I Really Wish The New Zombie Adventure Had Fast Travel

Set for your next quest in this zombie survival title? Catch you on the other side of the landscape in approximately… Ten minutes? Or fifteen minutes? Really, whatever the duration to reach it by running or vehicle, since the new release clearly dislikes simplicity and wants the main character to suffer beyond his current hardships.

The lack of quick transport within Dying Light: The Beast, the recent addition to a long-running series with action-packed survival titles, is undoubtedly intended to encourage exploration, yet what it achieves in my experience is encourage frustration. Even after thoughtfully evaluating the arguments for which this expansive undead adventure shouldn’t include quick transport, every one fails — similar to the hero, when I rush him off a structure quickly.

Why the Omission of Fast Travel Falls Short

As an instance, one could claim that this game’s parkour is amazing, and I completely support that, yet that does not imply I want to run, jump, and climb constantly. Certainly, the game includes automobiles which I can drive, yet cars, route access, and gasoline resources are scarce. And I concur that encountering fresh areas is what creates a sandbox title engaging, yet when you have crossed an area multiple times, there’s little left to explore.

After my first visit to the metropolitan Old Town, I sensed that this game was purposely lengthening my travel time by dispersing mission spots inside identical missions.

When a secondary mission guided me to a hazardous location within the old district, I checked my map, sought out the most accessible automobile, located it, drove toward the old area, exhausted my gasoline, viewed my map again, hurried the rest of the path, and, finally, had a great encounter with the dark zone’s zombies — merely to realize that the following task target returned me to the place I originated, across the way of the map.

The Case for Quick Transport

I have to admit that this game lacks the biggest world ever created in an expansive adventure, yet that is a stronger argument to advocate for instant movement; if its absence annoys me on a smaller map, it would definitely annoy me on a larger one.

Understandably, it would help to plan mission goals in a certain order, but is it truly about about “encouraging exploration” when I feel forced to reduce my travel time? It seems more that I would be “reducing hassle” as much as possible. Moreover, if I am absorbed in a plot and want to know the subsequent events (which is a good thing, creators!), I don’t desire to finish additional mission goals beforehand.

Potential Solutions regarding Quick Transport

There is a single point I can consider supporting preventing fast travel: You avoid an easy exit route. And I need to acknowledge, I would not wish to lose the small heart attack I encounter whenever night falls – but undoubtedly there are alternatives regarding that. To illustrate, quick transport from Dark Zones could be prohibited, or fast travel points could be placed beyond secure areas, forcing you to do a quick dash through the night before reaching safety. Possibly more suitably, this title could allow instant movement via instant movement points solely, thereby you minimize journey duration without the chance of sudden movement.

  • Instant movement could be restricted to car locations, for instance,
  • require virtual currency,
  • or be interrupted by unexpected events (the possibility to get assaulted by sudden monsters).

Of course, it is just reasonable to unlock new instant movement locations subsequent to exploring their surroundings.

The Strongest Argument for Instant Movement

Possibly the best reason in favor of fast travel, nevertheless, is options: Although with a quick transport mechanism available, players who prefer to journey exclusively via walking and vehicles would still retain that possibility, whereas players with less time to play, or with less desire for driving and parkour, could use that duration on other in-game activities. That, from my perspective, is the true feeling of independence players should anticipate from an open-world game.

Sherry White
Sherry White

A seasoned business strategist with over a decade of experience in helping startups scale and succeed in competitive markets.

October 2025 Blog Roll