Dying Light

Dying Light combines an open world overrun by the infected with parkour that turns rooftop running into the core mechanic. The player lands as an agent in the sealed-off city of Harran, where surviving residents fight over supplies and medicine, and quickly discovers that the assignment is more complicated than it looked. Movement is a joy in itself: the character vaults over ledges, jumps gaps, runs along walls, and bounces off enemies' heads, so fleeing a horde is just as fun as fighting it.

Combat relies on melee weapons that wear down and need repairing or upgrading using found blueprints, so the loadout is constantly changing. The day-night cycle plays a crucial role. By day the infected are slow and the player has the advantage, but after dark fast and extremely dangerous predators appear, chasing their prey across entire districts, and the only salvation is light, shelter, or a desperate sprint. Night runs reward experience generously, creating great tension between caution and greed. The campaign can be played in co-op with up to four players, and a special mode lets another player invade your game as a night creature. On Xbox One the world runs smoothly and expansively, with impressive lighting.

The atmosphere is held together by sound and electronically tinged music that turns into raw, pulsing tension at night. Contemporary reception was very good, praising mainly the movement and the fear of darkness, with criticism aimed at the story and repetitive tasks. The game received long-term support and a large expansion with a vehicle and countryside setting. Today it's considered one of the best zombie action games ever made. The combination of free movement, tangible combat, and genuine fear of the dark has rarely been matched since. Anyone wanting a taste of an open world built around running and climbing will still find a model example here, and playing with friends adds dozens more hours to it.