Maybe it’s a combination of those and other factors, but it wasn’t long before I could easily clear an entire warehouse of angry biters without breaking a sweat. Or maybe it’s the fact that you can more easily over-level yourself in each area before moving to the next, making any new threats feel like pushovers. Maybe it’s because Dying Light 2’s powerful skills and weapon options put those in the original Dying Light to shame, like modified weapons that can cause an explosion on a critical hit or light an enemy on fire for several seconds allowing you to pummel them to death while they’re defenseless. That was disappointing since the first Dying LIght had me sweating bullets anytime I had to go out after dark.

I also didn’t feel all that imperiled while running around at night, even when I was being chased by tons of zombies. Since the city streets are flooded with the undead by night and not-yet-dead bandits by day, sticking to rooftops quickly becomes one of the most intricate and high-stakes games of “The Floor is Lava” of all time – and it’s consistently entertaining even when you’re just running from point A to point B. You’ll leap from building to building, scale skyscrapers, and even swing around with a grappling hook with intuitive ease. Your biggest asset in this – and the biggest highlight of Dying Light 2, by a mile – is its liberating and smooth parkour system, which improves upon the first game’s already impressive toolbox. The distinct feel to each part of the day-night cycle creates a balance in what types of things you’ll get up to: you’ll need to spend nights delving into abandoned subway stations, power plants, and hospitals to gather new weapons and crafting materials, completing missions along the way by day you travel through the city and complete story missions outdoors unless you absolutely have to go inside.

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