Capitalizing On Fun: Tymon Smektala Shows How Dying Light The Beast Builds On The Series Strengths

Admittedly, there's a lot of zombie games out now. You might need a really strong elevator pitch to highlight any one particular game,

Thankfully, Dying Light series Franchise Director Tymon Smektala has just that for the series new title, Dying Light The Beast. Speaking at gamescom asia x Thailand Gameshow, he had a simple pitch: be terrified of the night and be eager to parkour. 

Given how the enemies react to light, you were much safer within the cone of light than outside of it- and that's why the game's enemies are that much more aggressive when they're not lit up. 

He also stressed that the dark had to be, well, dark. No amount of Gamma correction can save you from a punch you can't see- lest the zombies adjust your health bar until it's barely visible. 

"So we took everything that we had in Dying Light 1, we added bits and pieces from Dying Light 2, but actually we have also added a number of new behaviors, new tactics, new ways of thinking for them just for Dying Light The Beast.", he says.

"New behaviors" didn't just mean a new lunging move, either. Part of this update means the Volatiles have the same kind of tactics that turned humans into the successful megaspecies of the planet's ecosystem: 

"So when one guy chases you here, they know that, okay, he chases you here, so maybe you will escape this way. So then another Volatiles understands this and tries to get you from that side. So basically, they work together to limit your escape routes. And I think this is the biggest change, to be honest, like how well they work together as a pack of those Volatiles that are chasing you. And I think this is what makes Dying Light The Beast scary."

Parkour City

Of course, it's not just the enemies that got improved in Dying Light The Beast. According to Tymon, the new Castor Woods area was about creating the perfect space for the series' beloved parkour. Complex buildings densely packed into spaces allow you to soar from rooftop to rooftop, taking out enemies and looting items while navigating through any piece of space you'd think you can run up. 

"Three things. First of all, don't be afraid of not having parkour, because that makes players feel vulnerable, that makes players feel fragile, that makes players feel more scared, because they cannot use parkour to just get away from zombies. They have to face the zombies, and be smart about it", Tymon explains.

It's not just about having "parkour spaces", though. Tymon says getting players into the Parkour mindset also meant having to remove the mundane. Even entering buildings would have to involve a little bit of parkour. 

"An example of that is that we have decided to make every building that you see in the game, you cannot enter those buildings through the front door. You have to use parkour to climb to the rooftop, to climb to the balcony, to climb to the window. So there's even those mini moments of parkour, they still add to the parkour feel of the game", he says.

Then, like a mayor planning a city, he explained that the center of Castor Woods was what really drove up parkour engagement. He said establishing a pro-parkour zone in Castor Woods was meant to make the player feel good, and drive home the point: this game has movement, and you should use it. 

"So we have created the town in the middle of the map, which has lots of crazy connections, jumps, parkour routes, and we spend a lot of time polishing that part to make sure that everything works as intended", he says. 

"There are no obstacles that players can get stuck on. And the goal, the direction for the team was, 'hey, like this place, make it a parkour paradise. It needs to work without any obstacles, without any, you know, hiccups. It just needs to be perfect.' ", he adds."This is what they were trying to achieve. And I think they actually did work quite close. You cannot have everything perfect, but they were very close".

Dying Light: The Beast is available now.