STACK #209 Mar 2022

GAMING REVIEWS

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DYING LIGHT 2: STAY HUMAN

ACTION RPG MULTIPLAYER

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While Dying Light 2: Stay Human takes small steps away from the horror elements of the original, it adds so many new game mechanics that you won’t remember what it once was. Jammed together are some of the base capturing mechanics, melee combat and paragliding of the Far Cry games, meeting

the parkour madness of the excellent Mirror’s Edge . This

unique game boasts a night/day cycle that changes the dynamics of almost everything. While you can stroll around casually during the daytime, come night time you’ll need to head to the rooftops to avoid the rabid UV-hating zombie hordes that take to the streets hungry for brains. The story boasts an eye-bogglingly large number of main quests, side quests and random encounters, with the developers claiming that it’ll take 500-plus hours to complete everything. That’s nearly 21 days of gameplay, which is as mouth-wateringly good as it is

DON’T DIE, DIY! Collectibles allow you to construct medi-packs, arrows, Molotov cocktails and other consumable resources to maximise survivability. You can purchase these at numerous trader posts dotted around the city, however the price is steeper than the time it would take to just collect things yourself.

intimidating! One key element that makes Dying Light 2 so full is

that the story missions are only part of the tale - you’ll have to explore zombie and human strongholds during the darkest hours to unlock and upgrade equipment to more efficiently dodge, dive, dip and duck through the shambling masses. Combat is brutal. It’s not uncommon for limbs and/or heads to go flying to all ends of the screen, while a Tarantino level fountain of blood spurts into the space formerly occupied by said body parts. Most fights are hand-to-hand, wielding spiked clubs or bladed cricket bats to lay your vengeance, and while they degrade with satisfying use, there’s an abundance of new weaponry scattered around the decaying ruins. There are many ways to play and enjoy Dying Light 2 , with zombies being only one - albeit a fairly significant - part of the whole picture. DN

POKÉMON LEGENDS: ARCEUS

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Pokémon Legends: Arceus merges the engaging world of Pokémon with the open world stylings of

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of theWild . Arceus ’s approach is different to previous Pokémon games. Rather than a world where Pokémon and people work and live side-by- side, your trainer is thrown back in time. The traditional Pokédex doesn’t exist,

and Pokéballs have just been invented, where they’re made

BUILD-A-BALL WORKSHOP

with cogs and gears. You awaken on a beach and are approached by a mysterious professor who needs your help recapturing his three rare Pokémon – the game’s starter Pokémon – and creating the Pokédex. Pokémon regulars will be surprised at how different Arceus is from previous titles. For one, in Arceus you can capture a whole variety of Pokémon without ever starting a battle. Some Pokémon have what is basically a friendly gauge, which lets you know whether they need weakening in order to be captured.

However, some Pokémon can’t be captured by surprise and you’ll need to use your Pokémon to battle them. Standard turn-based combat comes into play, but it’s new and improved. You seamlessly go from exploring the world to throwing out a Pokémon and battling away. Speaking of Pokémon battles and wild Pokémon wanting to brawl, you’ll actively need to throw out a Pokémon to defend yourself. Because if you don’t, wild Pokémon will attack you. There are also large and very powerful Pokémon known as Alphas. If you’ve played Pokémon Sword/Shield , it’s basically like the little mini bosses roaming around out in the wild. If you’ve been waiting for Pokémon to evolve into a next-gen styled title with free roaming open worlds like in Skyrim or The Legend of Zelda , then Pokémon Legends Arceus will have you glued to your TV - or even possibly missing your train station... AD

When roaming around in the wild, your Pokémon isn’t just used for battling, but also for traversal and gathering resources. Rather than traditionally buying and finding potions and Pokéballs, you can craft them if you have the required materials.

16 MARCH 2022

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