Dying Light: The Beast Interview

Honestly? A lot. The Beast really is the culmination of everything we’ve learned across a decade of making Dying Light. From the first game, we took the importance of physics and weight in combat — making sure every swing, every impact feels grounded, not arcade-ish. From The Following, we learned how vehicles change pacing and exploration. From Dying Light 2, we refined the systems around parkour, but also saw how enormous scope can sometimes dilute focus. We learned from good and from not-so-good.

All of those lessons add up in The Beast. The physics of combat are weightier, more visceral, and more brutal than ever. Parkour is still grounded and physical, but tuned to this new environment where cliffs, trees, and industrial ruins replace rooftops. And nights… nights are terrifying again. We heard from our fans that the original’s night sequences gave them that heart-pounding tension we didn’t really capture afterwards, so we wanted to bring that back. In The Beast, when darkness falls, you don’t feel like a superhero — you feel hunted.

For us, it’s not just about adding features, but about focusing on the details — and I think this is the biggest [lesson]. What makes Dying Light are those little details, sometimes so small that they might not be visible [to newcomers].

Most people don’t realise how much research goes into gore. We don’t just “add blood.” Our animators and artists actually did study tons of medical books, gross references on the internet, sessions with fake blood, see how it spreads on the floor, etc. There’s also an incredible focus on details and a huge amount of iteration. For example, when you swing a machete, it’s not just the animation of the weapon — it’s how the body reacts, the sound design, the blood particles, the behaviour after a hit. All of those systems have to come together in perfect sync to create that brutal, believable… feedback loop. Because that might actually be the biggest secret to the uninitiated — in our game, we have gore not just for the shlocky horror, but to inform players that they do well in combat.

I’d say we focused on depth and details more than quantity. Weapons are fewer but more meaningful — each type has unique handling and specific strengths. Firearms return, but with limited ammo, making them situational rather than dominant. Enemies also vary more in how they challenge you: our big monsters, Chimeras, are designed almost like mini-bosses with different patterns and strategies. Instead of just piling on new systems, we refined what worked best so far and introduced just a needed fraction of new layers — like Crane’s beast mode — to put a fresh twist on how you approach traversal and combat.

10 years is a lifetime in game development. Back then, our tools and engine were far less advanced, and a lot of systems were literally “hacked” together with metaphorical duct tape and a lot of literal passion. Now, with C-Engine, our new tech, we can create worlds that are more detailed and rich. Another big difference is community involvement. When the first game launched, feedback mostly came after release, so we were working in the dark. Now, we have 10 years of experience as developers, and a 50 million-strong community that’s very eager to share their feedback on the game.

Crane’s return always had to mean something big. After The Following, we couldn’t just bring him back unchanged — narratively, it wouldn’t make sense. The idea of experiments came naturally once we introduced Baron, a member of the decades-long “big pharma” family, as a villain. It gave us a narrative justification for Kyle’s new beast-like powers, while also reinforcing the theme of humanity versus monstrosity, the beast. Implementation-wise, it was tricky. We had to design these powers to feel powerful but not game-breaking, not too overpowered.

Honestly, the biggest challenge wasn’t technical  — it was emotional. Bringing back Kyle Crane after 10 years came with enormous pressure. He’s not just a character; he’s the heart and soul of the series for many players. We knew that if we didn’t do his return justice, fans would feel it instantly. [That fear of not meeting expectations was both terrifying and motivating].

At the same time, we were determined to deliver the quality Dying Light is known for: the grounded parkour, the physical, weighty combat, and the terrifying nights. These elements had to not just meet the bar but raise it. Every system was under a microscope because players have grown alongside the series — they know how it should feel, and they know every detail that should be on point. So, the biggest obstacle was living up to that legacy while still evolving it. We didn’t want to repeat ourselves, but we couldn’t betray what made Dying Light special either. It was a tightrope walk — and the scariest part of the whole project.

We learned that focus is just as important as ambition. Dying Light 2: Stay Human was a massive, sprawling project with branching choices and systems everywhere. With The Beast, we learned that sometimes narrowing the scope actually creates a stronger game. Every mechanic and story beat had to justify its place. That lesson — clarity of vision — is one we’ll carry forward into future projects.

Definitely. Castor Woods is inspired by European alpine regions — particularly the Swiss and Austrian Alps — but twisted into something darker. Narratively, films like Oldboy and series like Twin Peaks or Stranger Things were huge influences, helping us capture the feel of a surreal town captured in a desolate valley. We also looked at other survival horror staples, not to copy them, but to understand how tension is built through pacing and environment.

Our philosophy of long-term support hasn’t changed. Right now, we’re focused on delivering a high-quality, stable launch, but if the community wants more, we’ll listen — just like we always have.

We felt that $59.99 reflected the value of The Beast. It’s a fully-fledged game with around 20 hours of core content plus side missions and challenges that take at least twice that much. We didn’t want to follow pricing trends blindly; we wanted to set a price that felt fair for players and true to the scope of the experience.