Dying Light 2 Renaissance Is The Overhaul We've Been Waiting For

5 days ago 14

Dying Light 2 character holding an axe over a zombie-1

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The troubled development history of Dying Light 2 isn't exactly a secret, with numerous complaints about the disconnect between the initial launch trailer and what was actually released. Although Dying Light 2 has come a long way with several major updates over the years, one dedicated group of fans isn't sitting by and letting the original concept get left behind.

To bridge the gap between the original Dying Light 2 experience that was originally planned for release, a modding project named Dying Light 2 Renaissance was created as a full-blown standalone DLC, which got its own teaser trailer on YouTube a few days ago. Featuring its own musical score, characters, and exploring an ambitious new map, the project is already shaping up to be one of the most exciting mods yet for the series.

Dying Light 2 Renaissance Just Got A New Teaser

Dying light 2 kicking an enemy off a rooftop-1

Dropping just after the start of the new year, the Dying Light 2 Renaissance teaser was so convincing that it managed to fool several players into thinking that it was an official release for the series, rather than a fan project. Showcasing assets and animations built from the ground up, then ported into Dying Light 2, the ambitious collaboration follows a new storyline with its own protagonist exploring the previously cut map of Elyseum.

The Elyseum area was originally planned to be included in Dying Light 2 and shown in gameplay trailers at E3, but was made inaccessible after being cut from the full release.

Although Dying Light 2 had plenty of improvements to bring the experience closer to what was originally promised during development, but even after recovering from its rough launch, DL2 still struggles to live up to its initial premise. Aiming to recover some of these lost aspects while improving upon Dying Light 2's foundations, the following elements are currently planned as key parts of Dying Light 2 Renaissance.

A newly recreated map named Elyseum, with several detailed districts to explore
New characters and factions inspired by early DL2 concepts
New weapons with their own combat mechanics and animations
New parkour and combat animations
Fully original music and sound design
Environments with more verticality and player choice

While the project has had a few internal issues during its development, it seems to have come significantly far since its inception, with plenty of concept art, animations, concepts, and music that feel like they were pulled straight from a new Dying Light release, rather than being made by fans.

Dying Light 2's Fan-Made Mod Is Incredibly Ambitious

With Elyseum having been shown to be a massive and fairly varied area in DL2's original promotional material, the fact that the fan-made recreation is coming along so well already is an incredibly impressive feat on its own, showcasing plenty of creative structures and even a waterlogged section of the city that is just waiting to be explored.

Given that DL2 Renaissance is far more than just a single map edit, the mod also aims to stay closer to the more gritty style and realistic tone of the original series as a whole, which Techland has recently shifted towards with Dying Light: The Beast.

A part of this realistic tone comes from introducing even greater consequences of player choice, with quests that have widespread gameplay and narrative effects based on which factions you side with.

Although it's far too early to say when the Dying Light 2 Renaissance project will actually release or if it can live up to its ambitious goals, it's definitely something you'll want to keep an eye on if you're a fan of the series, and even more so if you're still yearning for the original experience that was promised so many years ago.