Review Roundup For Dying Light 2–Here’s What The Critics Think Of The Zombie Sequel

Techland’s long-awaited Dying Light sequel, Dying Light 2 Stay Human, releases on February 4 across console and PC. Ahead of that, reviews for the zombie game have begun to appear online, highlighting what critics think of one of 2022’s first major new releases.

Here at GameSpot, our Dying Light 2 review-in-progress scored the game a 6/10. Reviewer Mark Delaney said, “Dying Light 2 is a perplexing game. Its story and characters are headache-inducing, and it appears to lack polish in many areas.” That said, Delaney had high praise for the game’s parkour elements and music.

We’ve compiled some more reviews from around the industry below. For an even more detailed look, check out GameSpot sister site Metacritic.

Dying Light 2 releases February 4 on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. A Nintendo Switch version, which runs over the cloud, is scheduled to be released within six months.

• Game: Dying Light 2 Stay Human
• Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Nintendo Switch (later)
• Developer: Techland
• Release Date: February 4 (within six months on Nintendo Switch)
• Price: $60

GameSpot Review-In-Progress — 6/10

Dying Light 2 is a perplexing game. Its story and characters are headache-inducing, and it appears to lack polish in many areas. But even a dozen hours after I rolled credits, I’ve found myself going back to the game to do another parkour challenge, rummage through another abandoned science lab, or just see if I can get from Point A to Point B without ever hitting the ground. It’s rough around the edges and it asks players to invest a lot in its weakest element, but once you realize the story, like gravity, is only going to pull you down, you can begin to defy it and enjoy the things Dying Light 2 actually does well.” — Mark Delaney [Full review]

CNET — No Score

CNET is GameSpot’s sister site

“There’s a whole lot to like in Dying Light 2. Even when it wasn’t able to fully execute many of its loftier ideas, it’s undeniably an incredibly slick and fun experience to dive into. With a five-year post-launch content plan already set, the sequel can only get better from here. Dying Light 2 is a thrilling and worthy sequel to the original game. Not many games can nail the sense of freedom and excitement when exploring a large city in the first person perspective, but Dying Light 2 manages to deliver in a way that makes playing it so invigorating.” — Alessandro Fillari [Full review]

Dying Light 2 launches this week

IGN — 7/10

“Another in a long series of big, ambitious games whose potential greatness is visible just beneath a grimey layer of bugs, Dying Light 2 Stay Human could very likely become the stellar zombie survival adventure it’s meant to be someday. For now, though, it’s best added to your backlog unless your irritation with crashes and technical issues is outweighed by eagerness to dance across rooftops with its excellent parkour, which–when everything works–is an unforgettable way to explore the last city’s open world and join in the post-apocalyptic stories of its many weird and distinctive characters. No patch can fix the forgettable main plot or the protagonist I couldn’t pick out of a police lineup even after 80 hours in his shoes, but Dying Light 2’s streets tell their own stories.” — Travis Northup [Full review]

VGC — 3/5

“Dying Light 2: Stay Human feels like it lost its direction somewhere along the way. It begins as an interesting zombie game wherein the threat feels tangible, your character feels weak, and the world feels primed for a dynamic story. However, the further you get into the game, a lot of its early ideas feel sidelined for a generic zombie plot, uninspiring combat, and the absence of any kind of danger.” — Jordan Middler [Full review]

Press Start — 8/10

“Dying Light 2 Stay Human is a solid step-up from Dying Light in almost every way. Still, its increased emphasis on storytelling feels entirely misguided to the point where it’s narratively worse than Dying Light. Despite this, Dying Light 2 has fantastic traversal, satisfying combat, and some great quest design and variety that makes it Techland’s best.” — James Berich [Full review]

Destructoid — 7.5/10

“Dying Light 2 is safe in some respects, and bold in others; like its propensity to lean into some arcadey notions. The sandbox is the true heart ofDying Light 2. Not the characters, or the story, but the mere act of running around like an idiot, whether you’re doing errands or not. Whether it keeps you busy for ‘500 hours’ or 20, open-world fanatics will probably find a lot to love here.” — Chris Carter [Full review]

Kotaku — No Score

“Maybe the world doesn’t need another zombie game in 2022, but I’m happy we got one, and I’m happy it’s the wickedly fun sandbox of Dying Light 2.” — Zack Zwiezen [Full review]

MMORPG — 7/10

“I do enjoy playing Dying Light 2 Stay Human. The story is great and warrants additional playthroughs thanks to multiple endings, the combat feels awesome, and there’s a ton of stuff to do in this sprawling city (500 hours worth, apparently). It just needs to clean up the technical issues and stop spawning the final boss inside the platform he’s standing on, among other things. If that happens, the impact–much like the game itself–will be night and day.” — Jason Fanelli [Full review] Jason writes for GameSpot as well.