Dying Light 2 is one of the most awaited games at the moment, and not just for survival horror fans. As the sequel to the first Dying Light released in 2015, new features as well as gameplay mechanics have been integrated into the game. Now, with the second iteration, player agency and “working for or against NPC factions” are major components in shaping the narrative of the story and the world inside the game.
In a recent interview with PCGamesN, Tymon Smektala, the lead designer of the Dying Light series, explained one of the narrative aspects of the game, the factions. Smektala describes these groups as “unpredictable wildcards,” since each of them have their own agendas that could possibly clash with one another at times.
Smektala says, “In the world of Dying Light 2 you have a few main factions: The Peacekeepers, the Scavengers, and a few more. But there are also smaller groups like the Untainted that can have an impact on the flow of the story to some extent – they’re like wildcards in the story, something unexpected.”
“So, for example, the Peacekeepers and the Scavengers are fighting for an abandoned swimming pool because it’s a great place for an outpost,” he explains further. “The Peacekeepers want to create a training ground there because it’s easy to mop the blood from tiles, while the Scavengers want to start growing plants that they can use to produce fuel – they have this craftsman who understands that there are special types of plants you can use to create biofuel that powers vehicles. The Untainted believe that the way to salvation, the way to solve the problems of the world, is to grow plants that can be used to create drugs. The drugs have different uses but some of them are powerful stimulants that change how you behave in combat. So you may think, ‘I want this in my world because that’s something that will help’, but then this has a nasty consequence in the game because it changes the relationship between the Scavengers and the Peacekeepers – and those change the gameplay in unexpected ways because it’s not only you that has access to these powerful stimulants, but also the general population of the city”
“As a result, you’ll start encountering bandits and other people who are using them, and sometimes the encounters will be more difficult because of that decision,” he finishes.
Dying Light 2 will be out later this year for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC.
