Coming to PS4, Xbox One and PC in 2018
Techland & # 39; s Dying Light was a surprising surprise for the undead. For many, it was exactly what Dead Island should have been without all the clumsy mechanics and mistakes that made the series so disappointing. Combine brutal body-to-body combat with free-flowing parkour to create a memorable adventure in the open world.
The following, its first major expansion, further improved things with the addition of vehicles and another portion of land to explore.
Bad Blood is a bit different, acting as Techland's first foray into the very popular Battle Royale genre. The study hopes to capitalize on the trend with its own spin.
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Bad Blood confronts five other players while you try to collect blood samples in a small infected area. Only one can escape when an extraction helicopter is called, which means that it is a fight to the death to gather resources and emerge unscathed. But you are not alone. The area is filled with standard and special undead types, each of which offers different blood samples that are essential for victory. Collect enough and you will reach your means of escape.
Some enemies will spit acid, causing damage to everyone nearby. You will have to remove them from a distance before going to look for the loot. Others are brutal thugs who charge at any time, causing massive damage if you're not careful. Dispersing these high-level enemies among the weakest living dead presents an interesting challenge. He is constantly forced to adjust his strategy, decide if a situation is worth it or if the risks outweigh the rewards.
The act of gathering resources to escape is stressful enough as it is without adding competing players to the equation. Knowing that I could meet another player at any time among the infected was terribly exciting. My first instinct is to flee, but what if they have valuable resources or are sitting at a level lower than me? I could take them, reducing competition in the process.
This element of pressure causes the same tense atmosphere loved by the fans of Fortnite and PUBG which forces him to act quickly and instinctively. Except now you have AI controlled enemies to deal with in the middle of things. I would have liked the enemies of the undead to be more aggressive instead of acting as a scarce dressing window. It feels like they do not participate until they are close and personal, which can ease the tension a bit.
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Veterans of Dying Light will feel at home with Bad Blood. Your controls and the first person perspective remain the same as you jump through the roofs and zombies dropkick mid-stride. The artisan mechanics has undergone some modifications to allow a faster creation of elements among the chaos. A quick touch of the d-pad when holding the components will apply to the weapons, preventing it from jumping into the menu, leaving it vulnerable to attack.
These changes are welcome and an improvement over the original. Bad Blood does not pretend to have the expanding world and the personalization of its predecessor, so developments like this make a lot of sense. It is also constantly picking up new items and equipment, so there is rarely a chance that it will stick to the team before it is discarded for something better.
It is not clear if Bad Blood will be launched with a single map or will branch to different places. The fictional city of Harran is full of winding roads, dense vegetation and full favelas, which gives Techland a lot of material to play. The vehicles featured in The Following would be another welcome addition, although they could give some players a great advantage. Time will tell, but there is a lot of potential here.
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Fighting against other players at this stage feels a bit clumsy. It is a case of melee weapons swinging wildly until a blow is connected, which is not easy considering that both will be jumping like idiots. Jumping enemies is a good approach, especially when you are about to shoot down a powerful infected person. If you succeed, you will get all your booties and some experience to boot. Not to mention that a powerful enemy will weaken and yours will be taken.
Level up throughout each round, gaining experience by defeating other players, infecting and gathering resources spread across the map. Each level will improve your health and other statistics that can make a big difference in the battle.
In order to have an opportunity in the final confrontation, it is crucial to gather enough experience to reach an adequate position. If not, other players can finish you off in a matter of seconds. I experienced this first hand, dying right away after meeting someone in the first round.
The second encounter was a different story. Each round concludes with the surviving players duking on a helipad as the extraction hovers over their head. It is a beautiful mixture of chaos, as the explosive barrels surrounding the drop zone create a cacophony of silly explosions. Conquering other players at this stage is a hectic joy, and getting to the top during my final round with Bad Blood felt wonderfully triumphant.
First Impressions
Dying Light: Bad Blood is a solid turn in the Battle Royale genre made even better by the excellent base on which it sits proudly.
I could definitely use a bit of refinement with PvP combat feeling strangely awkward while the map I played did not make the most of parkour and base game vehicles. However, with a little extra brightness, this could be one to see in the bustling genre.
