Dying Light

Dying light WAS great.

I say this having just completed the game. Unfortunately that statement doesn't apply to the entire 26 hours or so that I put into it.

Dying light WAS great for the entire play through up until the final mission. A mission that was such a spit in the face that it absolutely ruined the entire experience for me.

Let me clarify. Dying light sticks to more or less the same concept throughout the game. Very little QTE's, with a focus on either stealth, or on occasion wading in guns blazing in an attempt to liberate an air drop, rescue a victim, or secure a safe house. This may sound repetitive, but likable characters, a genuine desire to slaughter the antagonist, and some legitimately terrifying moments kept the pace going for the game, and kept me eager to come back.

I didn't mind the occasionally finicky combat. I didn't complain when it took 8-10 swings with a sledge hammer to take down a regular person (something that would usually infuriate me) and I didn't mind falling to my death over and over again while getting the hang of traversing roof tops fluidly. All of these things I can forgive, and I'm sure will be fixed if there's a sequel.

What I can't forgive is a game that shies away from all of the cliche slow-mo call of duty moments that run rampant in other games up until the very last mission.

***SPOILERS*** DON'T READ AHEAD IF YOU HAVEN'T COMPLETED DYING LIGHT


YOU'VE BEEN WARNED.

Yes, that very antagonist that you've come so close to killing with your bare hands. Who you've waited the entire game to attack with your various fire or electricity-infused machetes, swords, hatchets, etc not only leads you through one of the most infuriating, and down right out of place levels in the game. After all of this you perform a 5 button QTE and kill him in slow motion circa EVERY CALL OF DUTY ENDING EVER.

This was an abysmal cop out, and I can't even fathom how devs thought this was a good idea. A game with such original combat and they decide the last couple of minutes is going to be some lame QTE (which by the way they managed to go an entire game without having - aside from escaping from zombies by mashing "a")

This not only ruined the entire game for me (this is no over-exaggeration, believe me) it ruined any change that I'd purchase a sequel. I'm 100% done with Dying Light, and don't plan on going back to it.

I played the game on single player for the most part, but there seem to be a lot of gripes from the multiplayer community regarding another terrible aspect of the final level, which was the inability to play co-op.

So you can play the ENTIRE GAME up until the final level, and then you're forced to go it alone. What a terrible conclusion to the game. Hope you didn't enjoy playing co-op, because there won't be any resolution for you and your friend. Instead you get to take turns playing the infuriating, and terrible final level, and mashing the QTE. Great fun.

Honestly, if you read this, and think I'm over-embelishing just how infuriating this was, then go ahead. Play Dying Light, but turn it the f*ck off at the final level prompt that you get, and save yourself the disappointment.

I'm sure you can guess how it ends anyways. Think Call of Duty.