Verdict
Dying Light: The Beast strips back its setting and scale to deliver a focused story, while enhancing Techland's undead slaying. What really makes it worth playing is The Beast's brilliant co-op experience, which is equally hilarious as it is horrifying. Alongside sturdy handheld PC performance, The Beast is worth giving this franchise another chance if Stay Human left you in the cold.
The Dying Light games are an odd one for me. I see the appeal in Technland's undead adventures, from the whip-fast parkour chases to the dread of surviving through the night. Yet, previous entries like Stay Human didn't keep me invested past the eight-hour mark. Dying Light: The Beast isn't guilty of that, though. Whether I'm diving back in on my Asus ROG Ally or PlayStation 5, that's the thing it has me doing: coming back for more.
Dying Light: The Beast's origins begin as an expansion for Dying Light 2. It didn't take long for Techland to realize that there was more to uncover in the return of Kyle Crane, the fan-favorite protagonist from the first game. While some unfortunate leaks didn't help keep the project a surprise in April 2023, pivoting to a fully-fledged experience is the best thing the developer did for The Beast. It isn't completely absolved of Stay Human's pratfalls, but those shortcomings are quickly put aside because The Beast's co-op horror game experience is nothing short of excellent.
Whether you're alone or with up to three friends, The Beast follows Kyle Crane's quest to discover the secrets of the Baron, a mysterious antagonist leading gruesome research projects for the Global Relief Effort, the same nefarious organization from Techland's first Dying Light entry. Crane is a sentient volatile, walking the line between human and undead to an extent, except recent experiments are awakening something else inside him - it just takes 13 years of torture to unlock it. Armed with superhuman abilities, dubbed Beast Mode, it's up to you to stop a range of infected bosses and thwart the Baron's plans once and for all.
The Beast feels exceptionally more linear than Stay Human, but that's a good thing. Whereas Stay Human often felt scattershot and at odds with giving you complete freedom and a cohesive story, The Beast is a far more focused narrative. Because of this, co-op is urgent and thrilling, with me and my friends grouping up to unravel the Baron's threads one by one. It's also incredibly hilarious, whether that's intentional or not. You see, when you're with your pals, they're also playing as Kyle Crane. There are no secondary characters to play as in Castor Woods, and it gives way to some of the biggest laughs I've had this year in a co-op game.
I do wish it had crossplay; playing with my friends on PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X|S isn't possible right now. Maybe Techland will reconsider this down the line. On the other hand, there is shared progression, which makes playing with friends rewarding in its own right. That means you can return to your own solo game with story progress, upgrades, and progression intact. With so much to master, like Beast Mode, this is crucial.
We're all learning how to wield Kyle's new abilities, warts and all. Controlling Beast Mode isn't easy at first, as it activates quickly after sustaining damage or fighting for prolonged periods of time. It doesn't take long before we all scream "I'm beasting it" down the microphone, unleashing waves of strength and rip-roaring fury on hordes of zombies. The depth of Kyle's skills is overwhelming enough to bog you down. Each of his core skills branches off into four skillset trees, representing his superhuman powers, parkour skills, or combat effectiveness.
It can feel like a grind to unlock more moves or powers. The Beast doesn't hold your hand and lets you know that certain areas will rip you to pieces if you dare enter them. Yet, Techland doesn't outright stop you from doing it. Naturally, my squad and I test our limits, resulting in a grizzly death at the hands of enemy types beyond our combined efforts. Castor Woods itself is a gorgeous place to be, even if most of its roads and trees are splattered with guts. I didn't exactly hate the setting of Villedor in Stay Human, but Castor Woods is a more compelling locale to explore.
Then there's the tranquility of it all. It's the kind of cozy facade that Twin Peaks presents on the surface, before peeling off its Americana sheen to reveal horrors you couldn't even dream of. Biomes range from Castor Wood's main city area to medieval castles and gloomy caves harboring secrets of their own. The return of vehicles makes it easier to traverse, but you'll need to think about conserving your fuel and whether the time saved getting to your destination is worth the racket you've made. It all looks exceptional, even if it pushes the Asus ROG Ally Z1e hard to meet its visual demands. Initially, The Beast runs at a steady 30fps in the game's opening areas, but it immediately gets tricky once you're out in the world.
You don't need to worry, though, if you're picking up The Beast on your Steam Deck. Out of the digital box, The Beast is Steam Deck verified. Although I'm playing Asus's rival portable gaming console, it doesn't detract from the fact that this is one of the better optimized Steam Deck games I've played this year. With some tinkering, The Beast can easily coast above the 40fps margin, and higher if you want to rely on frame generation and upscaling. As it requires quite a bit more RAM than what the Steam Deck and base ROG Ally offer, frame generation is likely going to be something you'll consider.
In my time with The Beast, there is some noticeable latency, but nothing disastrous enough to make it unplayable. Of course, the meat and potatoes of any Dying Light title is the parkour. It isn't largely different from previous instalments of Techland's FPS game series, but it hits just as good. A wealth of new animations keeps each of Kyle's movements fresh, supplementing every jump, roll, wallrun, and chase with a flash of style - and equal amounts of panic. Dashing away from terrors in the dead of night with my co-op friends is genuinely horrifying, with the clicks, scrapes, and cackles of Volatiles echoing from left to right.
I can't express enough how astounding The Beast's sound design is. Techland doesn't make it flashy enough to make it glaring, but it's awe-inspiring in all the right places. Smashing zombies in the face with lead pipes in cathedral halls cascades up through their high ceilings, while slashing through flesh in smaller spaces sells every tear. That's aided by The Beast's gore, which definitely isn't for the faint of heart. It's somehow more gnarly than new Switch games like Cronos: The New Dawn. Discarding more and more pieces of an enemy is filthy, and while it's satisfying in the heat of battles, it lingers on your mind with its disgusting aftermath.
Combat itself isn't anything revolutionary, but it's still the same level of crunchy, weighted, and impactful as other Dying Light games. Guns are slightly more prominent here since the release of Dying Light 2: Stay Human Reloaded Edition, but they're not the focus. You're not really supposed to rely on them, and ammunition is too scarce to consider them as a reliable option. Sure, you can craft resources with more blueprints as you progress, but a melee weapon is always the way to go.
Modifications to melee weapons are a blast to make, too. It's like wielding a Call of Duty: Zombies Wonder Weapon in your hands, albeit on a smaller scale. Knuckle dusters with shock status effects never fail to elicit a smile on my face, while massive makeshift swords with burn damage have me wandering around like a knight of the apocalypse. Beast Mode fighting is fun too, don't get me wrong. Charging through enemies and popping a zombie's head off like a Lego piece is great, but I still get more thrills from discovering and creating fresh melee weapons to whallop the undead with.
Dying Light: The Beast might not be the massive, grandiose sequel to Stay Human you're looking for. It's noticeably smaller and more focused than Dying Light 2, but it's also all the better for it. The Beast doesn't overstay its welcome, which aids the power of its superb co-op gameplay. Handheld PC performance is decent, and Techland's care for its portable audience shows. I'd love to see a Dying Light: The Beast Nintendo Switch 2 port down the line. For me, Dying Light: The Beast is the strongest entry yet, and undoubtedly one of the most fun co-op games you'll play this year.