We’re just months away from exploring Castor Woods as the amped-up Kyle Crane, and during a recent Q+A franchise director Tymon Smektala told us that he’s concerned the game’s DLC roots could be a burden, but Techland doesn’t want players to “underestimate” Dying Light: The Beast.Techland talks Dying Light: The Beast leak, DLC origins, and the franchise’s evolutionPlayers diving into Dying Light: The Beast later this year will be exploring a different environment to what you’ve become accustomed to in Techland’s Xbox horror game series. Instead of the built-up urban streets of Harran or Villedor, you’ll instead be in Castor Woods, a once popular tourist destination and woodland. Even the return of the first game’s protagonist Kyle Crane will feel somewhat unfamiliar, as the hero of Harran now wields superhuman powers after many years of experiments at the hands of the mysterious Baron. With that in mind, Tymon Smektala says this entry has given Techland “the opportunity to go deeper into the survival horror aspect,” and the team has leaned right into it. With “refined enemy AI” and “more reactive environmental elements,” Techland used the game’s tighter scope to “take more creative risks that weren’t feasible in a larger open-world game like Dying Light 2: Stay Human.” Stepping away from the urban environments for a rural setting was one of those creative risks, which Smektala says was one of the “biggest leaps of faith” the team has taken. Although the franchise director says, “Looking at the decision now, I can confidently say it was a good one.”But this bold new direction, and the entire third game, wasn’t originally the plan. Dying Light: The Beast started life as a second expansion for 2022’s Dying Light 2, but after a massive leak forced Techland to reimagine what it was working on, the team ultimately decided to bring back Kyle Crane, and a whole new game was born. Now, The Beast stands as a turning point for the franchise, as survival horror is at the forefront of the experience. “Looking back, the leak was definitely frustrating, but it pushed us to rethink what we were making. What started as a DLC quickly grew into something much bigger and more ambitious,” Smektala says. “The decision to bring back Kyle Crane energized the entire team, and now, with Dying Light: The Beast shaping up to be its own fully-fledged experience, we feel it was the right call. It’s given us the confidence to take bold creative decisions and the game has truly benefitted from it.”Despite starting life as DLC, Dying Light: The Beast stands to offer players a similar open-world experience as its predecessors, although we can expect a more linear, cinematic storyline to follow this time around. Castor Woods will still be filled with side missions, challenges, a plethora of infected variants to slaughter, the familiar day/night cycle, as well as a “few surprises for completionists,” but Techland is concerned players might underestimate the game as a standalone title.”To be honest, we’re starting to feel that its DLC origins might be a burden — some players might underestimate Dying Light: The Beast because of that,” Smektala said. “But the project has grown so much over the past few months that it fully deserves to be treated as a standalone title in its own right.”While Techland is still “committed to supporting Dying Light 2: Stay Human with updates and events,” fans of the second game won’t have any new expansions to look forward to, as the team is now looking at the franchise’s future. Instead, if you purchased the second game’s Ultimate Edition, you’ll be able to claim The Beast for free when it launches this summer.Smektala told us that Dying Light: The Beast is “an important step” in the franchise’s evolution, “and we’re excited for what comes next.”We’re also excited to see what the team’s next game offers fans. In our full interview with Tymon Smektala, we discussed the plethora of weapons coming to the game, a vehicle that will need to be repaired and refueled, and the game’s focus on “survival, resource scarcity, and the sheer horror of the night.” Check it out for a more in-depth look at what’s to come.For now, we’d love to know your thoughts on Techland’s upcoming Xbox zombie game. Are you excited for it? Drop a comment below and let us know!
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