Summary
DuringGamescom’s Opening Night Live, Techland announcedDying Light: The Beast,the latest entry in its zombie franchise.Dying Light: The Beastsees the return of the originalDying Light’s protagonist, Kyle Crane, a former member of the United States Armed Forces who was hired and trained by the Global Relief Effort (GRE) to infiltrate the zombie-infested city of Harran. Crane was only mentioned by name inDying Light 2, which told a different story following Aiden Caldwell, a member of an outcast group known as the Pilgrims who was on a mission to find his lost sister, Mia, instead.
Dying Light: The Beastwasteased in a live-action trailerthe day before Gamescom titled “The Beast is Coming.”
[Warning: The following story contains spoilers forDying LightandDying Light: The Following.]
The last players saw of Kyle Crane was duringDying Light’s story expansion,The Following, where he met a sentient Volatile called The Mother, who was tranquil in daytime and feral at night. The Mother used an airborne serum that very slowly began to transform Crane into what she is, and by the end of the expansion, players were presented with two options, to either help the Mother bring about “the coming of the God of the Sun” and ending the Harran virus by detonating a nuclear warhead at the cost of thousands of lives, or he can refuse the Mother and try to take the remaining serum in liquid form, stubbornly believing it to be a cure.
From here, there were two endings, one in which the screen went white and Harran was destroyed, and another, more sinister one whereCrane seemed to escape Harran as a sentient Volatileas the sun was beginning to set. Seeing as there’s no way in which Crane could have survived the former option, it’s clear which endingDying Light: The Beasthas deemed to be canon, and Crane will be able to use some of his newer mutated abilities in the new adventure.
Why Kyle Crane Isn’t In Dying Light 2
Although mentioned by a recurring character from the previous game, Dying Light’s Kyle Crane does not make an appearance in Dying Light 2: Stay Human.
Dying Light: The Beast Will Be Free For Some Dying Light 2 Owners
It Was Originally Intended As DLC For The 2022 Title
WhileDying Light: The Beastwill be available as a standalone story with 18 to 20 hours of gameplay, an official press release from developers Techland confirmed thatit was originally intended as a story DLC forDying Light 2: Stay Human.After two years of work, however, its size and scope had changed so much that the studio opted to turn it into a standalone, self-contained experience.
However, as theDying Light 2community had been waiting patiently for the DLC in this time,Techland has confirmed that it will be offeringDying Light: The Beastat no extra cost to all owners of theDying Light 2: Stay HumanUltimate Editionto show its appreciation. At launch, those who purchased the digital-only Ultimate Edition were promised the following:
By 2024, players had received all of this content except the second DLC, which has now becomeDying Light: The Beast.
For those who don’t ownDying Light 2: Stay Human’s Ultimate Edition,Dying Light: The Beastwill be available on both PC and current-gen and last-gen PlayStation and Xbox consoles. Techland has confirmed it will reveal more details - including the release date - later this year, but players can wishlist the upcoming title now onSteam,Epic Games Store,Xbox, andPlayStationto stay up to date.
Sources:Dying Light/YouTube,Steam,Epic Games Store,Xbox,PlayStation
Dying Light 2 Stay Human
Dying Light 2 is the sequel to the cult-classic original release and continues the Dying Light franchise. It was created and developed by Techland and sees players embarking on a new parkour journey solo or with a friend cooperatively. Players will need to unlock new skills and weapons, complete tasks, and race against the clock to finish certain missions.
