are few moments when you really feel in danger during night getaways. It's due to several factors. The first is that the infected people quickly become in the adventure very unsafe with the power available. They are slow, do not do a lot of damage and, above all, where are the raptors passed? It was really the terror of the first game, these special quick and powerful infected, who started prowling at night in some parts of the city, but also and especially in the standard streets. This brought a dose of stress to avoid them and when a lawsuit switched off, they were the great and real threat. In this new episode, howlers being cantoned on the ground (I do not remember that there are on the roofs or really very little), where there is very little need to go, the danger is rare. Raptors are limited to threats in passages from the main scenario or in areas of GRE, but it's a little special. The other specials like big raws or spherchers are frankly anecdotal as soon as we understand how to get rid of no worries.

The obscure areas disseminated in the city are of a rather limited interest both in the experience in itself and in the resources recovered and it is something that takes about five minutes for the most part.

Then remains the areas and anomalies of GRE. These are kinds of small arena with a special who appears at night. You have to get rid of it to access a chest containing one or more inhibitors and some rare resources. The areas are building building in which it is necessary to rush at night, to reduce the number and difficulty of infected, to recover again inhibitors and resources. These areas are quite interesting and break a bit of the monotony of other tasks. The problem is that again, it's fast much simpler to just cut in sleeping zombies than trying to play it infiltration, a pity. There remains the game on the time spent in the darkness that is limited, which brings a little stress at first, but again after some improvements and a little harvest it is very anecdotal.

In short, a major aspect of the Dying Light 1 experience almost disappears.

Capacity Mutation

We talked about the increase in the character's capabilities: they are in several ways. First of all, there is a talented tree, finally two: one that concerns the fighting skills and the other of Parkour. Everyone increases through the activities related to it; Fighting gives points for the fight tree. Arrived at a given number of points, a jurisdiction is unlocked, to award in one of the available. In the idea, it's interesting, it allows via the gaming experience to unlock new ways of apprehending it. This is even a very good progression system than unlock new game options rather than increases features. The problem, yes again, is that gameplay options should be available basic. The powerful attack is not available by default, the slip after race either, which is crazy. These are really basic movements. Let the race vertically on a wall or springboard based on an enemy are unlocked with the experience is consistent, but not that kind of basic capabilities. In addition, despite the attempt to give a little technique to combat with body to body, just hit as a rifle and then back a bit when the enemy strikes or is good and it's good.

The other route of improvement is via the inhibitors. In concrete terms, there is a three-level gauge, recovering three of these objects makes it possible to increase the health or endurance of the character. It's very simple, but it works well. Suddenly, if health is used primarily to collect more shots, endurance provides access to locations not or little accessible before, or more easily. These famous inhibitors are at the beginning in relatively dangerous or complicated areas to be achieved, rewarding exploration or risk-taking. Past half of the adventure, it falls not bad, but the idea remains good and anyway past this stage almost everything is accessible.

Another point of evolution, the increase in the quality of the objects used. Consumables such as molotov cocktails, mines, care and others have several levels. To improve them, you need to exchange more or less special zombie tokens to merchants. The problem of the idea, which is not bad, it is that suddenly it gives big sessions of Farm, dedicated to killing zombies just to recover tokens. And it takes a lot of tokens, really a lot, to improve if only a few objects, knowing more than the offensive power increase is not always significant in view of the investment.

Finally, there is equipment, which is simple enough. There are several locations of clothing and weapons, each type has variations of quality distinguished by color. The clothes have variations of characteristics according to a role (tank, damage, etc.). This part works pretty well.

A game not fresh

So, this dying light 2, nice evolution of a good game? Unfortunately, not really. There are good improvements, its main strength is Parkour is sublimated. There are nice novelties: these choices to do during the main scenario, the evolution of the city. Interesting attempts, which are not high enough, real retreats on certain points like the whole night part and the stress dosage. All in a world with archaic design and very average writing. In this regard, he might have been better not to throw in the trash the work of Chris Avelone... but it's a bit like Techland ** had wanted to do too much and a little lost what had made the success of the first. The studio has planned to feed the game in varied content for the next five years. Failure to be able to change in depth some parts, maybe they can improve and diversify some. If it is below its elder on important points, this second Dying Light still offers a friendly experience, which can be advised to make multiplayer, and can improve.

_Test directed by Zekkangel on PC with a version provided by the publisher.