Dying Light: The Beast Interview – “Kyle Crane Is No Longer The Man You Remember”

Tymon: Kyle Crane’s journey since the beginning of the series has been one of heroism, survival, and transformation. After the events of Dying Light: The Following, something happens to Crane (no spoilers!), and later, he is captured and subjected to 13 years of brutal experiments by the Baron, an antagonist who plays a crucial role in Dying Light: The Beast. This prolonged captivity has left Kyle physically and emotionally scarred but also more resilient and determined.

His evolution is reflected not just in the narrative but also in his personality and gameplay mechanics. Crane is no longer “just” the hopeful and sarcastic character from the first game – he’s more serious, focused, and driven by revenge. The voice actor, Roger Craig Smith’s, voice work adds layers of maturity and depth, showing a man who has endured a lot but still retains a glimmer of the hero players loved in the original. This duality is central to Dying Light: The Beast, as players will experience both Kyle’s vulnerability and his newfound strength.

Tymon: Moving from an urban environment to the rural, forested setting of Castor Woods presented both opportunities and challenges for our narrative design. In an urban setting, stories often revolve around dense populations, factions, and societal collapse. In Castor Woods, the narrative feels more intimate, focusing on isolation, survival, and the psychological toll of being hunted in an unforgiving wilderness.

One challenge was ensuring that the world felt alive despite its rural setting. We had to find ways to tell stories through environmental design – abandoned farmhouses, hidden bunkers, and remnants of a once-thriving community now overtaken by nature and the infected. The shift also allowed us to explore Kyle’s personal journey more deeply, making the story feel more personal and character-driven than ever before.
Castor Woods also proved to be a great place to hide a lot of secrets, collectibles, and easter eggs – our series is known for these, and players can expect them in Dying Light: The Beast as well.

Tymon: I don’t want to spoil the fun too soon, so I won’t go into detail about the factions and communities players will encounter in Dying Light: The Beast. What I can share is that the game presents a world defined by the people fighting to survive, with a focus on personal stories and relationships that make the setting feel alive.

Tymon: Again, apologies, but it is too early for me to go into details about that. But for sure, traversing dense forests, climbing rocky terrain, and navigating through abandoned settlements is a different type of parkour experience than what players know from the urban landscapes of Dying Light and Dying Light 2: Stay Human. It’s all about being observant, reading the environment, and spotting opportunities for movement and traversal, so we put emphasis on the player’s skill and flow.

Tymon: We definitely spent a lot of time working on the behavior of all our enemies – both human and zombie. For the infected, we mostly focused on tweaking and upgrading what we already had so the zombies could be even more realistic and scary. For humans, a lot of work was invested into creating shooting enemies.

The new environment definitely changes the experience – imagine being alone, in the woods, at night, with zombies crawling from behind the trees… Yuck!

Tymon: Combat in Dying Light: The Beast is more brutal and gut-wrenching than ever before. New weapons like flamethrowers, grenade launchers, and a few more unannounced surprises add variety, while the melee arsenal has been expanded as well.

However, the real game changer is Kyle’s beast-like abilities that bring a new layer to combat, allowing players to unleash powerful attacks and temporary bursts of speed, strength, and mobility. These abilities are tied to a new skill tree, giving players the freedom to tailor their combat style to their liking.

Tymon: Yes, we’ve made advancements to the parkour system to suit the rural environment of Castor Woods. While there are fewer tall buildings, we’ve introduced natural parkour elements like fallen trees, cliffs, and abandoned structures that players can use for traversal. We’ve also made an effort to “squeeze” as much parkour and climbing as possible out of our map.

Tymon: Cooperative multiplayer has always been a beloved feature of the Dying Light series. In Dying Light: The Beast, players will be able to team up with up to three friends to tackle the main storyline together. We’re not ready to talk about online modes just yet—but stay tuned!

Tymon: Long-term support is part of our philosophy, but it’s too soon to discuss post-launch plans. Right now, we’re focused on delivering the game for Summer ‘25.

Tymon: We’ve made several key improvements to our engine to take full advantage of current-gen hardware. This includes enhanced lighting and weather systems, more detailed environments, and improved AI behaviors. We’ll talk about that in detail closer to the release.

Tymon: Dying Light: The Beast takes a different approach by focusing on a more linear, character-driven narrative. While Dying Light 2: Stay Human emphasizes player choices and branching paths, Dying Light: The Beast is designed to deliver a tightly woven story centered on Kyle Crane’s journey.

Tymon: We use AI only as a productivity tool for more ground-level tasks, as we strongly believe in human craftsmanship and creativity. In my opinion, games are built on passion, not smart algorithms.

Tymon: Dying Light: The Beast is definitely a game with a strong survival feel. Resource management is more challenging, with limited supplies forcing players to scavenge more frequently. Crafting has also been enhanced with new blueprints, weapon mods, and consumables that players can create to aid their survival. We’ve also introduced a wear-and-tear system for vehicles. Survival in Dying Light: The Beast is about smart resource management, quick thinking, and adaptability.

Tymon: Absolutely! Dying Light: The Beast connects the stories of the first and the second Dying Light game, and on top of that, it is filled with Easter eggs, callbacks, and hidden secrets that long-time fans will appreciate. There’s plenty for fans to discover.

Exploration is rewarded, and those who pay close attention will find numerous nods to Dying Light’s rich history. We can’t wait for players to uncover them all!