After a long wait, Dying Light 2 has finally seen the light of day and been released into the world. Players take on the role of Aiden Caldwell in a new city, decades after the event of the first game. It’s interesting to see how the whole world has changed, but for some, it may feel like something is missing.
Specifically, Dying Light 2—despite being a numbered sequel—feels incredibly detached from the first game. The events being detached is one thing, but on the other hand, there’s no real appearance of Kyle Crane, the first game’s protagonist. The Following’s canon ending shows Crane, as a now-sentient Volatile, escape into the world.
Come Dying Light 2, the actual consequences of The Following are never explored, and many references to Crane imply that he is dead. This makes sense given the difference between years the games and Crane’s infection, but at the same time, this is a zombie game. All too often, characters don’t stay dead, and Crane may be one character who shouldn’t be. His role as a sentient zombie is important, after all, and luckily, it would make sense if Dying Light 2 explored more of his story in one of its DLCs.
Dying Light 2: Kyle Crane DLC
An old protagonist appearing in a new DLC isn’t uncommon; Watch Dogs Legion's Aiden Pearce DLC, as well as Assassin's Creed Valhalla’s Odyssey crossover update, come to mind as recent examples. Crane doesn’t have to be playable, but a story that reveals what happened since then, how he’s getting along as a zombie, and what’s currently going on with him would be interesting. Whether as an ally or an enemy, it would be fun to see Crane and Aiden come face-to-face somehow.
The best part? This feels more likely than many games, even those with a heavy emphasis on story-based DLCs. Dying Light 2 has promised DLC and ongoing support for the next 5 years, and while how true that holds up is a question of the future, it does mean fans could expect expansions, DLCs, and more content over the next few years. It should lean on DLC more than content updates, but at the same time, given DLC is already confirmed for this year, it would make sense for Crane to fit in here somewhere.
It would establish new continuity, set up an epic moment for Dying Light 2 fans, and more. There’s little reason to not show how Crane has changed in the following years, and in all the possible story DLC for Dying Light 2, this feels like a must-have.
Dying Light 2 is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
