Techland’sDying Light 2: Stay Human, released in 2022, is a great modern experience for fans of open-world zombie titles. While the series has a kind of friendly rivalry with another similar first-person zombie-slaying RPG franchise,Dead Island,Dying Light 2was hailed as a success on its own merits. Along with its combat mechanics, innovative, fluid-feeling parkour, and an excellently designed city map to utilize them in, Techland expanded the story and setting of its zombie-ravaged world in interesting ways.
The sequel introduced a new protagonist, Aiden Caldwell, and saw players exploring a fresh location, Villedor. Set two decades after the first game, Aiden becomes involved in unraveling the ongoingmystery ofDying Light 2’s zombie virus outbreak, at least in regard to the city and its denizens. Perhaps because of this framing,Dying Light 2has still not fully addressed a huge open thread fromDL1, namely what really happened to its protagonist, Kyle Crane.
Dying Light 2 Should Eventually Reveal Exactly What Happened to DL1’s Kyle Crane
Kyle Crane’s Story in Dying Light
Kyle Crane was the undercover operative sent into the first entry’s city of Harran to investigate the situation. InThe FollowingDLC,Kyle Crane’s fate inDying Lightwas actually depicted via a multiple-choice ending, although neither is particularly positive. Players were presented with two options for the conclusion of Crane’s story. One involved launching a nuclear weapon, ostensibly wiping out Harran and everyone in it, including Kyle. In the second, Mother forces him to drink a serum concoction which turns him into an intelligent Volatile like her. With neither being definitive, Kyle’s true status was left lingering. Many have speculated that Kyle is responsible for The Fall, but again, nothing is certain.
By the time of the sequel,Dying Light 2’s various NPCssuch as Spike make mention of Kyle Crane in incidental chatter throughout, with some of them pointing to him being presumed deceased. This, though, can also be viewed as a case of retold tales and rumors morphing with each variation, since his reputation seems to have become that of a modern legend, and no character seems certain of what ultimately befell Kyle. There is also chatter suggesting Harran is still standing, though vacated and left to rot, but that adds more to the mystery than anything else.
Dying Light 2 Needs to Pull the Curtain Back in 2024
With the waters muddied by the details (or lack thereof) surrounding his end, many fans likely wish to know precisely what happened to Kyle, depending on which, if either, of the above circumstances hold true. If it is taken as the canonical outcome that he became a Volatile, this would create an opening for him to be seen again in some way. Techland could then possibly provide players with a definitive answer toKyle Crane’sdestiny down the line. Perhaps it has some bigger surprises in store, like bringing Kyle back by making him a playable character in future content, and explaining what he experienced in the interim. Though the answer remains nebulous at present, hopefully, fans will be given closure about Crane’s fate one way or another this year.
Dying Light 2’s roadmap for 2024promises further content that could drop more hints or firmer clues about Kyle Crane, although nothing regarding him specifically has been mentioned so far.
Dying Light 2 Stay Human
WHERE TO PLAY
It’s been 20 years since the events of the original game. The virus won, and humanity is slowly dying. You play as Aiden Caldwell, a wandering Pilgrim who delivers goods, brings news, and connects the few remaining survivor settlements in barren lands devastated by the zombie virus. However, your true goal is to find your little sister Mia, who you left behind as a kid to escape Dr. Waltz’s torturous experiments. Haunted by the past, you eventually make the decision to confront it when you learn that Mia may still be alive in Villedor — the last city standing on Earth.You quickly find yourself in a settlement torn by conflict. You’ll need to engage in creative and gory combat, so hone your skills to defeat hordes of zombies and make allies. Roam the city, free run across Villedor’s buildings and rooftops in search of loot in remote areas, and be wary of the night. With every sunset, monsters take control of the streets.
