“You don’t need to compromise immersion for mobility”
The Steam Deck kicked off a new movement in portable gaming; there’s no denying that. Between the ROG Xbox Ally, Lenovo Legion Go, and the MSI Claw, everyone is trying to hone in on what Valve got right from the start. Games like Dying Light: The Beast are ideal for playing on these handhelds, whether you’re curled on the sofa or smashing a few zombie heads on a long trip. However, not every developer thinks about these platforms as actively as Techland.
Following the launch of Dying Light: The Beast, I got in touch with Smektala to touch base about the game’s reception. At the time of writing, it’s the highest-rated entry in the zombie game series. “I think Dying Light: The Beast strikes the perfect balance between honoring what made Dying Light special in the first place and evolving the formula in fresh, exciting ways. The return of Kyle Crane, the deeper horror tone, and the new rural setting all contributed to that,” he shares with me. The Beast’s life originally began as a DLC to Dying Light 2: Stay Human, before evolving into a fully fledged standalone experience.
“I believe players can feel the passion, focus, and craftsmanship that went into this one […] we wanted to create a Dying Light game that doesn’t overwhelm you with scale but captivates you with atmosphere and detail, and I think that resonates strongly with both longtime fans and newcomers,” Smektala adds. I first saw The Beast at Gamescom last year, where Smektala gave us a sneak peek into Kyle Crane’s return. But one thing wasn’t clear: is it factoring in the rise of handheld PCs?
Luckily, the launch of the game proves that to be the case. I ask Smektala whether it’s an active choice to keep platforms like the Steam Deck in mind. He shares that “supporting handheld and portable platforms has become quite an essential part of our vision for accessibility. From the early stages of development, we made sure Dying Light: The Beast would scale efficiently across a wide range of hardware.”
Diving into the game on a more granular level, he tells me that “our in-house C-Engine was built with flexibility in mind, and we’ve optimized it for dynamic scaling and efficient rendering. What helps here is that our rendering director is a great Steam Deck enthusiast, so he’s always making sure he’ll be able to play the game on that platform.” Additionally, Smektala is happy to see players diving into the game on the small screen: “Seeing players enjoy Dying Light: The Beast on Steam Deck or other handhelds is incredibly satisfying, and it proves that you don’t need to compromise immersion for mobility.”
When you’re not playing free mobile games or waiting for new Switch games to drop, I reckon a lot of you reading this are finding gaming solace on your PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X|S. Even though portable gaming consoles are going somewhat of a boom right now, I also understand they can be quite off-putting. Whether it’s the downgrade in raw hardware power or the price, I get it.
But within all of that, there’s an interesting niche that developers are starting to recognize, with labels like Steam Deck Verified and or Ally Verified taking on a life of their own. Dying Light: The Beast is part of that charge, joining notable titles such as Ghost of Tsushima, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, and Assassin’s Creed Shadows as fully verified games. It’s an important factor I highlight about the game in my Dying Light: The Beast review.
If you need someone to roam around in co-op with, you can head over to the Pocket Tactics Discord server.
