A new trailer for Techland’s Dying Light is about the game’s Be the Zombie mode, in which you can invade other players – but only if you pre-order, or buy DLC. Awful.
Be the Zombie mode lets you take control of a super-powerful zombie (with some sort of tentacle-based grappling hook, if this trailer is any indication) called the Night Hunter, and invade the games of others. However, there’s a catch, and it’s a rather big one: right now, Be the Zombie mode is only available if you pre-order Dying Light.
This is extremely confusing, though, because… well, here’s Dying Light‘s producer, Tymon Smektala, to explain why.
“Online players can face the threat of a possible invasion of their game by the Night Hunter, an extremely powerful, human-controlled zombie mutation,” says Smektala in the PR email I was sent. “These invasions are an inherent part of Dying Light, available on all platforms for all online players from day one. However for our hardcore fans who pre-order, we’re offering them a bonus – Be the Zombie – which lets you actually take control of the Night Hunter and invade online games of other players.”
If I’m understanding it right, then, it’s basically like Dark Souls in that your game can be invaded if you play online – but the Cracked Red Eye Orb equivalent, which lets you invade others, is a pre-order exclusive.
Except it’s clearly not, is it? The press release calls it “Be the Zombie DLC”, which implies it’s going to be sold later on. Nonetheless, the fact that the game’s PvP/invasion mechanic – which is described as “an inherent part of Dying Light” – is being held hostage is a little bit ludicrous.
Dying Light is due out on 27 January 2015. Much as it hasn’t been announced or dated, I fully expect Be the Zombie DLC to be released around the same time.
