Dying Light was a huge hit when it was first released. It brought players into a typical post-pandemic zombie-infested world. However, what made this game a bit more unique was the focus on parkour. Players would free run around the city and use the environments to vault or climb away from danger. Now that a sequel is coming out, you can expect more variation between combat and parkour.

Techland’s Bartosz Kulon, the lead programmer for combat and parkour mechanics in Dying Light 2 Stay Human, spoke with DualShockers. The media outlet was able to ask a few questions about Techland’s time developing this installment. One topic that came up during the conversation was how the studio built up upon the mechanics from the first installment. According to Bartosz, the focus was to integrate combat and parkour further together.

There are a few areas that are highlighted in the conversation. For instance, vaulting is a pretty standard move in Dying Light and its sequel. Players can run and vault over a low object. But now in Dying Light 2 Stay Human, players are also adding a kick in this process. So if an enemy is on the other side of a vault object, players can vault and deliver a mean kick right into the enemy, knocking them back. Furthermore, players can even use different enemies as a platform. You can run and jump onto an enemy and launch off of them. You will be able to use the extra height to deliver a more powerful blow against the enemy or reach a higher platform.

The best part is when you actually mix them together. So doing a combination of everything is something that really is my favorite thing. You can run away from an enemy and jump over a window and mid air, turn back, grab the window, pull up and kick the chasing unit in the face – it’s really satisfying. Or when hitting an enemy with a powerful weapon you can use him as a springboard jump, on a wall, do a wall run, turn around and jump back with a powerful kick on the poor guy. That kind of thing is something that I’m really excited to put in players’ hands and see how creative they can become.

Bartosz Kulon

The focus on mixing these two mechanics could make for some rather creative moments in combat. Likewise, this city looks rather clustered with buildings, bridges, and corridors, so the environment could essentially be a weapon for the protagonist. Players will be able to play Dying Light 2 Stay Human when it releases on February 4, 2022. When the game launches, it will be available for the PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch platforms. 

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