Dying Light

As the studio behind the Dead Island series, Techland knows a thing or two about the zombie apocalypse. Unlike Dead Island, Dying Light is putting an equal emphasis on both fight and flight. You're able to hold your own against the undead using ranged and melee weapons, but when it's time to leave, you're nimble enough to free-run your way to safety, scaling up walls and over obstacles (including zombies). I spent a chunk of time with the game, and here are five of the highlights.

1. I soaked in the scenery
Tim saw the game running on the Xbox One back at E3, but this was my first time with it. Even though the demo was set in the slums of Harran – during a zombie outbreak, no less – it's a great-looking game. The tutorial section offered a temporary safe zone, where I was able to watch the wind ripple through palm trees and spy on the biters milling around aimlessly. According to Techland, Dying Light features about 10 times as many zombies onscreen.

2. I ran like hell
The game's free running makes it easier to get away from enemies than in many other games, simply because it can transform walls from obstacles into opportunities. You're not superhuman, but if you have enough speed and you see something that seems as though it's reasonably within your grasp, it probably is. It took me a while to get used to it. I'm more accustomed to games where I smack zombies around for a while, clear out a space, and move on. In Dying Light, this strategy doesn't work so well. They're attracted to sound, and my sledgehammer and ax seemed to generate plenty of it. That was my cue to make tracks. 

3. I broke some bones
Before I ran like hell, I did thwack a few biters around with my melee weapons. You can smack them around with regular attacks, or hold down the button for a more powerful charge attack. The charged sledgehammer attacks would occasionally break zombie bones, which was highlighted with a nifty X-ray effect. After breaking one enemy's leg, I walked over to her and gloated for a second. Bad idea. She lunge/crawled at me and attempted to bite off part of my face. I really should be more careful.

4. I kicked a dude into a spiked wall
I don't know who made the spiked wall, but I am forever in their debt. It did exactly what I needed it to do. AAA+ Great spiked wall would impale enemy on it again. 

5. I got a nice look at Harran
My demo ended with a look at a new trailer for the game. The last bit showed a zoomed-out view of Harran, and it provided a tantalizing glimpse of what's ahead. The city is a blend of the ancient and modern, which Techland says was partially inspired by Istanbul. It looks like there's plenty of vertical space to explore, as well as a stadium tucked back in one corner of town.