Dead Island has been pretty quiet the past few years ever since the iconic reveal trailer at E3 2014. Ever since that jogger took to the streets of California to enjoy his morning run, we've been wondering what happened to the game. But almost 10 years later, we've finally seen progress in the development of Dead Island 2, and it's slated to hit our consoles on April 21st 2023! In preparation for the game's release, we're delving into what you can expect this spring!
The Characters
Set in San Francisco and Los Angeles (now appropriately nicknamed HELL-A) you will join six slayers as they hack, slash and punch their way through the undead! You'll have six playable characters each with their own unique abilities, personalities and even backstories. Let's have a quick rundown of who you'll meet in Dead Island 2:
Jacob:
An antihero with rockstar flair. His offbeat charm is paired with a reckless disregard for self preservation. When his beloved mam passed away, this successful London stockbroker left everything behind to follow his dream of being a Hollywood stuntman. Now his quips and Shakespearean quotes fall on undead ears as he revels in being a slayer in HELL-A. Lovely! Jacob's innate skills include Feral, a stackable minor DAMAGE boost when attacking in quick succession and Critical Gains, a moderate CRITICAL DAMAGE boost while his stamina is low. Critical hits regain his STAMINA.
Ryan:
There’s much more to this exotic dancer than rippling pecs. Ryan has a stubborn streak a mile wide, pessimistic sarcasm as dry as the Sahara, and an indomitable heart. He’s on a mission to get back to his little brother, left behind in Fresno before the outbreak, and nothing – alive or dead – is going to stop him getting home. Ryan's innate skills include Retaliation, providing Ryan with a moderate FORCE boost when using BLOCK or DODGE to avoid an attack and Seesaw, allowing for a HEALTH regain each time he knocks down a zombie.
Carla:
Carla is a motorcycle stunt rider unfazed by rings of fire, jumps over ravines, and mid-air flips, so the zompocalypse has barely made her break a sweat. Armed with street smarts, an outgoing disposition, and boundless physical confidence, she's embraced the challenges of slaying her way through HELL-A with enthusiasm. Carla's innate skills include Dig Deep, a moderate TOUGHNESS boost while her health is critical and Mosh Pit, a minor DAMAGE boost when close to multiple zombies.
Bruno:
Bruno is a calculating hustler who always has a plan, both for pulling off heists on big-time scammers and spammers before the zompocalypse and for taking down the undead now. Born and raised on the streets of LA, he’s always hidden his lethal knife skills behind his disarming Californian charm. Those skills ensure that his targets won’t talk about Bruno – no, no. Bruno's innate skills include Backstab, a moderate DAMAGE boost when attacking zombies from behind and Rapid Reprisal, which boost AGILITY and HEAVY ATTACK CHARGES when he avoids attacks with a BLOCK or DODGE.
Dani:
Hailing from the mosh pits of County Cork in Ireland, Dani is a headstrong rockabilly brawler with a foul mouth and a twisted sense of humor. She plows through zombies the way she plowed through opposing roller derby teams, pre-zompocalypse: with a grin and a yelled promise to feck you up! Dani's innate skills include Bloodlust, in which she regains HEALTH when slaying multiple zombies in quick succession and Thunderstruck, where her HEAVY ATTACKS trigger a FORCEFUL explosion on impact.
Amy:
Amy is a quick-witted Paralympian who has found something even better than her runner’s high: zombie-slaying! The risks keep her wired, the success keeps her pumped, and every battle is almost a puzzle to solve on the fly – like an obstacle course to keep her mind sharp. Laid-back, focused, and calm, very little can dent her California chill. Amy's innate skills include Relief Pitcher, a STAMINA regain when hitting a zombie with a weapon throw and Divide & Conquer, a minor DAMAGE boost when she attacks isolated zombies.
The Gameplay
Now that we're well acquainted with the characters you'll be playing, you can expect to see some intense fights with the infected variants dotted along the California coast. From Screamers and Crushers to Grenade Walkers and so much more! The whole city is bursting with the undead of all shapes and sizes, each one bringing their own tricks and every last one of them looking to take a bite out of you! Not much is known of the story that Dead Island 2 will take you down, but we do know that this game will be more linear than it's predecessors.
To compensate for the lack of open world, Dead Island 2 is giving us plenty of combat options to keep gameplay alive (get it?) and even includes a pretty horrific F.L.E.S.H. system. Yep, you heard that right - F.L.E.S.H. This stands for Fully Locational Evisceration System for Humanoids. Design Director Adam Duckett has stated that the gore has been ramped up in the latest installment, enough to make your skin crawl but not put you off playing the game to it's conclusion! The team over at Dambuster wanted to create a realistic approach to how zombies can be taken down, much like in the films we see, whilst also linking into the gameplay. This means that if you take off the arm of your enemy, they won't be able to perform their signature moves such as an overhead smash. The F.L.E.S.H. system is a truly innovative way to take on the zombie hoards!
Another feature of Dead Island 2 is the skill card system. This allows players to truly tailor their playstyle via the character skill "trees" that are available! These are not the traditional skill trees as we know it, but are decks that you can swap cards in and out from on the fly if you're feeling like spicing up the gameplay or taking a different route. You don't have to dedicate yourself to a set path like the AAA games we see nowadays - there are no commitments here! This means if a boss you're against turns out to be immune to a specific attack that you've specialised in you won't be left dead in the water and find yourself struggling to defeat them. You can literally change skill midair and land with a completely different loadout! That's pretty amazing!
Not only that, but there's a whole arsenal of weaponry available to you. From swords, knives and bear claws - all of which are a fraction of what you will find in HELL-A - you will be packing some serious heat. Weapons are upgradable with perks and modifications, and if you prefer to pick the undead off from afar you'll also find plenty of guns at your disposal.
Overall, Dead Island 2 looks promising in it's dead-icated delivery of thrilling and hellish gameplay. With a unique lineup of characters and enemies, an arsenal of weapons and a gore-filled adventure we are beyond ready to get our boots on the ground in HELL-A!
If you're interested in pre-ordering Dead Island 2, be sure to check out our related products below! If not, be sure to check out our full offering in our Gaming section!
Comments