It’s been a long time coming, but the wait has been worth it. Dead Island 2 takes the zombie apocalypse to the bloodiest heights we’ve ever seen…
Game: Dead Island 2
Developer: Dambuster Studios
Format: PS5, PS4, XSX, XBO, PC
Genre: Action Survival RPG
Release Date: April 21
Dead Island 2 development began way back in 2012, just a year after the original won the hearts of gamers. We even got a decent dose of gameplay as far back as 2014, but from there the trail went dead. Almost 10 years later, and suddenly, it’s upon us.
But this is no rotting corpse shambling aimlessly towards the noise. Squishing its troubled development under size 12 steel caps, Dead Island 2 is reborn as an exhilarating and deep open-world survival-RPG. One that also manages to deliver a combat action experience Wolfenstein would be proud of.
Hollyweird
Despite the archipelago inference in its name, Dead Island 2 is set on the west coast of the USA. The action takes place in Los Angeles, or HELL-A, approximately 10 years after the original game. The zombie outbreak has gotten so bad that the entirety of California has become a restricted quarantine zone.
Naturally, you’re in the middle of it – the character you create from a base of six class types – but you’re a bit different to everyone else. You are infected, but for some reason, you’re not turning into a zombie. It’s in you and you can feel it, but the pathogen can’t quite take control.
Your quest then isn’t just about survival then, but discovering what it is you have become. And in doing so, you’ll unravel the mystery behind the outbreak itself. The story is well told, brought to life by wonderful characters in beautifully rendered cutscenes. All delivered with dark humour and dripping with style.
Being that this is an RPG, you can go as deep as you like, with no shortage of sidequests and lore to learn. Indeed, while it’s “open-world,” in truth you move from district hub to district hub, giving you a sense of always progressing, even when you explore off the beaten track.
This is important, as you’ll get rewarded by discovering more loot, weapon blueprints and gear that will deepen your combat experience. As you level-up, the zombies you face level-up, too. So, keeping on top (and creative) with your work at the workbenches is critical.
Hey Good Looking
Your eyes will immediately thank your hands as you guide your character through the streets and world. This is a beautiful game. The bright California sunshine and vibrant neighbourhoods like Bel Air and Venice Beach contrast with pools of blood and guts.
You’ll explore through day and night, all from the first-person. And navigation feels great, with your avatar at one with your controller.
Dead Island 2 excels as well at using its visual prowess, and the FLESH system (see boxout), to create a next-generation gore experience. It’s morbid as, but you’ll find so much joy just watching the way animations merge with gameplay, and zombies fall apart, as you go to town. It’s all done with an over-the-top self-awareness that somehow makes it ok.
A Bloody Sandbox
Dead Island 2 has some of the most bloody, brutal and enjoyable combat we’ve come across in a long time. If you’re in any way squeamish, expect to have your gut churning the Doritos up the back of your throat in no time. From punching your fist through a rotting skull and then ripping the brain back through its teeth, to pulling both limbs off an undead fiend, there really is no boundaries.
But Dead Island 2 offers more than just pre-rendered gore. Instead, you’re faced with a combat sandbox. In the vein of open-world classics like Hitman, BioShock, GTA or Deux Ex, you find yourself in a world where the AI is smart enough to react dynamically to your movements and actions. You’re then gifted an arsenal of weapons and items MacGyver would be proud of in order to manipulate the environment.
There is no one-way to proceed as a result. Instead, you are encouraged to think on the fly, relying on the character tropes of the different kinds of dead you come across as being consistent. It’s almost like puzzle-solving combat in this regard. What is in your vicinity, how can you use it to your advantage, and what items do you have on hand to help? Devise your plan and execute.
You’re forever looting, throwing, breaking and creating weapons on this journey, too. And yes, even repairing as weapons degrade.
But the further you go into the game, the more diversity you’ll find in any given group of undead. And the more you’ll face at any one time, often by surprise. Fights are fast and tense, often leaving you breathless in the end. But rewarded and empowered in the best possible way. It’s great fun.
A Must Play
Usually when we see games delayed multiple times and hot-swapped between various developers, they turn out to be turds. Not in this case. With Dead Island 2, the wait has been well worth it. This is a game that does such a great job at nailing the fun in its gameplay, you’ll be immediately won over. And then it provides layers of depth in its weapon customisation and levelling, that’ll keep you immersed deep into the story.
If you don’t get into it, you might as well be dead.
By CHRIS STEAD
For the full article grab the May 2023 issue of MAXIM Australia from newsagents and convenience locations. Subscribe here.
