‘Dying Light’ Dune Buggy Challenge Results In Zombie Genocide, 18 Million ‘Double-Tapped’
After its launch on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC, Dying Light has proven to be a hit among the zombie killing crowd. Considered the spiritual successor to the last-gen sleeper hit Dead Island, Warner Bros. and Techland’s open-world zombie killer gathered a crowd for an event last weekend.
The challenge was to kill as many of the shuffling undead as possible over a few days with Dying Light: The Following – Enhanced Edition. This version of the game updated the experience in every way, including better visuals, more moves, and a whole new rural map to go full Daryl Dixon in.
While AMC’s The Walking Dead only occasionally sends its survivors after the undead in waves, Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus) and his brother Merle (Michael Rooker) are considered among the most deadly. Merle escaped being chained to a roof as it was about to be overrun by “walkers,” and Daryl can kill more zombies with four arrows from a crossbow than Zombieland‘s Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) could with a fully loaded pistol. Of course, Michonne (Danai Gurira) doesn’t even need ammunition, preferring to use a Japanese katana with traditional white wrappings to take out the undead, rivaling all of the rest.
The Dying Light challenge invited players to take out zombies with probably the most deadly weapon ever. A motor vehicle is technically deadlier than any handheld weapon, since it weighs more and has more force behind it. The weapon of choice was the dune buggy, which had the added bonus of giving the driver a face full of gore as it tore up the undead.
The reward for this slaughtering of so many zombies was to earn a gold paint job for the dune buggy, and a few even came away with a super-secret paint job. The goal was 5 million zombies smashed under the tires, and the result after one weekend was a staggering 18 million.
Last weekend you smashed our Community Bounty target!
Here are the official event stats. pic.twitter.com/atfT02G2U5— Dying Light (@DyingLightGame) March 23, 2016
PC gamers were among the least productive (or is it destructive?) achievers in the challenge, with console owners taking most of the kills. Xbox One gamers claimed 28 percent of the kills, with the individual average over 18 thousand. PlayStation 4 gamers dominated the killing field with over 20 thousand each. This might not mean anything, but it shows that PS4 gamers were more involved with the Dying Light challenge than those on any other platform.
For spectacular score on the Community Bounty, you’re getting not one, but two buggy paint jobs. You earned it! pic.twitter.com/U9nt7XSwuY
— Dying Light (@DyingLightGame) March 22, 2016
It might even infer that Xbox One owners are happier with the console exclusive Dead Rising 3.
For gamers still waiting on the official sequel to Dead Island, they might need to wait until next year. Dead Island 2 was well into production when Yager Studios was dropped, and a new developer has been picked up to work on it once again. It’s unknown if Deep Silver is going to end up with another rush job like Saints Row IV, but many who miss the classic tactical gameplay that Dying Light was missing are hoping DI2 will bring it back. For now, fans will have to stick with either last-gen sleeper hits or Techland’s more zombie-heavy savagery.
Considered one of the best zombie games most of us never played, Dying Light: The Following – Enhanced Edition is still proving to have an audience. Last week, that audience of mostly PlayStation 4 gamers killed over 18 million zombies with a dune buggy. For gamers looking for a chance to relive the fun of movies like Zombieland and World War Z, Dying Light is waiting for the next Daryl Dixon.
[Image via Dying Light/Warner Bros. Games]
