Being a power fantasy is part of the main appeal of the Dying Light franchise. The games’ protagonists are much more athletic and resourceful than regular people, sometimes to superhuman levels. The ability to run across rooftops and kick-off of a zombie’s soft skull to keep moving is thrilling and could be compared to the act of swinging around New York City in 2018’s Spider-Man game. Following that line of thinking reveals something rather profound about Dying Light 2: it has transcended the usual trappings of a zombie game and is more comparable to a superhero title. This may seem like a major leap to make, but Dying Light is well-equipped to do that.
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Dying Light 2’s Power Fantasy Emulates the Superhero Genre
Right away, it’s clear that Dying Light’s parkour is meant to feel great as players dash across the open world and slide around combat encounters. Dying Light 2 starts with a heavily restricted version of it, but a few upgrades in, and it becomes clear why some call this franchise the spiritual sequel to Mirror’s Edge. From sprinting to wall-running, and later even gliding and grappling, Dying Light 2 makes traversal a breezy and enjoyable part of its core gameplay. While the aforementioned web-slinging is an obvious equivalent source of empowered travel, other titles like Prototype and Infamous also have ways of making travel fast and fun. Even if Dying Light’s parkour looks mundane, it still captures the feeling of moving in ways no mere mortal ever could.
Dying Light 2’s combat is also comparable to that of a superhero game, in a surprising number of ways. The Spider-Man analogy continues to work flawlessly, as protagonist Aiden Caldwell gradually becomes a speedster capable of zipping around the battlefield, vaulting off of enemies, and using his own body as a weapon as much as his makeshift tools. And while those tools may not provide the same versatility as a roulette wheel full of gadgets or powers, Aiden can attach special properties and even the occasional bonus attack to them. The result is an ever-growing pile of enemies, with only particularly powerful enemies and the largest hordes a nighttime chase can produce proving a threat.
Dying Light 2’s Story Has Similarities to Superhero Narratives
Another fact quickly pointed out at the beginning of Dying Light 2 is that Aiden is not a normal human being. The experiments he was subjected to as a youth bestowed upon him great strength and stamina, and his profession as a Pilgrim helped him hone his physical abilities. He essentially has a superhero origin story, right down to chasing the similarly-powered scientist Waltz to find his sister. Aiden and Waltz turn out to be even more unusually powerful than Aiden realizes, and the narrative of a comparable supervillain nemesis is presented with little innovation. This plot point, combined with Dying Light’s signature parkour, crystallizes Dying Light 2’s nature as a subtle superhero game.
That’s not all, however. While Aiden is often very focused on his goal of finding his sister, the player has plenty of chances to make him care and intervene in the lives of people around him. Countless side quests and open-world activities that better the city of Villedor are optional, but wandering NPCs will gradually begin to recognize Aiden for his heroism if he applies himself. It can feel as if the player was controlling a hero like Captain America, being less empowered than other heroes but still committed to helping those in need. It’s an interesting angle for Dying Light 2 to take, and regardless of how deliberate it was, it makes players feel important and powerful — when they aren’t reigning that feeling in to sneak through an infected nest.
Dying Light 2 is available for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X, with a Switch version in development.
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