Dying Light: The Beast – Review
Reviewed by Karan Parmar | September 19, 2025
I just finished Dying Light: The Beast, and as someone who put way too many hours into the original Dying Light, I had high expectations going in. The first game set the bar high: tight parkour, that terrifying day-to-night shift, and the feeling of being a fragile human against an unstoppable horde. So how does The Beast stack up? Honestly, it’s a fascinating mix of old and new: sometimes better, sometimes not, but always worth talking about.
The biggest difference is the setting. Instead of running across the rooftops of Harran, The Beast drops you in Castor Woods, a rural sprawl of swamps, farmlands, and creepy forests. It’s moodier, more grounded in horror, and a lot less “urban playground.” That change alone shifts the tone; it feels slower and more dangerous, with a focus on survival in wide, open spaces rather than darting through alleys. Parkour still matters, and in fact, it feels smoother and more refined than the first game. Vaulting, climbing, and chaining movements together works better than before. But I do miss the dense verticality of Harran, where every rooftop was an escape route. Here, you’re more exposed, which is scarier in some ways but occasionally less fun to navigate.
The first Dying Light already had satisfying melee, but The Beast cranks it up several notches. Hits land heavier, weapons feel more distinct, and the new Beast Mode adds a wild twist. As Crane wrestles with his mutation, you can unleash savage finishers and animalistic attacks once the meter fills. It feels powerful without tipping into “god mode,” keeping tension alive even when you’re tearing through enemies.
The gore system is another big step up. Blades cleave into flesh with sickening crunches, limbs fly off in showers of blood, and bone-cracking finishers are as brutal as they are satisfying. You can literally carve through a pack of zombies and watch them collapse in heaps of dismembered parts. It’s gruesome, but it makes every swing feel impactful in a way the first game never quite captured.
Compared to the original’s “swing, dodge, repeat,” combat here has more variety and bite. Enemy types mix things up too; mutated horrors and chimeras force you to adapt, but after a dozen hours, you’ll start to notice patterns creeping back in. Even then, the sheer brutality and tactile feedback of the combat keep it engaging, making every encounter feel dangerous and rewarding.
Story-wise, The Beast leans harder into Crane’s personal struggle. The original Dying Light had a compelling storyline, good enough to carry you through, but nothing to brag about. Here, the whole “man vs monster” angle gives the story more bite, even if the pacing isn’t always perfect. The villain, the Baron, is entertaining but doesn’t quite hit the highs of Rais from the first game. His presence is menacing, but his motivations aren’t as sharp, which makes him less memorable.
On the plus side, Crane’s transformation isn’t just background flavor; it drives both the narrative and gameplay, blurring the line between survival horror and tragedy. Side characters also get more screen time, with a few allies reacting differently to Crane’s condition, adding some moral tension to your choices. Sometimes the cutscenes drag, other times they leave you wanting more, but overall, it’s clear Techland aimed for a more character-driven story this time around, and it mostly works.
Castor Woods is gorgeous and haunting, with misty forests, eerie farmhouses, and ruined villages that drip with atmosphere. Where Harran felt like an urban survival park, Castor Woods feels like a nightmare you can’t wake up from. The lighting, especially at night, nails that oppressive dread the first game was known for. But the atmosphere and horror of the first game still can’t be fully recreated. Harran’s vibe hit different; the terror of night runs, being chased by volatiles in pitch-black streets where you couldn’t see a thing without your flashlight, combined with its dynamic day-night cycle, gave it a raw intensity that’s hard to beat. The Beast delivers a similar style of tension and does it well, but it doesn’t quite surpass the primal fear that the first game could pull off.
On PC, The Beast is surprisingly well optimized, even for low-to-mid-tier GPUs, with no major stuttering or frame drops, even when the screen fills with enemies and particle effects. Compared to the first game’s occasional roughness, The Beast is buttery smooth on PC. It’s easily one of the most polished zombie survival experiences I’ve played performance-wise.
A big addition this time around is vehicles. While vehicles existed in the first game as part of DLC content, they’re now fully integrated into the main campaign, and I’m glad Techland made that leap. You can drive cars, trucks, and even modified off-road vehicles to traverse the sprawling environment faster. It’s a game-changer for exploration, especially when trying to outrun hordes or quickly reach objectives. Driving is surprisingly fun, and the way vehicles interact with zombies, plowing through smaller groups or smashing barriers, adds a new layer of chaos. Controls can feel a little slippery at times, especially on tighter roads or during chase sequences, but it’s a welcome addition that keeps the gameplay fresh and makes the open world feel more dynamic.
Where The Beast falters is in its side content and pacing. The original Dying Light had some surprisingly great side quests that fleshed out Harran. Here, some side missions feel like filler, with less charm. A few do stand out, like ones tied to Crane’s mutation or the Baron’s influence, but too many fall into the “fetch, fight, return” cycle. Exploration also doesn’t always reward you the way it did before. Hidden stashes and lore bits exist, but they’re often just resources or small notes rather than memorable discoveries. Random events and survivor encounters help break things up, but over time they start repeating, which makes the world feel a little flatter once you’ve sunk enough hours in.
So, is it better than the first Dying Light? In some ways, yes. Parkour is tighter, combat has more depth, the story takes bigger swings, and the PC optimization is leagues ahead. Dying Light: The Beast nails what made the first game great while adding its own darker, more intense flavor. The rural setting, upgraded combat, and Beast Mode bring fresh tension and excitement, but the game never loses that core parkour-driven thrill. It doesn’t replace the magic of Harran, yet it builds on it in ways that feel bold, polished, and genuinely fun. For returning fans, it’s an easy recommendation, and for newcomers, it’s a solid entry point; just know that the original still holds a unique spark that this sequel can’t completely replicate.
Rating: 8.5/10
Special thanks to Techland for providing the review code.
© Images and screenshots used in this review are courtesy of Techland.
Buy the Game
You can purchase Dying Light: The Beast from the following official platforms:
Step into the darkness and survive the night from a whole new perspective, mastering parkour, vicious combat, and terrifying powers in Dying Light: The Beast.
© Karan Benchmarks. All rights reserved.