Polish studio, Techland, which created Dying Light and the recent open-world fantasy RPG project. The Dying Light series created a successful formula for its apocalyptic zombie survival setting, which means the new fantasy world can utilize some of those elements while also introducing new ones. As of now, however, it's hard to tell exactly what kind of story or setting it'll receive - and it might evolve - but Techland's past and current development of Dying Light can shed some light on the future.
Techland already confirmed that its new project is going to be set in a brand new world. In the one concept art released so far, it shows a character standing in a vast forest, looking out over ruins of ancient statues and structures. It's safe to say that the image is showing a world that players will eventually explore, but currently, there's no indication of its narrative. Nevertheless, Dying Light and Dying Light 2's somewhat connected stories point toward the kind of world-building that the studio is capable of producing. Using combat and survival skills to defeat hoards of zombie-infected enemies while simultaneously encapsulated in a story set on saving the last standing human-run cities are the games' main themes and objectives. Although the new Techland project won't be in this universe, it certainly can see some elements brought over to it.
Some of Dying Light's new and old survival elements can be revamped and brought over to the new RPG to help its open-world experience flourish. While the game may not necessarily be a survival game (although it could be) as the others are, it can still use aspects of what has been successful in the past. On the other hand, Techland should also work to fix bugs, like Dying Light 2's black screen issue, so that the new game doesn't feel too repetitive.
Parts Of Dying Light 2's Loot & Craft System Can Help Techland's New RPG
At this point, all modern RPGs and open-world games have some looting system, but Dying Light 2's incentivizes players to explore the world and become more engulfed with the grander narrative of an apocalypse. Looting is a crucial part of Dying Light 2, as it not only helps to supply players with the resources needed for survival but also helps late-game progression for slaying infected zombies. Whatever type of looting system Techland decides to come up with in the fantasy game - it ought to match Dying Light 2's incentive-driven technique. Elements such as the activities during Villedor's updated tense night mode provide a good example of the different ways to obtain loot while simultaneously completing challenges and interacting with the open-world environment; the looting system also connects well with the ability to craft items.
Crafting in Dying Light 2 is one of the most important parts of surviving the zombie hoards, and it helps that it's straightforward with multiple options of add-ons and upgrades. Other games, such as those in the Horizon and Far Cry series, have similar crafting systems, so it's not revolutionary; however, it does work well and help tailor the experience to individuals' liking. Techland's open-world RPG can make use of Dying Light 2's charm crafting to use for weapons but mix up armor mods. One other part of the crafting that should also be brought over to the new RPG is the ability to physically see the change of modified items. In Dying Light 2, it plays into the overall engulfing experience of the survival narrative, as the weapons and armor are crafted using random materials that players find.
Dying Light's Night Survival Can Be Used In The New Techland RPG
Both Dying Light games have nighttimes where enemies become stronger and more difficult to defeat. With the series focusing on a survival zombie apocalypse - this makes sense for the game and adds an extra touch of realism to it, especially if players are using the Dying Light 2 Extreme Nights mod. It doesn't have to stop in Dying Light, though, and can be rehashed and brought over to the new RPG in some form. Techland's new open-world game looks like it's focusing on an ancient fantasy setting, so the developers will have to come up with lore that can fit in a mode that makes the game more difficult at certain parts of the day. Or, instead of it being more difficult during the night, it can be reversed to being tougher during the day, when the sunlight touches a particular enemy and makes it stronger. Regardless, it should be something that Techland takes into consideration for its RPG.
In conjunction with the difficult nighttime in the Dying Light series, the game also has an extensive combat skill progression that helps players survive tougher encounters, and Techland's new RPG would benefit from a similar addition. Dying Light 2's force choke easter egg and combat skills like the Drop Kick help to create space between the player and zombies, and they're arguably the best skills in the game to use. If Techland's future AAA game is going to be successful, the developers must also create a fun and useful skill perk system that's seen in the Dying Light series. Since the new game is taking place in a fantasy world, the dev team can ditch the more realistic-feeling skills and bring in some other-worldly ones, which is what fantasy settings are good at implementing.
Techland studios acquired a lot of experience from creating open-world RPGs with its successful Dying Light games; indeed, both installments have above a 70 score on OpenCritic - which isn't bad. Hopefully, the open-world fantasy RPG can beat those scores by utilizing some of Dying Light's best survival elements. The game might not be a survival-type, but it can certainly benefit from some of the past successes that players love. Right now, however, there's no set time or date as to when this new title will see its first trailer or even begin development. Currently, Techland is just hiring to get started, so it's likely a long way off. Dying Light 2 still has a lot of life left though, and the first expansion DLC could take players to a dark castle, so now is a great time for first-time players to grab a copy and jump into the post-apocalyptic universe.