With the re-reveal and release date announcement for Dead Island 2 coming last week, it would seem that the speculation of Dead Island 2’s demise was greatly exaggerated. One of the progenitors of the modern co-op zombie game is back from the dead, and rather than a shambling, half-alive, decaying monster, it honestly looks better than ever.
As they took over the project in 2018, Dambuster started with a clean slate, but stuck with the original pitch for Dead Island 2. The zombie infection that had gripped some remote tropical islands spread to mainland USA. Los Angeles is overrun by the zombie infection, the military unable to stem the tide, and eventually has to give up and impose a quarantine zone around the city.
It’s all set to embrace the pulpy, daft nonsense of the originals, taking in the kinds of powered-up excess, with a real focus on trying to keep you in the fight instead of having to constantly backtrack and heal. I mean, they’ve even implemented a thoroughly daft backronym for some of the underpinning combat technology. FLESH, the Fully Locational Evisceration System for Humanoids, promises hyper-accurate locational damage, dismemberment and gore to deliver exactly the kind of over-the-top combat you know and want from a game like this.
So, you’re trapped in the city as one of the infected, but immune to the worst symptoms of the virus. In fact, you find yourself becoming more and more powerful over time while rampaging through the city and clattering through any and all zombies that stand in your way.
As with the originals, this game can (and probably should) be experienced in co-op, though this time it’s for up to three players instead of four. We, however, dove into the concise demo in single-player, the Boardwalking Dead mission taking us to a wrecked Santa Monica Pier in search of the ‘Blood Drive’. There’s plenty of undead to cleave your way through, from the occasional stragglers on the beach to new, fearsome enemies that will threaten to overwhelm you when they turn up in the middle of a horde and you’re caught in the maze of fences and buildings for the pier’s attractions.
It’s worth mentioning here just how good the game looks. Built on a modified version of Unreal Engine 4, it’s got rock solid foundations that Dambuster has added keystone tech like FLESH to in order to make the game look and play as good as possible. It’s a gorgeous setting as the lights of the pier’s attractions shine in the night, the Ferris wheel and the looping rollercoaster contrasting with the fences, makeshift barricades and destruction that the zombie outbreak has led to.
It’s also immediately clear that Dead Island 2 is a clean break from the first two games in the series. Techland has refurbished their reputation with the Dying Light games (the first one in particular), and there were reportedly mitigating circumstances for their earlier work, but Dead Island and Dead Island: Riptide were both pretty darn janky. Dead Island 2 immediately feels more like a big budget modern game, from how the melee combat connects, to the handling of the ranged weapons, and beyond.
You’ll have a menagerie of interesting souped up weapons, leaning on the same kind of barmy DIY melee arsenal that made the originals so much fun. Sure, you can wade into the fight with a regular machete, but wouldn’t you really want to strap a 9V battery to it to add electricity? What about duct taping some gas torches to that axe to add the ability to set things on first? Or how about some lightning Wolverine claws? They don’t make sense, but getting to use these weapons remains a lot of fun, especially when you throw yourself into the fray with a flying double kick, combine bait bombs and Molotovs with regular attacks, and occasionally whip out a Magnum or assault rifle for a bit more range, the former packing a real punch.
I got in the habit of tapping to change weapons pretty much any time I killed an enemy, sampling the variety as I went. Dead Island 2 feels immediately familiar to play with standard melee attacks and then charged attacks that will deal more damage, with the demo ensuring that I was well levelled to meet the difficulty of the zombies I was facing.
Mixing up the gory battling are various special zombies. The big Thug will pound the ground, sending out a damaging shockwave that you need to jump over to avoid damage, while the Voltaic Screamer will flood the surrounding area with electricity, which can be very unforgiving when encountering them in closer confines. Of course, there’s some genre staples, like one that projectile vomits acid toward you and an exploding boomer.
Where it gets really interesting, though, is with the Skill Deck, a light and accessible system for RPG-like upgrades. This will really let you lean into a particular style of play, adding things like a powerful scream when you channel the virus’ enhancements into a forceful blast of hellish sound, swapping out a one-footed flying kick for a two footed one, and plenty more beyond that. There’s some that will be character specific, but by and large you’ll be able to pick any of the characters – we were playing as Amy – and tweak them to meet how you want to play.
Working through the derelict pier, there’s some fun set piece moments to take in. The wooden structure of the pier has been torn apart in some areas, forcing you to find another way by clambering through open windows, restoring electrical systems (and then fighting the Voltaic Screamer in a particularly awkward spot), and even getting on and riding the Ferris wheel.
It all builds up to a showdown with a particularly bizarre zombie, Butcho the Clown. with a clown mask on the top half of his head, he seems startlingly intelligent as he taunts you on your quest, before coming at you with sharp, javelin-like arms. Blend dodges with heavy blows and the occasional throwable and it will send him scampering away to try and feed on corpses to restore his health. It’s a gruesome twist that has me wondering what other undead delights Dambuster has cooked up for Dead Island 2.
Having spent a long time shying away from the spotlight, it’s great to see Dead Island 2 reappearing with a newfound confidence and swagger. This isn’t a game that’s still got years of development to go – it’s slated for February next year – it’s not trying to figure out what it wants to be and it’s not looking over its shoulders for what rivals are doing. It’s a straight up, pulpy melee zombie game
