dead island 2 it’s been coming for a long time. Since its unveiling at E3 2014, several development studios have been working on it and its target release date has been pushed back time and time again. It’s surreal to finally get our hands on it ahead of its April 21 release date for a brief hands-on preview.
From development hell to LA-hell
During the preview portion of the game, I spent time in Bel-Air and Beverly Hills. While they certainly capture the Californian vibe, the sheer amount of zombies, gore, and guts quickly distract from the well-done locations.
The game looks and runs fantastic on PC, which should hopefully be good news for the PS5 version. Developer Dambuster Studios is aiming for 60 FPS for current-gen, and while my PC fantasy experience is good, I’m optimistic for current-gen console gamers. (I’m a little worried about the PS4 edition, but fingers crossed.)
Hope you like killing zombies.
Dead Island 2 is yet another game that requires players to kill a bunch of zombies. It leans towards the melee side of combat which, while less common, is not unique. Luckily, the game’s “FLESH System” acts as a buff to melee attacks, making zombies even more satisfying with increased gore.
Using FLESH, players can target individual body parts for damage. Using a bladed weapon to slice off a zombie’s arms and head, or a blunt weapon to take down multiple enemies at once before stomping on their heads before they had a chance to get up, wasn’t not outdated. There are also weapon mods and elemental damage buffs you can take advantage of, another tried-and-true mechanic for zombie games. For those who can appreciate messy zombies, Dead Island 2 just might have the messier one.
Throughout the chaos of zombie blood spurting everywhere due to increasingly violent attacks, my chosen “killer” Jacob was spouting lines and giving sarcastic responses. There’s a fine line between being boring in lead #512 and a wannabe Deadpool, and Jacob manages to deliver fun humor without sounding boring. I can’t wait to try out the other five Slayers, which I hope are equally lovely.
It’s a marathon, not a sprint.
I had no idea what to expect in this preview of Dead Island 2. I had visions of a Rat King of convoluted ideas from too many developers involved. Luckily, Dambuster Studios seems to have focused on simply making a bigger and better sequel to the original Dead Island, and after a few hours with the game, it’s shaping up to be one of the best games of 2023.
Dead Island 2 premiered on PC with code provided by the publisher.