In a world full of zombies, an even greater horror persists: time. Not only did Techland developers have to graphically update Kyle Crane to modern standards in Dying Light: The Beast, but they had to present the progression of time in his physical appearance. When I asked franchise director Tymon Smektala exactly how this was done, he remarked that such a discussion would warrant "its own talk at a game dev conference." It's a fine line to walk, but an important one; Dying Light: The Beast is Kyle Crane's story after all.
For The Best War Games Advance, we spoke with several developers at Techland about everything the threequel entails—Smektala included. This naturally included several mentions of Kyle Crane, including the nature of his return and his changes while under the thumb of The Baron, Dying Light: The Beast's main antagonist. Because the franchise has always been first-person, that's where the developers started, but then it took a few surprising turns (at least from the outside looking in).
Kyle Crane In The Year 2025
The age-old challenge of first-person games is how often the player sees their character. Even from a player's perspective, it can be odd when a game with extensive character customization can only be played in first-person. That may not be a key feature of the Dying Light franchise, but the first-person perspective means that developers have to keep this POV in mind at all times. That's where Techland began, updating Kyle Crane's older animations from the first Dying Light game to the "high-fidelity reality of 2025," adjusting his movements to this reality as well as to convey the changed personality of Kyle Crane, and introducing a number of third-person cutscenes so players could actually see him.
All of this, of course, had a domino effect. In short, it means that players will see more of Kyle Crane than ever before. "We had to make sure we present Kyle himself with more detail than ever before, also updating his look to reflect the years he spent in Baron's captivity," Smektala said. Naturally, this included tons of artwork done to find out who this new and changed Kyle is. This included hundreds of concept arts, ranging from the expected to the almost unbelievable. As Smektala tells it,
"The process of creating an older Kyle was actually quite fun as we sketched out hundreds of concept arts, trying to explore and find out how far we can go with any changes and still keeping Kyle strong, powerful, and not “too daddy.” We had fat-bellied Kyle, receding-hairline Kyle, sometimes just for laughs, but all to find the perfect balance. Of course, these concept arts are kept locked in our vault, and no one will ever see them. Kyle is a hero, and no one needs to see him in oversized boxer shorts and a stained tank top, right?"
Being a little silly, having a little fun, is all part of the creative process, and attempting even the off-beat versions of Kyle Crane no doubt played a role in his new appearance. He may have traded a receding hairline and dad bod for a permanent scowl and a few scars, but the latter does indeed showcase the horrors Techland has subjected him to in his face. Dying Light: The Beast will have more of Kyle Crane than ever before, which given how long fans have been asking for his return, only makes good sense.
Consider this my official petition to see all this concept art of Kyle Crane, perhaps in an official art book?
The Beast in Kyle Crane
Of course, Kyle Crane is a very different man—if he can even be called that. Techland has referred to him as half-survivor and half-beast, which is reflected in the day/night cycle of Dying Light: The Beast's gameplay. At the same time, it's also important to work that into his character portrayal through the talented work of Roger Craig Smith, but also Kyle Crane's appearance.
In balancing Kyle's past but also his new present, Smektala added,
"Another pass was meant to find the 'monster' in him. We chose to communicate this part of his new personality by his tainted eye and a spiky bracer. We also wanted to find a connection between him and the “old Kyle,” and his watch and Jade’s bracelet are what we settled on.
Finding that monster in him represents some new details in his appearance: simple, grungy, a little cringeworthy. That's Kyle Crane, alright, but it also represents who he has become following years of torture. Kyle Crane's New Beast Mode also represents this, in the way he can slaughter zombies and traverse around a world made for humans. He's a monster, but he is also a survivor. His watch and Jade's bracelet represent that, as well as Dying Light: The Beast's hardcore, survival-oriented nighttime experience.
Kyle Crane is a new man in the year 2025. Not a good man, not a bad man. Not fully a monster, not fully a survivor. Kyle Crane is just Kyle Crane, the protagonist of Dying Light, for one more blood-and-guts-filled rodeo.
Dying Light: The Beast
