![]() ![]() Dying Light is a better package than ever, and with 13 million copies sold so far, it is the studio’s most successful game to date. We’ve seen the many and varied improvements, the content drops and new modes and even the substantial expansion The Following, which added a vast rural region with customisable vehicles. Polish developer Techland recently celebrated the third anniversary of Dying Light, and my brother and I have been there for a lot of that time. ![]() Importantly, it all worked as a background for my brother and I to catch up each week, to chat about our lives and unravel recent personal events in a far more natural way than quizzing each during a short phone call. It was addictive, fun and took many hours and many sessions before it got even close to feeling repetitive. Our core gameplay loop typically saw us accept a couple of quests, then get distracted while making our way to an objective and wind up killing crowds of zombies and finding better weapons and upgrades (my brother was particularly fond of the huge range of axes on offer). We explored every inch of the zombie infested world of Harran, completing quirky quests for even stranger survivors and being scared witless exploring dank Volatile-filled caves. “One night every week, we would play for a few hours. An artist's impression of the author cowering at the top of a pole. I quickly fled and was found by my - thoroughly unimpressed - brother hiding at the top of a telephone pole. We had the drop on them, but as we got close, I lost my composure and threw a molotov at the group, only to miss, startling them. One such time we were sneaking up on a group of zombies at night. However, the tension was unbearable at times and occasionally got to me. When normally I’d avoid large groups of foes, with my brother we would leap into the zombie masses we loved the fight and the danger of always being one wrong move away from death. Facing the many horrors of Harran and laughing in the face of the many breeds of horrific zombies became all the more achievable for a scaredy cat like myself. Becoming Infatuated with Dying LightWe both played the opening separately, which is a thrilling experience in itself, but Dying Light truly shines in co-op play. It would be several months after its release that we would both buy it and finally set a date, hoping this would be the one we could bond over after being away from each other, for over two years. The trailers made it look exhilarating and scary (my brother loves horror), plus, in a world where zombies were somewhat played out, Dying Light dropped masses of them into an open-world and added a gameplay-defining day/night cycle, making them feel fresh once again. Eventually, Dying Light caught our attention. Given our history, games were the obvious solution, but it would take a few years for the right one to come along. We knew we needed a reason beyond just catching up for a chat, if we ever hoped to talk on a regular basis. “So when my brother and I both moved away from home around the same time - to different cities and states for study - it suddenly became harder to stay connected particularly since we were both terrible at remembering to call on a regular basis (something our parents would lament for years). I also spent many hours as a spectator in the early years watching my brother play games - something I’m sure fellow younger siblings can sympathise with – but it was how we often connected and spent time together growing up. I can still remember spending several evenings before dinner, taking turns to see how far we could get through Pinocchio’s unforgiving levels on the original Game Boy (there was no save system, but this just added to the pure ridiculous challenge) and the days spent battling our way through Ratchet & Clank Gladiator’s (known as Deadlocked in North America) epic campaign in co-op. Gaming went hand in hand with spending time with my older (and only) brother, and we both gravitated towards games from an early age. Growing Up Playing Games TogetherPlaying games was an important part of my life growing up, particularly as I lived in a country town where there was a limited number of ways to entertain yourself after school and on the long, empty weekends. ![]() As I headed to bed I was already looking forward to our next night of adventures in Dying Light it had become one of my favourite times of the week and the best way to connect with my brother in the years since we’d both moved away from home. We turned in the quest, said our usual reluctant goodbyes and logged off. Unfortunately it was late my brother had work the next day and I had classes to attend in the morning. ![]()
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