There was a time when Dying Light 2 had everyone excited as one of the biggest sequel hopes in gaming.
The first game's unexpected triumph set expectations through the roof—Techland had clearly struck gold. However, instead of a breakthrough, players were left with a sequel that felt unsure, bloated, and confused about what it wanted to be.
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+ 3Behind the scenes, the game's rocky path to release told a story of poor leadership cut content, and a directionless narrative that ultimately failed to live up to the legacy of the original. The development cycle was plagued from the start.
Despite the solid introduction at E3 2018, production unraveled soon after. The internal workings at Techland were a mess, with sources claiming that the CEO took control of nearly every creative choice, even in areas outside his expertise.
Developers often had their work scrapped without explanation. One week, something would be greenlit, and the next, it would be redone based on a sudden shift in executive mood.
The studio neglected to build a cohesive leadership structure and instead gave full control to one central figure whose impromptu decisions influenced the game's entire design. As morale declined, so did momentum. And then there was the story—arguably Dying Light 2's biggest flaw.
What started with grand ambitions for meaningful player choice, branching consequences, and character-driven conflict became a hollow structure patched together by too many rewrites. Six, to be specific.
Chris Avellone, the writer behind Fallout New Vegas and KOTOR 2, was removed from the project early in its development. His departure and the rotating narrative leads left the script full of contradictions. Characters popped in and out with no clear justification.
click to enlarge+ 3Key decisions often didn't amount to much, and several plot points felt like they belonged to an earlier iteration of the game. Though the structure was shattered, there was hope the gameplay could still keep it all in place. This was the case in some areas.
The city of Villedor had a vertical design that made parkour feel even more exciting, opening up new ways to move around. But it wasn't enough and combat lost its punch—literally. The dismemberment and visceral physics of the first game were toned down.
Traps barely worked, healing took too long, and weapon durability became a chore. Even mechanics like repairing weapons, a staple of the original, were removed or paywalled behind specific charms.
While a few players enjoyed some fun moments, most of that came from the movement and sandbox chaos rather than the story itself. Dying Light 1 excelled in its terrifying nights, where every venture outside was both a risk and a reward.
The night is optional in the sequel, and volatiles (the dreaded stalkers from the first game) are now triggered manually through chase levels. For players seeking tension, that fear was swapped for control. The safety of rooftops and quieter paths dulled the essence of survival horror.
Despite updates tweaking the difficulty modes, many fans still felt the world's tone was too bright and hopeful, lacking the grit and desperation of Harran. What stung the most wasn't just that the game underdelivered—it was that it did so after years of promising more.
Techland had made bold claims about intricate story branches, pivotal choices, and sweeping consequences. But almost all of these systems fell flat. The choices designed to alter the game world ended up feeling trivial. Entire factions reacted as if nothing had happened.
click to enlarge+ 3There were points where blowing up a structure had no real payoff in the story. A character you betrayed just forgave you a few missions later. The illusion of choice collapsed under the weight of rushed narrative design.
Even after years of patches, Dying Light 2 still has bugs, like soft-locked quests, glitchy cutscenes, and random multiplayer disconnects. In some cases, players had to rely on rollbacks to fix corrupted saves. It's proof of how vulnerable the game still is, even in 2025.
The devs have certainly made strides in gameplay and balance updates, but it's hard to deny that the main issues can't be patched. They're a core part of the game, but it's not all negative. If you strip away the story and play Dying Light 2 as a parkour playground with zombies, there's fun to be had.
The grappling hook, glider, and stamina upgrades enhance traversal options. The tone is exactly what it should be, with the music feeling more hopeful than unsettling. Side quests like the Alberto and Vincenzo arc bring emotional richness, offering more heartfelt moments than the main plot itself.
However, those glimpses only make the gaps stand out more. Techland stretched its ambition too far and lost sight of what made the first game resonate.
Big promises, half-baked systems, and a story that never really landed—these issues tore at the game's heart until it no longer resembled a true sequel.
Hope isn't lost yet, with Dying Light: The Beast showing that Techland is addressing past issues with a clearer focus and improved world-building. But for Dying Light 2, the damage is done.
A sequel with great promise ended up marked not by its highs but by the leadership that derailed it.
For more articles like this, take a look at our Features and Dying Light 2 page.