Check out Dying Light's monstrous Night Hunter in action

Dying Light is an unusual sort of game. It's a zombie survival game from the folks behind the original Dead Island that seems to buck the trend when it comes to development.

Originally announced in May 2013, the free-running, open-world game shifted its launch not backwards, but forwards. Initially aiming for a February 2015 release date, the game is now set to hit Jan. 27.

Last month, developers Techland made another unusual decision. They announced that they would be cutting the last-gen versions of the game to concentrate on PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, a move they said would allow them to focus on delivering the full and best experience regardless upon which platform the game is played.

"Much of this 'next-gen feel' is tightly connected to the technological side of Dying Light," the studio said at the time. "For instance, up to 200,000 objects can be displayed in the game at once. Add to this our use of realistic, physics-based lighting technology and you really start to push the next-gen systems to the limits. Features like these along with our core gameplay pillars — such as the player-empowering Natural Movement, threefold character development system, and vast open world — are all an inherent part of how Dying Light plays. However, combining all of these into one fluid experience is only possible on technologically advanced platforms."

Another interesting move? Tying the game's only player-versus-player mode to the need to pre-order the game. (Though, there appears to remain open the chance that the mode will be released to everyone else post-launch.)

In the "Be the Zombie" mode, players take control of Dying Light's night hunters, one of the deadliest creatures in the game. The night hunter uses a mix of interesting abilities, and raw speed and power, to mow down players. But we haven't seen it, or it's abilities in action ... until now.

Below you'll find eight brief videos, provided to Polygon by Coub, showcasing how a night hunter can wipe out a team, and what humans will have to do to take it down. Keep in mind the videos do not show final gameplay footage.

If you enjoy the videos, make sure you check out our full coverage of the upcoming over on the title's Polygon page. You can also check out our write up of hands-on time with the mode right here.

Dying Light's night hunter zombie can invade your game. He is controlled by a human player and he`s much harder to kill than a regular zombie.

The night hunter can use a lot of moves to quickly eliminate the player.

He can even lure you into a trap.

The more players he kills, the more experience he gets which can be used to become more powerful. For example he can boost this acrobatic move with which he traverses the rooftops ...

... or learn a lethal jump on a player which immobilizes him.

However the night hunter also has his weak points. The ultraviolet light which a player can shine in his face weakens the hunter and slows him down. As the title of the game suggests, zombies are afraid of daylight, so this is where UV comes in handy.

The only way to survive is by destroying the Hunter's nests. This is where the night hunter respawns. Destroy them, and the hunter will be gone.

You can also spot the night hunter with your night senses, a feature which is closely connected to the game`s still-to-be-detailed plot.