Recently I spoke with Tymon Smektala, Producer behind the upcoming Zombie Survival game Dying Light. Here are some selections from the full interview which will be appearing in our next magazine issue.
What is the background and setting for the game please?
Dying Light is a first-person action survival game set in a vast open world. The
action survival” part summarizes the unique gameplay experience that Dying Light
offers: players have to use their intelligence, agility, fighting prowess and
parkour skills to survive and succeed, because each encounter is an unique event
which requires split second decisions. Remember that natural movement system is not
only a fun way to travel around the world, if you don’t bust out fast they will get
you sooner than you think.
The game takes place in Harran – it’s a fictional city inspired by many real world
locations. The city is quarantined because of the zombie outbreak that took place a
several months before the start of the game. The thing that makes this setting
unique is the quarantine zone itself. It leads to a lot of interesting questions. Is
it possible to get out? What’s going on outside? Is there any help coming?
How are missions assigned and do the game storylines branch out based on
what you do and do not do on your missions?
As a follow up, will players have the option to not complete a main mission
and move on or will they be required to complete a mission to advance?
Let’s say I this way. Even if the quests, be it main or side quests, share the same
story background, they can be completed independently. It’s up to the player. What’s
more, when you play the game in co-op, all gamers can do different missions, most of
them at the same time – unless the story requires them to stick together. When we
say open world, we really mean it.
What can you tell us about the multiplay in the game and how many players it
will support and will it be drop in and drop out?
We boast a full four-player cooperation mode (local and online), but we can offer
you something more. It’s a competitive multiplayer game mode, available when
pre-ordering Dying Light (the PC digital versions for sale straight from the
producer at https://boxoffstore.pl/en/games/dying-light/). It’s called “Be the
Zombie” DLC.
Do you have a favorite weapon or strategy you would like to share with us?
We have lots of different weapon types and it’s hard to pick just one. What’s very
important is that we aim for each weapon type to feel differently. For example knife
is pretty fast and the feeling of fighting with it is great, but it has limited
range and it doesn’t deal too much damage in single strike. Different weapon types
supports the specific way you want to play.
