Today at E3, we’ve been treated to trailers for games like Forza Horizon 4, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, and Halo Infinite. We also got a cool new trailer showing off Dying Light 2.
The trailer includes a lot of amazing gameplay footage. The movement feels very natural, with a lot of creative use of vertical space. The feel of the environment and the interactions with the characters is very gritty and realistic.
But the most fascinating component of the trailer is the voiceover from the game’s narrative designer, Chris Avellone. Avellone’s previous experience includes work on Fallout 2 and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. Bringing that talent to Dying Light 2, he has crafted a complex interactive universe where player choices have far-reaching ramifications.
During the trailer, players are shown a single decision point involving a choice over which faction will control water distribution in the city. The trailer then shows various ways in which that single decision will impact the city’s development over time. This plays out in visual changes as well as differences affecting the player’s own access to water.
There are also consequences involving the presence and distribution of faction personnel—which can play out for better or worse, depending on other player decisions later down the line. Even the morale of characters in the environment is impacted by the choice.
As Avellone explains, these branching narrative pathways literally allow you to “carve out your own world” in the post-apocalyptic environment. The result of making hundreds of these types of decisions over the course of play? Every single play through of the game should be unique.
Want to learn more about Dying Light 2 and the other games featured during E3 this year? Keep following along with our news updates as the week unfolds!