The latest season for Dying Light 2 has seen a shower of hot news from Techland that has really set the four-player co-op into a frenzy. This official latest tweet has shared tidbits on The Beast with seemingly shared progression as it teams up on the infected hordes in Castor Woods. But here goes the kicker: after so much multiplayer frenzy, there still isn’t anything for an crossplay, and the community is not happy about that.
The announcement shows the four survivors looking ready to throw down in what looks like a midnight raid, releasing a tease about co-oping with progress carrying over from screenshots and sessions. So basically, you hike ahead on your mission with your crew, pop off, and pick right up where you left off either alone or with the gentlemen again. This is going to be good for us and keep us sane from all the “wait, got to replay that whole mission” anxieties.
But man, let me just tell you, scrolling through the replies is the same complaint–WHERE’S THE CROSSPLAY? One user like @AlphaDeFcOn4 expressed the irony that “Fall guys have crossplay,” yet three Dying Light games do not. @LostBoyZeph shared his sorrow of being stuck on Xbox while his original gang moved to PC, adding, “Before any of you go, ‘just get a PC!!’ Stop and think about how expensive that is.” Preach.
But this crossplay debate isn’t the only drama surrounding The Beast. Few of the player base, such as @OGSlavery, are so angry that what was originally a DLC for Dying Light 2 has now been turned into a full-priced standalone game, especially after Techland had ceased selling the Ultimate Edition upgrade. While advocates, like @JustFunbugg, maintain that the developers had announced it well ahead of time.
Yet beneath all this controversy is genuine bubbling excitement. @xvoltsy is particularly eager to “play as Kyle Crane once again” while @KristhelSteel jokingly said, “slashing zombies with my girl instead of a Kyle Crane’s clone.” Shared progression has @Liric26039413 with questions asking them to clarify just how the save system is going to work between solo and co-op sessions.
It is interesting how some replies seem to suggest it might be much more than just another Dying Light expansion. @psychoticPanda2 replied to a few critics, saying “You might be less surprised when it’s a new game entirely,” implying The Beast is more defined than was originally expected. This track seems plausible given @Alex38449627’s claim that the developers “added the best elements from DL1 and dl2 to make the best dl game.”
The Polish developer has never confirmed the actual date of release, outside of @xvoltsy’s mention of “60 days till we get to play,” although the official Steam page is up and ready for wishlisting already. While the co-op features might look good, Techland should put crossplay discussion on the table sooner rather than later, especially since Dead Island 2 recently released theirs to overwhelming acclaim.
One thing is certain: Dying Light welcomes a vibrant, alive community with intense discussions on teaming with their mates or rage-anxiety over platform limitations for the game’s deceased-shatterers. Here’s hoping that the finished product will live up to the promising gameplay innovations and quality that I’ve seen players screaming for.
