Dying Light: Hellraid Review (Krieg)
TLDR: OK but sub-par when compared to the main game
I always wanted to give Hellraid a go since it was announced as a stand alone game and I was disappointed to see it was dropped. However, when it was released as a DLC for DL, I had to try it.
Hellraid is ok but there are a few things that simply do not work with the type of game that DL is. In HR you are stuck inside your typical fantasy castle/dungeon and that would be fine if it wasn't for the fact that you have to face hordes of enemies without one of the main features of DL: parkour. In DL, if you get surrounded, you can always get to the rooftops to get a breather and you can easily move from roof to roof. Not in HR. If you are surrounded, you need to run around like a maniac while being chased by the Usain Bolt of zombies that usually come in a pack of 3/4, sometimes more and they simply don't quit.
The DLC has a tendency to lock you into a room once you complete story steps in order to deal with a dozen mobs. That would be ok if your character did not have the stamina of a 500 lbs heavy smoker. Seriously, you swing your blade 2 or 3 times and your character starts breathing heavily and not because he's seen his favourite cake. Let's not even talk about two-handed weapons: they do pack a punch but are slow, which makes sense, but not when you are running for your life while a dozen zombies and skeletons are running after you and while you are being hit by fireballs shot from across the room by the "mages". On top of that, those weapons take a lot of stamina to swing - see stamina issue described previously.
And then there are the shielded skeletons, impervious to even explosive flasks. I threw a couple of them to try and take one out thinking that the explosions would do a lot damage but it barely even flinched. They can be dealt with but, again, while you are dealing with a horde, it is just tedious.
Overall, HR would have a lot of potential as it would be following in the steps of games such as old school Hexen but, being a DLC for DL, which is a significantly different game, it just feels boring and tedious. While DL is focusing on survival and open world exploration, HR is claustrophobic and repetitive: get in a room, kill all the baddies, rinse and repeat.
HR feels like it has been hammered into a DLC for DL but, while DL is an excellent game, HR is a different beast and should have been its own game. I understand that Techland did not wish to throw away all of the HR assets but the DLC just feels rushed and cheap when compared to the main game.
Get it only as part of a bundle or when heavily discounted.