This weekend, the official Dying Light Twitter account revealed some information about how much content Dying Light 2: Staying Human has. They explain that it takes 534 hours to walk from Warsaw to Madrid, and in comparison, it takes about 500 hours to complete Dying Light 2. I’m not sure where they got any of these numbers, but comparing an activity that seems boring and tedious (walking for 534 hours) with their game wasn’t the slam dunk they thought it would be.
Here’s the Tweet:
Not long after, they tweeted again to clarify:
Note: It’s about 100% completion rate, most of the players who are in for story and side quests will be able to complete the game quicker, it will still be a solid experience though!
And then:
Story + side quests, if you’re not in a rush, should take you around 70-80hrs
Now, the folks who advertise video games — whether that be on social media or in interviews or TV spots, etc. — tend to hyper-focus on whatever detail makes the game seem the biggest. I’ve pointed out elsewhere how those various metrics — map size, completion time, etc. — can be deceptive, and it’s really hard to judge the quality of a game by any objective measurement.
For example, let’s say you install a mod in Minecraft that makes it take an hour to chop down a tree instead of seconds. You can say that you’ve increased the play time of the game, but that’s not really adding actual content; that’s just creating tedium for players.
Likewise, an open-world game could have a gigantic map that’s mostly just empty space. While that game’s PR team might boast about how massive that world is, it might not feel massive if there’s not really anything to do in that world.
I think the gaming audience has largely figured this out by now, and the response to these particular tweets wasn’t a positive one. Sure, there are some folks who seem to be genuinely excited, but the general response seems to be criticism and skepticism.
Here are just a few examples:
Now, I should point out that I am very much looking forward to Dying Light 2, and I’m not alone in this sentiment. This particular set of tweets doesn’t sway me, and I know the 500-hour completion time is a gross exaggeration. While there are games I’ve sunk that much time into, I really doubt that Dying Light 2 will be one of those games. I do think I’ll enjoy it quite a bit, if the previous game is any indication of the sequel’s quality.
And also, I should point out that this tweet did get people talking about the game. So you could say that it’s “Mission Complete” in that regard.
But it just goes to show, you should always take advertising claims with a huge grain of salt.
