Dying Light: The Beast is here, and as it’s a standalone release, some prospective fans have wondered if they can play it first. Since 2015, there have been two other Dying Light games released, but how does the timeline work, and can you play Dying Light: The Beast without having played any other game in the series?
Let’s take a spoiler-free look at that question and size up how much you need to know going into Dying Light: The Beast.
Where Does Dying Light: The Beast Fit Into Things?
Dying Light: The Beast takes place after the events of Dying Light 2: Stay Human. In the Dying Light universe, the world started crumbling in 2015, and that’s when the first game is set. In 2022, players got to explore 2036 and a fully post-apocalyptic world in Dying Light 2: Stay Human.
Dying Light: The Beast is set a couple of years after Dying Light 2: Stay Human, and it’s fronted by Kyle Crane, the first game’s protagonist. He has endured 13 years of torture and experimentation at the hands of ‘The Baron’, a malicious and mysterious antagonist.
And now it’s time for revenge.
Can You Play Dying Light: The Beast First?
Techland, the game’s developer, has made sure that Dying Light: The Beast can be played first. There’s a neat cinematic that offers a walkthrough of the story thus far, dipping into Kyle Crane’s background and giving inexperienced players the lay of the land. It’s available in the main menu and can be watched before the story starts.
I stressed in my Dying Light: The Beast review that this game is a love letter to true fans of the franchise, but it’s also very accessible for complete newcomers.
You can pick up Dying Light: The Beast and enjoy everything the game has to offer without necessarily knowing the existing story. It will help to understand some of the nuances and to appreciate some of the game’s more sizeable revelations and twists, but you can infer from context or do a little light reading after the fact.
Let me know on the Insider Gaming forum if you’re enjoying Dying Light: The Beast
Grant has been gaming for 30+ years and in the industry for 10+. You'll probably find him playing a post-apocalyptic game or an extraction shooter somewhere.
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