Dying Light The Beast Review: Kyle Crane’s Half-Monster Revenge (Is It Worth It?)

Hello, gamers and urban survivors! It’s been a minute since we felt that pure, frantic thrill of a nocturnal rooftop sprint, but the Dying Light The Beast review is finally here. This long-awaited standalone title—starring the original hero, Kyle Crane, now mutated and seeking revenge—delivers exactly what many long-time fans were begging for. We’ve spent time in the horrifying, yet beautiful, new world of Castor Woods, and we’re here to tell you if this return to form is the pinnacle of zombie survival horror. Let’s see if unleashing the beast was worth the price of admission.

Originally envisioned as DLC for Dying Light 2: Stay Human, this project grew into a full, self-contained story. And let’s be honest, it delivers exactly what many long-time fans were craving.

The Return of a Legend: Kyle Crane

The biggest headline here is the dramatic return of Kyle Crane, the protagonist from the original Dying Light.

The story picks up roughly 13 years after the events of the first game’s The Following expansion. Crane has been captured and subjected to a decade of horrific, gruesome genetic experiments by the sinister antagonist known as “The Baron.” When Crane finally escapes, he’s no longer just a human operative. He’s a vengeful, half-man, half-monster hybrid, fighting not only the infected but also the violent, beastly power surging within his own veins.

This narrative focus on Crane—a hero fans already know and love—grounds the experience with a satisfying, visceral quest for revenge.

Core Gameplay: Old School Horror Meets New Powers

Dying Light: The Beast has been praised for successfully blending the tense survival horror tone of the first game with refined gameplay mechanics.

1. Beast Mode (The New Twist)

The defining new feature is, of course, the Beast Mode. As Crane grapples with the mutated zombie DNA inside him, players can periodically unleash devastating, rage-fueled abilities. This isn’t just a simple power-up; it’s a controlled burst of inhuman strength, allowing you to smash through hordes, rip off limbs, and generally turn the tide of a desperate fight, adding a raw, visceral layer to the combat.

2. Parkour and Combat Refined

While the core mechanics are familiar, they feel sharpened:

• Parkour: You start the game with a full suite of parkour abilities, encouraging fluid and fast rooftop traversal right from the start—a nod to the first game’s excellent flow.
• Gore System: Techland has included an improved damage system. Blunt weapons deliver satisfying bone-crushing impacts, while blades offer clean, gruesome slices.
• Gunplay: Unlike the heavily melee-focused Dying Light 2, the developers have ramped up the presence of gunplay, giving players more options for dealing with the relentless infected.

Setting, Length, and Availability

The new setting is Castor Woods, a fictional European environment that mixes spacious rural areas (reminiscent of the The Following expansion) with urban sections perfect for parkour. It’s a dense map, providing a welcome change of pace from the sprawl of Villedor.

• Length: The main campaign clocks in at a dense 20 hours, with enough side content to keep completionists busy for 40 to 60 hours. This delivers a satisfying, contained experience rather than an endlessly sprawling open world.
• Platforms: The game launched on September 18, 2025, for PC (Steam/Epic Games Store), PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.

If you are a fan of the original Dying Light’s grittier atmosphere and loved the combat of the series, Dying Light: The Beast is the self-contained dose of zombie parkour you’ve been waiting for. Now, if you’ll excuse us, we have a beast to unleash.

The most impressive thing about The Beast is how incredibly dense and reactive the world of Castor Woods feels. If you appreciate a game where every detail—from the mud under your boots to the random encounters in the wilderness—comes together to create unforgettable immersion, then you owe it to yourself to revisit the gold standard. Check out our deep dive into the immersive open-world details of Red Dead Redemption 2, and find out why Arthur Morgan’s journey still defines the genre for many of us.