The City Saved: Why This is the Canon Ending of Dying Light 2

As a long-time fan diving deep into Techland‘s latest zombie-filled adventure, I‘ve analyzed the clues to determine the most likely canon ending for Dying Light 2. Read on for my breakdown of why I believe Aiden saving Villedor fits best based on Dying Light‘s overarching story!

Summarizing How Dying Light 2‘s Endings Relate to the First Game

For those needing a refresher, here‘s a quick compare and contrast:

So in essence, these games present us as players with a tough moral quandary – prioritize containing the virus no matter the immediate costs, or gamble on saving the ill while epidemics continue.

Evidence the Saved City Ending is Intended as Canon

While Techland has not issued an official statement revealing their narrative plans, a few subtle clues indicate the Villedor survives path is the studio‘s canonical choice:

• **Sequel Setting** – The fact Dying Light 2 occurs in a still-functioning city with regular citizens implies total nuclear destruction did not take place.
• **Developer Comments** – In interviews, Techland discussed how Aiden‘s adventures show humanity persisting amid the outbreaks. This suggests the save attempt occurred.
• **Darker Tone** – The first game‘s climax carried a more optimistic tone. Based on the darker vibes of DL2, it appears the unstable cure had dire consequences.

Continued Outbreaks Support the Save Ending Being Canon

It‘s evident the zombie virus rages on in Villedor – if Kyle Crane had succeeded in containing it previously, Aiden‘s setting would likely be infection-free.

Since the sequel features volatile transformations and containment zones, the most sensible series timeline follows:

• Kyle Crane secured the unstable antigen cocktail in Harran
• This cured some initially, but led to renewed waves of zombies globally
• One of the last survivor cities where humanity lingers is Aiden‘s virus-ravaged Villedor

So for the games‘ stories to logically connect this way, DL1‘s cure ending and DL2‘s save Villedor path seem implicitly canon.

Why This Apocalyptic Fate Fits the Series Narrative

Part of the franchises alluring tone is its grim, dangerous spins on the zombie genre.

Based on in-game clues and the developers‘ horror inspirations, preserving some of civilization amid the bloodthirsty undead simply makes for a better backdrop to dramatic events than wiping out the plague through nuclear fire.

By leaving the infection‘s evolution cryptic, it opens up fresh ground for later games to explore how outbreaks continue reshaping society‘s remains rather than definitively closing the mystery like a cheesy Hollywood ending.

So for fans like myself thrilled yet terrified to re-enter Techland‘s macabre world, I believe accepting DL2‘s darkest narrative fork as the main timeline sets up an epic ongoing saga in our faced-paced evolve-or-die dystopian future!

Let me know your thoughts on my zombie-canon theories below! And stay tuned here as I dig deeper on memoir connections across Dying Light‘s next expansions!