The Following is a Review of the Following

A Review of Dying Light The Following 
By Tom LoFaso

   Since Dying Light the Following came out I’ve been immersed in it. All of the mechanics of the original game are still there with added abilities and perks that increase the fun factor. The plot moves out of Harran and into the countryside, leaving a new stunning open world to explore. Let’s dive into the details.

     The gameplay is just as fantastic as it is in the first part of dying light. The weapons are just as devastating if not more so with added upgrades making for more carnage. You can cut through even the biggest of enemies like a hot knife through butter in spectacular fashion. Also added to your inventory is a drivable buggy, which is essential to cross the extensive countryside map. The vehicle is easy to control and is absolutely fun to drive. The realistic factors to the buggy make it almost like a second character. Since it needs to be refueled from time to time, you have to scavenge gas from abandoned cars that litter the roads as well as gas stations that happen to be around the map. Another thing that adds to the realistic factor is the continued maintenance and upgrades needed to keep your buggy getting you from point A to point B. The buggy also gets a pretty cool series of upgrades including a flamethrower so you can barbeque your zombie meat before you tenderize it with the front of your car.

     The world of The Following is a beautiful one. As I said you’re in the countryside, not the dreary slums, or a ransacked Old Town. It gives you a very vast world and landscape, from deep caves containing volatile nests, to a stretching coastline, and opened plained landscaped full of deadly zombie hordes ready to corner you. For those of you who don’t live in the country or near a beach like me this is as good as it gets.

     The plot is quite fascinating. Without spoiling too much, the original protagonist Kyle Crane, is sent on a quest to investigate rumors of a group of people immune to the zombie virus. It is his job to discover the reasoning behind the group, and attempt to create a cure. The locals are unwilling to assist you so you have to complete quests to earn their trust and gain the attention of the group known as The Faceless. He quest vary from your typical “fetch quests”, to clearing out infected nests, to rescuing survivors.

   The side quests really help you explore the beautiful landscape around you. Many of them will provide you with plenty of hours of gameplay completing them in addition to the main story (I know I’ve been playing nonstop and I’m barely halfway through). It really is quite enjoyable and well crafted. So much so that you don’t want to turn the game off.

     The only qualm I have about the game really is some of the agility perks you use. The jumping finisher you get with your weapons seems to not activate every time which is annoying when you’re attempting a surprise kill. The other thing that bothers me is the grappling hook to climbing. Sometimes the game itself doesn’t register you grabbing onto a ledge and you end up falling to your untimely death in the middle of a mission. This happening a few times becomes very, very frustrating. Other than that, the mechanics are fantastic!

     I can’t wait to get back to playing The Following! I did have to take a break to write this after all. I’m just hoping the ending is more rewarding than the original dying light. Once I beat the game I’ll update on that. As for now I give The Following 4/5 stars, absolutely worth the money for the download. So grab it for your PS4 and happy zombie slaying!