Story: 2/5
Gameplay: 4/5
Sound/Music: 3/5
Replay Value: 3/5
Price: 3/5


Story:
The implementation of factions in Dying Light 2 was a bad choice. The origin of the Peacekeepers, Renegades, and Survivors were never explained, causing confusion as to why you are helping either side. Take Fallout 4 for example, you get plenty of insight into all of the factions as you progress through the game: their values, intentions, etc... which help you choose which ending you want to get based on your personal preferences and beliefs. But Dying Light 2? You just blindly help whichever faction needs help until the end game, where you still don't know much about them. All you know is that Survivors hate Peacekeepers and Peacekeepers hate Survivors. You just have to choose who to hate more based on biased perspectives of each character within the faction.

And for the ending, (I won’t go into detail but I’ll hide it)the plot twist was horrible. There was not enough character development for me to be surprised or even care at all. All we knew was that Waltz was a bad guy according to the main protagonist’s dreams/hallucinations. We met him a total of 5 times throughout the whole game so he felt unimportant (like a side character) even though he is the main antagonist. At least Rais and his team were frequently present during Dying Light 1.

Gameplay:
The gameplay is solid. Even though people complained about the new gravity system, (I was one of them) it felt necessary considering the structural placement of the buildings in Old Villedor and Villedor. Once you play DL2, you’ll get used to it and forget about how things were in DL1. I do like the new stamina system since it makes players become more aware of their surroundings. You actually have to think about where to jump or climb instead of parkouring over anything and everything.

I deducted a point because of the combat. I enjoyed DL1 because of the enemy’s random attack patterns as it made things feel realistic and new with every encounter. But DL2 has a fixed combat system where everything is based off of counterattacks and dodging. What’s the fun in combat if all you do is wait for them to attack? You could attack first, but they’ll either block or avoid it causing you to be put in a vulnerable state.

I also did not enjoy the removal of guns. Although it made DL1 practically a shooting game, at least using a gun came with a cost: Attracting virals. It gave players an option to either risk facing off virals or use melee/bows as a safe alternative. It also gave players more things to farm, such as weapon upgrades, ammo, gun types, etc... In DL2, you only have the option to level up to find better melee weapons. Same principle, different level of enjoyment.

One more thing to note, DL2 is far less scary than DL1. While DL1 had you on our toes throughout most of the game, DL2 has way too many safe areas and relies too much on rooftop parkour. You actually had to run on the ground in DL1 alongside the infected to get to certain places, or farm buildings. But in DL2, you can do everything and get through the main storyline by sticking to the roofs. No danger = no fun. The color vibrance also doesn’t help with the overall mood. Everyone living in the city is stressed out and lifeless, while the game itself is so vibrant with colors. I would’ve appreciated the E3 2018 color grading more to fit the overall atmosphere of the people living in Villedor.

Sound/Music:
The music is bland in my opinion, but it doesn’t hinder the game experience. The voice actors though… They were horrible. Some characters were fine, but everyone else just fell off. There are certain moments in the game where people are horribly injured, but they don’t sound like they are on the verge of death. They talk in their normal voice with coughs and pauses here and there, but that's about it. No sign of pain or fear whatsoever.

Replay Value:
The only reason I replayed the game was to see the other alternative endings. Although the first part of the game stays the same, the choices you make during the end game changes the story progression and offers different cutscenes. Will I replay the game for fun? Absolutely not. There is nothing to do outside of the main storyline. Easter eggs are boring compared to DL1 so no need to get those.

Price:
I would buy the game when it is on sale. Paying the full price is not worth it unless you want the steam points.

Overall:
I recommend it to people who enjoyed Dying Light 1 and to those who like this type of genre. It is definitely worth playing atleast once, so buy it when it is on sale.