We soon fell into a regular schedule of playing Dying Light together, which would last for nearly two years. It allowed us to work together, but also to mess around, and this combination became a deciding factor into why it became one of our favourite pastimes. After burning out on competitive-focused military shooters like Call of Duty, Dying Light was a breath of fresh air, as its co-op actually had a pretty relaxed vibe. I quickly fled and was found by my - thoroughly unimpressed - brother hiding at the top of a telephone pole.ДЄn artist's impression of the author cowering at the top of a pole.Our sessions were filled with silly antics - sneaking around during the terrifying but exhilarating nights, running for our lives through tight laneways and dense suburbs and racing between locations, just for the hell of it. We had the drop on them, but as we got close, I lost my composure and threw a molotov at the group, only to miss, startling them. One such time we were sneaking up on a group of zombies at night. However, the tension was unbearable at times and occasionally got to me. When normally IвЂ™d avoid large groups of foes, with my brother we would leap into the zombie masses we loved the fight and the danger of always being one wrong move away from death. Facing the many horrors of Harran and laughing in the face of the many breeds of horrific zombies became all the more achievable for a scaredy cat like myself. Becoming Infatuated with Dying LightWe both played the opening separately, which is a thrilling experience in itself, but Dying Light truly shines in co-op play. It would be several months after its release that we would both buy it and finally set a date, hoping this would be the one we could bond over after being away from each other, for over two years. The trailers made it look exhilarating and scary (my brother loves horror), plus, in a world where zombies were somewhat played out, Dying Light dropped masses of them into an open-world and added a gameplay-defining day/night cycle, making them feel fresh once again. Eventually, Dying Light caught our attention. Given our history, games were the obvious solution, but it would take a few years for the right one to come along. We knew we needed a reason beyond just catching up for a chat, if we ever hoped to talk on a regular basis.

вЂњSo when my brother and I both moved away from home around the same time - to different cities and states for study - it suddenly became harder to stay connected particularly since we were both terrible at remembering to call on a regular basis (something our parents would lament for years). As I headed to bed I was already looking forward to our next night of adventures in Dying Light it had become one of my favourite times of the week and the best way to connect with my brother in the years since weвЂ™d both moved away from home. We turned in the quest, said our usual reluctant goodbyes and logged off.

Terrifying.Unfortunately it was late my brother had work the next day and I had classes to attend in the morning. WeвЂ™d made it, weвЂ™d survived another night. Only once we were safe, did I realise I was panting from the chase we then both started laughing. Eventually, after applying the parkour skills weвЂ™d honed over dozens of hours running, jumping and climbing through what had become our playground - the fictional city of Harran, we managed to escape into the night. We shouted and squealed as they chased us, leaping over cars and trucks and dodging the mass trying to tear us apart. As we slowly walked through the terrifying pack, trying to avoid bumping into any of them, we knew it was only a matter of time before they caught on, so as soon as we were through the main group, we ran for our lives. We decided the only way through was to camouflage ourselves in zombie guts (one of the many perks you can attain as you upgrade). Going up against just one could be a challenge, even with two of us coordinating but there were dozens of them. Halfway through, we discovered it was filled with our most feared and dreaded enemy in Dying Light - Volatiles.

On this final stretch we had to pass through a tunnel, populated with the inevitable dozen or so zombies, but nothing out of the ordinary or too risky. We were just finishing up a long mission and were heading back to one of the hubs, hoping to reach it ahead of the looming night, during which Dying LightвЂ™s most dangerous threats appear.

How to play coop on dying light