It’s no secret that Dying Light 2 Stay Human is a huge game. Boasting a main story that takes roughly 25 hours to beat, as well as enough extra content to keep you busy for three or four times that, nobody can say developer Techland shies away from delivering a lot of bang for your buck. And now, the game is about to get even bigger.
Ahead of the upcoming Bloody Ties DLC, GAMINGbible sat down with Dying Light 2’s lead designer Tymon Smektala to find out what’s in store for game protagonist Aiden.
See the trailer for Bloody Ties here:
“The title [Bloody Ties] hints at what this story DLC is about,” Smektala begins. “It’s a story like Rocky or Creed, which is emotional but it’s a summer blockbuster level of emotional,” he explains, which is fitting as the DLC begins in Philadelphia.
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“Aiden meets some new people, befriends them, but then a very shady character - very powerful character - steps in, and his name is Skullface,” Smektala informs. This new antagonist is the champion of a deadly tournament which takes place at Carnage Hall, and players will get to know all about this Escape From New York-esque venue and its bloodsport in Bloody Ties.
The main highlight of the DLC’s tournament, according to Smektala, are events called ‘spectacles’. In these sections you will “relive some famous stories from the history of humankind," with "one example is based on Robin Hood, where your job is to steal loot from the Sheriff of Nottingham,” a sequence which Smektala describes as “very intense, very brutal, like Cirque du Soleil meets MMA.”
I notice a character who strongly resembles Mortal Kombat’s Scorpion, and Smektala informs me that it’s Aiden in a new unlockable outfit. “You become part of the show and it’s all about fame, and with fame comes vanity, so there are lots of vanity items,” he tells me.
Smektala holds back from revealing too much about other characters in this “chunky DLC,” but makes it clear that there are more people for players to become involved with throughout this new story add-on, as well as trials to beat and some new locations to explore beyond the theatrical Carnage Hall.
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With the size of this new content, in addition to the base game of Dying Light 2, I couldn’t help but wonder if there was no end to the ambition of Techland’s latest zombie title. “Ambition stops when we are in the coffin,” Smektala says with a light chuckle. “I think this is something that drives us to constantly improve and get better, and deliver exceptional, unbelievable experiences to players.”
Smektala also confirms that Bloody Ties will be accessible immediately after beating the main game’s prologue and by finishing the ‘Markers of Plague’ mission in Villedor. “There will be a location in the map that you will be able to go to at any point,” he states.
Looking back at the huge amount of content added to the original Dying Light, I had to ask about the plans for the sequel. “Maybe we will release the Definitive Edition - the ‘most complete edition’ - in five years time when all of the things we have planned will be actually live. I think it’s going to be a real behemoth of a game.” He adds, “I think the expectation [with DL2] is that we deliver even more, and we cannot fail our gamers.”
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Although there is more DLC to come - which Smektala is keeping quiet on for now - it’s clear that Bloody Ties will be a must-play for DL2 fans when it releases on October 13th. “I don’t want to hype it up too much but I think it’s quite unique,” Smektala says with a humble but confident expression. I hope you’re ready, Aiden.
Featured Image Credit: TechlandTopics: Dying Light 2, Techland