Dying Light

 Xbox One
Metascore
74

Mixed or average reviews - based on 26 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 26
  2. Mixed: 14 out of 26
  3. Negative: 0 out of 26
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  1. ZTGD
    Feb 4, 2015
    90
    It’s dark, gritty, 80’s style vibe goes extremely well with the parkour elements and questing. All these elements add up to take the zombie genre to a new level, one I just can’t seem to get enough of.
  2. Eurogamer Poland
    Jan 30, 2015
    90
    Dying Light is composed of elements used previously in other games, but the end result is well-thought-out and interesting, and it provides a unique gameplay experience.
  3. AusGamers
    Feb 6, 2015
    89
    If you need it in bite-sized terms, combine the likes of movement in Mirror's Edge, the combat and crafting of Dead Island and Dead Rising with the open-world sides of both Fallout 3 and the most recent Far Cry games, with zombies, and you have a basic idea of what Dying Light is. It also combines all of this very well.
  5. MondoXbox
    Jan 31, 2015
    88
    A surprisingly solid and entertaining game, with good gameplay mechanics and great atmosphere. Its rather light and uninvolving story gets balanced by high tension levels and a very amusing co-op. Every zombie games lover should consider playing it.
  6. Xbox Achievements
    Feb 3, 2015
    85
    Dying Light is a cavalcade of zombie ultra-violence that's hard to put down.
  7. IGN
    Feb 3, 2015
    85
    High-speed parkour and gruesome zombie massacres make Dying Light a blast, even if the story's just okay.
  8. Game Informer
    Feb 2, 2015
    85
    Dying Light’s combat is at its best during melee fights due to the sheer brutality of the hand-to-hand animations, as well as the satisfying nature of hitting an attacker with the weapon you looted or crafted.
  9. games(TM)
    Mar 3, 2015
    80
    It feels as though Techland has always had this game inside of it, like it’s been waiting to bust out this technically proficient outpouring of destructive fun. Dying Light is a class apart from its typical output, and a class apart from most zombie games too. A shining beacon in a sea of grisly rotting death.
  10. The Digital Fix
    Feb 18, 2015
    80
    An unengaging story and forgettable characters do not live long in the memory and there’s the distinct feeling that you’ve seen a lot of what’s on offer before. That’s because you have - Dying Light is a Frankenstein’s monster, stitching together parts of other games into something new-ish. And occasionally, the stitches pull apart, revealing it’s not quite as fresh as first hoped.
  11. GameOver.gr
    Feb 10, 2015
    80
    Techland significantly improved every single aspect of Dead Island’s spiritual successor. On top of the graphical, story and fighting improvements, comes the excellent addition of parkour, offering new and exciting vertical gameplay possibilities.
  12. Guardian
    Feb 3, 2015
    80
    A zombie scenario which is entirely plausible and believable and that, in itself, takes Dying Light to a higher plane, reaching toward the role-playing depth of State of Decay and the sheer nastiness of DayZ. Factor in the giant sandbox of a huge city, and the end result is a scarily immersive experience.
  13. God is a Geek
    Feb 2, 2015
    75
    Dying Light keeps the best bits of Dead Island, forgets to get rid of the bad, but makes up for it with awesome parkour and a tense day/night dynamic.

Awards & Rankings

75
#75 Best Xbox One Game of 2015
13
#13 Most Discussed Xbox One Game of 2015
24
#24 Most Shared Xbox One Game of 2015

User Reviews

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User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 566 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 441 out of 566
  2. Mixed: 63 out of 566
  3. Negative: 62 out of 566
  1. IsaacSlade
    Jan 28, 2015
    10
    As I'm writing this, I've played for about five hours, and in those five hours, I've had one of the most fun, and genuinely frighteningAs I'm writing this, I've played for about five hours, and in those five hours, I've had one of the most fun, and genuinely frightening experiences I've had playing a zombie game. Combat is very simple, but in this game, it's much safer to run early on. Stop to fight out in the open,and you can very easily become swarmed, and die very quickly. But that's why I love the movement system. It'll take a bit to get accustomed to at first, but once you do, you'll have a blast (If you like parkour in video games). My one complaint gameplay-wise is that there's no actual function to check your watch, and the only way to do so is to hang from a ledge. Though you do get radio warnings an hour before sunset, which is nice.

    The story is certainly more interesting than I was expecting (To be honest I wasn't even expecting one), and the voice acting is good. The game is very pretty to look at too. But it becomes a whole different game when the sun goes down. That's not just a marketing tagline, it really does change. Instead of dodging slow zombies and scavenging for supplies,you're now running for your life from a much faster,stronger,and more dangerous enemy, one that stalks you relentlessly. But, at night, experience points double. So, when the sun goes down, you really have to ask yourself...is the risk really worth it?

    Edit: So, I played a little more into the game, and I found a good a workaround for the watch issue. If you carry a good knife with you, you will hold up both arms when it's equipped, letting you see your watch just fine.    … Full Review »
  2. Agent-D
    Jan 27, 2015
    8
    I know many of you will be on the fence about another Techland zombie game. Trust me, I was very cautiously pessimistic about Dying Light. II know many of you will be on the fence about another Techland zombie game. Trust me, I was very cautiously pessimistic about Dying Light. I can say that in many ways though it is a perfected version of Dead Island, my only real complaint is the lack of vehicles. I understand these weren't introduced to allow players to make use of the parkour movement system.

    Graphically they game is pretty outstanding, I think it looks better than some of the videos and screenshots we have been shown for so long. I have seen some odd to downright hilarious things while playing this game, nothing game breaking, but like zombies stuck in cars or watching them fall over and over again.

    Combat is very similar to Dead Island but feel far more natural. The games level system with combat makes it seem like your weaker than you should be at first and then way stronger than anyone should be by the end. I get this is probably to give the player a sense of learning to fight and survive and while its entirely possible you will survive even the most intense swarm, just keep in mind that in most events early on its always best to just run. Once the levels start rolling in and the weapons get better and better you effectively become the Rick Grimes of Dying Light and just start mowing through the undead.

    The audio of the game is pretty spectacular, probably my favorite part. The voice acting is pretty sharp with Roger Craig Smith (Known for playing Chris Redfield & Ezio Auditore) taking the lead. The ambient noise provides great atmosphere, especially at night when things are at their creepiest. Most firearms sound average, neither great, nor bad. Weapon impact on melee weapons sound great though and add to the brutality of the actions on screen.

    As some have stated, the story is well more than I expected it to be, so I have to give them kudos for trying, the game is at it's best when playing co-op or even more so when terrorizing players as a Zombie. The only real thing I feel they missed out on was leaving out vehicles (like I stated at the start) but otherwise its a solid zombie game for next gen consoles.

    Overall it's certainly the best game we have seen from Techland    … Full Review »
  3. Maximum1234
    Jan 27, 2015
    10
    This game is amazing. Parkour is awesome and the combat is awesome. This game is a must have. Its just so much fun to play co-op and just takeThis game is amazing. Parkour is awesome and the combat is awesome. This game is a must have. Its just so much fun to play co-op and just take out zombies and run around the city. Buy this game now.… Full Review »
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