Dying Light 2 recently released its Gut Feeling update, which allows players to dive back into the game and experience its updated gore and brutality effects, improved combat, a new live event, and more. The Dying Light franchise has been long compared to Dead Island, with both being action role-playing survival video games and involving escaping from different types of virals or zombies. Both series originated under the same studio, Techland, but the developer eventually went on to focus on Dying Light and Dying Light 2 while Dead Island 2 went through different studios before landing at Dambuster Studios.
There's been some buzz on whether the Gut Feeling update and Dead Island 2 release are competing with one another—which were released a day apart from each other—but developer Tymon Smektala told Game ZXC in a recent interview that the two just happened to "clash." He acknowledged both games' similarities but added that Dying Light 2 knows its strengths.
Zombie Gamers Must Be Happy, Says Dying Light 2 Dev
There are various new additions to the Gut Feeling update, and Smektala said he hopes will keep players coming back for more. Players can now dismember every type of zombie and get a lot more blood out of it, while also breaking apart zombies' limbs, cutting off the scalp, and seeing the brain inside. The update also tackles the physicality of combat, which is based on a physics model that stimulates what should happen to the zombie's body when it's hit. In simpler terms, if a player hits or dropkicks a zombie, it will fly away, but if it hits an obstacle or flies into another group of zombies, then it will create a domino effect. This has been argued as similar to Dead Island 2's FLESH System. But while many players have already been comparing Dying Light 2 and Dead Island 2, Smektala said both games are great but approach the genre in different ways.
We knew roughly when Dead Island 2 would be released, but we didn't know the exact date. They have also changed the date. They moved it a little to not coincide with Star Wars: Jedi Survivor, so it’s from both sides. We kind of clashed in the same week, but I think it's good for the zombie gamers. If you are interested in zombie games, this period is the best for you. It’s almost like the holidays. I hope players enjoy it.
I think like we know what our strengths are, we know what makes us unique, and we highlighted this to the players.
Another new addition, which Smektala told Game ZXC could be the most challenging, is the Viral Event, which is taking place between April 20 to May 4. If players choose to participate, they will get swarmed by more virals as they explore the city. The zombies will strike at players and try to bring them down with their hordes. Smektala said he thought it might be "a little bit controversial" because it makes the game more difficult than necessary, but figured it would be a great addition for the hardcore Dying Light 2 players. For anyone else, they can turn off the event and play the game as normal.
More Dying Light 2 Updates Are on the Horizon
Players can also now use Dying Light 2's gear transmog system, which lets them customize their best-looking outfits to have the best stats or bonuses. Smektala said that this was a direct response to the community because they were vocal about not wanting to choose outfits that were either the nicest looking or had the most helpful stats. They can also craft new weapons and find weapon blueprints around the map, creating another subsystem within Dying Light 2.
The Gut Feeling update took about three months to complete; it went into development at the beginning of the year around the time that the company finished the work on its anniversary update, which included a Bloody Anniversary event and three nostalgia bundles of original characters Rais, Brecken, and Kyle Crane. But Smektala said that the work is not done for Dying Light 2 and that players can expect more offerings and surprises down the line, including a parkour update and more original character bundles, possibly.
I hope we make players realize that they can expect constant updates as we move forward. There's no stopping this. We are brave enough to look at all the core systems, enhance them, add to them, but also add some new stuff that we can also surprise players with our offerings...
I think there should always be this expectation of a surprise that we might pull out of our sleeve like an ace card. Dying Light 2 as a game, as a series, is something that can take many years, constantly be fresh, and constantly receive something new from us developers.
There have been mixed reviews for Dying Light 2 in the past, but with the latest updates and Techland's promise to keep them coming, it's clear just how bright its future is. The Gut Feeling update seems to have considered players' past suggestions for improvement, and the timing could prove to win over some Dead Island 2 fans. If Techland continues to roll out updates, it may be able to retain its new and old players.
Dying Light 2 is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.