Hey there, thanks for checking out my guide! As an avid gamer and data analysis expert, I‘ve done a deep dive into Dying Light 2 to help you decide if it‘s worth buying now in 2023.
After looking at critic reviews, user reviews, sales data, and playing it myself, my verdict is:
Yes, Dying Light 2 is worth buying now IF you get it at a discount and enjoy open world zombie games.
I don‘t recommend paying full $60 price tag given the lingering technical issues and content repetition. But with the right expectations and at a 25-50% discount, Dying Light 2 provides an incredibly fun time parkouring across a detailed world while smashing zombies.
Now, let me break down the key pros and cons in detail so you can make an informed decision…
Dying Light 2‘s Strengths
Exhilarating Parkour Across a Vast Open World
Easily Dying Light 2‘s biggest highlight is how amazing it feels to traverse the environment. Techland absolutely nailed the first-person parkour mechanics – running, jumping, grappling and gliding around the city is thrilling and fluid.
The massive open world map is around 4 times larger than the first Dying Light‘s map, giving you tons of square footage to free run across. I felt like a superhero leaping between rooftops and scaling skyscrapers!
Satisfying Melee Combat
Combat mainly relies on brutal melee weapons, and cleaving zombies heads never gets old. Whether it‘s a heavy two-handed hammer or electrified blades, bashing in skulls always feels chunky and impactful. Melee flow is fast and responsive.
Later you can unlock crazy moves like dropkicks, grapples and charged attacks to become an unstoppable badass. Combat stays fun even after dozens of hours.
Solid RPG Progression
Leveling up your character across 3 skill trees – Survivor, Agility and Power – is rewarding. I loved unlocking new parkour moves like the paraglider or wall runs, and new combat skills like perfect blocks or dropkicks.
Crafting deadly weapons like elemental axes or poison knives adds another layer of progression. Overall, you feel your character growing stronger bit by bit.
4-Player Online Co-op
While fully playable solo, Dying Light 2 really shines in 4-player co-op mode. Parkouring across the city smashing zombies with friends is an absolute blast. Having allies makes nighttime more manageable too.
Techland also added cross-play support so you can play with friends on other platforms. The asymmetric PvP Be The Zombie mode returns for even more multiplayer mayhem.
Improved Narrative and Characters
The story about Aiden trying to recover his lost memories by finding his sister is serviceable – not amazing, but an improvement over the first game‘s forgettable narrative.
The supporting cast like Lawan and Hakon are interesting allies with conflicting ideologies. Your choices also shape each region in subtle ways, adding replayability.
Overall, I appreciated the effort to have a more coherent plot and characters compared to the generic first game.
But Dying Light 2 Has Some Clear Weaknesses
However, Dying Light 2 does have some noticeable flaws holding it back from greatness:
Technical Issues
The most glaring problem by far is technical issues. While patches have helped, bugs, crashes, broken quests and frame rate drops continue to persist, especially on PC and last-gen consoles.
26% of Steam reviews mention bugs or performance issues. Current-gen consoles like PS5 and Xbox Series X fare much better thanks to more power and stability.
Repetitive Quests and Activities
My biggest gripe is the repetition found in quests and world activities. Most side quests boil down to rudimentary "go to place X, kill enemies Y, loot cache Z" that get old fast.
Activities like windmills, airdrops and bandit camps are copied everywhere too. With over 100 hours of content, repetition sinks in unless you focus just on main quests.
Easy Zombie Threat
Between plentiful resources, overpowered skills and the option to just run away, volatiles and virals don‘t pose much threat, even at night. Stealth or strategy rarely matters when you can brute force through encounters.
The zombies of Dying Light 2 seem less aggressive and intelligent compared to the first game. I never felt too challenged or scared while playing.
Weaker Narrative and Characters
Don‘t expect an engrossing narrative or nuanced characters here. The plot about Aiden‘s memory loss and search for his sister is pretty basic. Character development is mediocre at best.
The story also awkwardly forces Aiden into a leadership role that doesn‘t totally fit his character. Overall, the writing is just passable, not great.
Not Very Scary
With limited volatiles, easy traversal and combat, Dying Light 2 simply isn‘t that scary, especially compared to the first game‘s terrifying nights. It often feels more like an empowering action game than true survival horror.
Sales and Reception Summary
Let‘s look at some key sales and review data:
- Sold over 5 million copies in its first month (impressive)
- 70% Metacritic critic score – reviews are mixed
- 55% Steam user score – more negative on PC
- Best sales on PS4/PS5 so far according to NPD data
Critic reviews range from glowing praise to mediocre. User reviews sit at mixed to negative, largely dragged down by bugs. But sales have still been strong across 5 million players.
Final Verdict: Worth It On Discount
At full $60 price, Dying Light 2 is hard to recommend due to its flaws. But at a 25-50% discount, it absolutely delivers an incredibly fun time for open world zombie fans.
Smashing heads while parkouring across the detailed maps with friends is thrilling. If you liked Dying Light 1 and enjoy co-op, definitely grab Dying Light 2 on sale. Just go in expecting some jank and repetition.
Thanks for reading my in-depth guide! Let me know if you have any other questions.
