DYING LIGHT

Every gamer has played a zombie video game. The whole concept of being able to slay ravenous hordes of mindless zombies has been very popular. However, the recent zombie games have failed to make the same impact as their predecessors. Games like Dead Island and Dead Rising tried to incorporate new mechanics into the formula but those mechanics actually ended up feeling forced or out of place. Dying Light is a much-needed breath of fresh air. The game successfully borrows various elements from a myriad of popular games and integrates them so well with the whole zombie-killing concept that they feel like they should have been there much earlier. 

Dying Light is set in Harran – a fictional city torn asunder by a zombie virus (big surprise!). The whole area is quarantined leaving thousands of uninfected people trapped. You play the role of Agent Kyle Crane - an operative sent into the city to recover a top secret file from a rogue agent turned cruel warlord. The premise offers nothing fresh in terms of story or characters but it does a fair job of giving the game much of its purpose. It is an open world game and it does not suffer heavily from mediocre side quests as most of them are intriguing and feel more than just random busy work.

The game, on paper, appears to follow in the footsteps of its spiritual predecessors. However, the features underlying it prove otherwise. There is a parkour system present. I'd say this is one of the best examples of a parkour system used in a first person shooter game. The movement is silky smooth and it is incredibly gratifying to vault over zombies using the rooftops in an extravagant manner. Not to mention the fact that successful parkour running instills a genuine feeling of adrenaline in the player.

The combat is brutal and satisfying. Fair warning: Do NOT play this game if you are squeamish. The no-holds-barred representation of the gore is too realistic at times. The game has many weapons scattered across the city of Harran which you can upgrade in creative ways. 

In the night you would do well to get yourself to a safe house or be packing heat because the deadlier zombies come out to play at night. These particular ones run at you at blazing fast speed and can inflict a punishing amount of damage in a very short span of time. The game really takes its motto "Good night. Good Luck" seriously and playing the game at night time is, hands down, one of the most intense experiences I have ever had.

Dying Light is a game which strives to do more than your usual zombie game and it does that with flying colors. I cannot recall any other game which left me gasping for breath, literally, after it had me outrun the nightmares that stalk the streets after dark.