Dead Island 2 was released about 2 weeks ago on April 21st, 2023 with many anticipating it’s release. Especially after all the enjoyment and popularity the original one has received. The two are comparable in certain areas, but it’s important to note that the developers are not the originals from the first iteration in 2011. Dead Island 2 has had a rough time with developers as the originals known as Techland moved to serve another game called Dying Light and Dying Light 2.
Development for Dead Island 2 began in 2012 when the publishing company Deep Silver hired Yager Development to work on the game. However, they were removed from the project in 2015 and Sumo Digital was hired. Again Sumo Digital was removed from the development with Deep Silver hiring their own internal company in 2019. Dambuster were the final developers of the game publishing it this year in 2023. The game was in a developmental hell lasting for about 11 years causing much of the hype and traction of the original series to die down.
Storyline
The story in Dead Island 2 is set in the city of Los Angeles starting with a choice between six slayers Jacob, Amy, Ryan, Dani, Carla, and Bruno. You get to choose your slayer with each having different perks starting off in the game. After beginning your game it follows a disaster where one of the planes which your character is on has a zombie infection causing the military to shoot it down. As you awaken you’re in a plane crash setting, trying to find the survivors of the incident.
It’s intro was well-designed and gives you a perfect introduction to Hell-A and the starting characters you encounter are extremely hilarious. It’s recommended to not skip the cutscenes as they offer a glimpse of the personalities that mirror the population in Los Angeles. Ranging characters include the rich, greedy, pot smokers, drunks, ego-driven individuals, bodybuilders, idiots, scientists, military personnel, and much more.
You get to start off in Bel Air with Emma Jaunt a well-known actress in the game. Attempting to save some of the survivors of the plane crash you are bitten by a zombie causing worry as you might turn into one yourself. However, the game starts off showing your original slayer is immune to the zombie death-bite giving you momentum to explore the post-apocalyptic world of Hell-A. Without too many spoilers you go on a journey exploring the world trying to uncover the pieces of what exactly happened and how you can potentially save the surviving population.
Gameplay
The gameplay in Dead Island 2 is top-tier with different weapons, weapon types, crafting additions, environmental hazards, types of zombies, apex predators (special zombies), and survivors. The quests and missions in the game allow you to follow a semi-linear path with many hidden secrets, lockboxes, and puzzles in the world. Overall the environments are well-made causing a lot of enjoyment in exploring with some areas still dangerous due to potential future side quests which will be unlocked as your story progresses.
The flesh system in Dead Island 2 allows for many different weapon types such as claws, machetes, polearms, axes, mallets, swords, and guns which have different affects on the zombies. For example, if you slash a zombie numerous times on the arm with a machete, you can notice physical damage on the zombie body. If you slash them enough in one spot you can maim and damage the zombie causing them to become weaker due to their damaged limbs. Other weapon types such as the mallets are much better at dealing with large hordes giving you enough power and force.
Much of the development into the game focused on the interesting ways you can use weapons to defend yourself in Dead Island 2. Crafting is essential as you can add bonuses and modifiers to your weapons giving them the much needed boost to take down your enemies. Collecting items is also extremely important as the world is filled with collectables giving you an additional reason to explore your world. Lastly, the skill cards are given to the players giving them boosts on curveballs, shouts, kicks, and any other method you choose to engage in.
Maps
The map in Dead Island 2 is easy to analyze as there are many different locations of interest. Side quests, the main mission, apex zombies, and lockboxes are shown which gives you the ability to set up waypoints to get to your goal. Locations in the game are not too large in scale allowing players to fully explore the places they want to get to. On top of that there are certain lost and found quests which give you the ability to conduct smaller side quests to achieve loot, weapons, and crafting blueprints.
Maps in Dead Island 2 are magnificent with the only complaint being the sewer area. Even in the original game sewers was uncomfortable to explore. However, this is only one part of the game with many other areas being much more exciting and fun to traverse. The different areas in the game include Bel Air, Halperin Hotel, Beverly Hills, Monarch Studios, Santa Monica, The Metro, Ocean Avenue, Venice Beach, Brentwood Sewers, and Hollywood Boulevard. The variety is magnificent and even though the Brentwood sewers are uncomfortable to be in, it is a small part of the game.
Generally speaking the map designs are absolutely ravishing with the original main storyline giving you the taste of both daytime and nighttime areas. However, once you complete the original storyline when traversing the map to go to side quests it allows you the option to pick between the two. Daytime always seems more exciting as you are more able to see the zombies and the environment you are in, but nighttime gives you that dangerous feel in Dead Island 2.
Is Dead Island 2 Worth Buying?
The verdict is that Dead Island 2 is 100% worth buying as it allows 20 hours of gameplay, but in reality offers so much more. As there are numerous areas to reexplore the game gives you a feeling of progression through the main storyline, and also allows you the enjoyment of going back to old locations. Many missions are generally fun to do with a perfect example of being at the Blue Crab. One of the missions includes finding a bodybuilders friends as he feels paranoid that they might come after him to kill him.
Dead Island 2 gives many reasons to continue playing with numerous challenges, lost and found quests, and continued side quests which you weren’t originally allowed to complete. The world is alive and constantly changing which gives reason to go back and try to find the keys for the lockboxes that you may have had to leave behind at some point. Different characters in the game are quite interesting making you want to revisit the safe areas to see how exactly everything is panning out after you first met them.
The original Dead Island 2 storyline is enticing to complete making the gamer want to see where exactly the story is leading to. Although the storyline isn’t too complex it creates the perfect environment for you to enjoy in your hack and slash adventure. Many characters in the game have side stories which are fun to complete to see where they end up in the post apocalyptic world. The crafting is a bit edgy as throughout the game you’ll pick and choose the same crafting recipes for your items. The same goes for the skill cards which at first are fun to use, but end up being a set your mainly going to use for the rest of the game.
Dead Island 2 differs from the original in many ways as there isn’t a skill tree, the world feels more linear, and driving was completely removed. The other main key difference is that the total coop potential is limited to three people rather than four in the original. Some players may be upset at the new changes, but always remember that it’s a new game. Staying the same as the original gives no room for the developers to advance, change, or reinterpret their original ideas. Overall Dead Island 2 is a must buy as it offers plenty of gaming time whether you ride solo or with your friends.
The Good
Different weapon types in Dead Island 2 allow for unique experiences for every player and the entertainment is literally limitless. The main quest gave a perfect viewpoint of Hell-A and how everything came to be. Side quests allow for variation and fun story types such as the influencer who wants you to kill zombies in specific ways. Other than those main things the exploration is extremely interesting as each map offers a good time by simply running around and figuring things out.
People who love to collect an amass a fortune will also have a great time in Dead Island 2 as collecting is a huge aspect of the gameplay. Whether it be keys, weapons, blueprints, parts, ammo, and any other type of loot the game offers. As you run through the ruins of what used to be Los Angeles you can find something everywhere. Apart from loot collecting side quests and lost and found quests allow for extra exploration throughout the world even after you’ve finished the main storyline quests.
Dead Island 2 has been a highly anticipated release for gamers worldwide and it does not disappoint in many different areas. Regardless of the multiple studio shifts it still runs relatively well as it’s built on the Unreal engine. Quests are mainly not buggy and combat feels magnificent even when you’ve played the game for 20 hours. Each combat feels slightly different with new additions to the apex zombies such as a fiery crusher. The combats great and the experience with your friends is priceless as you can encounter many humorous situations such as having your friend throw a electrifying batter next to you.
The Bad
The main negatives in Dead Island 2 can be pointed out with some time of playing the game. As you traverse through the different maps, zones, and areas you can start to see certain aspects of the game that might need some work. Regardless the game runs well and can easily be enjoyed by millions. However, the aspects mentioned in this part of the article are definite downsides of the game which can be changed. Here a few negatives in the game:
- Inventory: The main downside of the inventory aspect in Dead Island 2 is that loot starts to add up as you’re playing the game. Maxing out on many different loot items simply causes disappointment as you’re not able to continue collecting loot which many people will see a huge downside in. As you traverse Hell-A you begin amassing a fortune of money and parts. The bad part of this is that sellers and the extra inventory box are usually pretty far away from the locations you explore. Maybe after finishing the game the creators should allow for players to carry extra weapons other than the 16 which is allowed. Additionally after finishing the main storyline it would be great to carry more than 99 of loot items such as scrap, wires, and many of the others.
- Optimization: The game runs fairly well throughout the gameplay in Los Angeles, but the major downside can be seen after having a few hours into the game. Lighting has been a massive issue as when it’s dark outside zombies and the environment are barely visible. It definitely adds to the horror aspect for Dead Island 2, but the downsides are massive. Entering into buildings causes a massive lighting change which is hard for players to really switch into, and once you leave the buildings the lighting also causes massive issues as its piercing. Other than the lighting the PC port seems lackluster as you aren’t able to drag items around with the mouse in the inventory screen. Buying and selling is also difficult when you want to buy or sell bulk items from your inventory.
- Bugs: Dead Island 2 generally runs find throughout gameplay with minor drawbacks time to time. On the PC port you can expect to have a few crashes throughout your experience with the game sometimes running really poorly with framerate issues. Other bugs can be seen when you’re in COOP mode with your friend’s characters running sideways throughout gameplay. In rare encounters during a COOP crash you can also expect the potential of maybe losing out on a legendary weapon from a lost and found quest.
- Crafting: Many options are given in Dead Island 2’s crafting menu for a multitude of different weapon types. However, it seems the crafting gets somewhat funky as many options are not very good compared to others. You can find yourself to sticking to 3-4 good crafting options out of the many that are introduced in the game.
- Skill Cards: These skill cards in Dead Island 2 are thought of as a replacement to the original skill tree in the first Dead Island game. As many are quite interesting and can boost your character’s abilities it seems many are going to be unused throughout the gameplay. Generally speaking just like in the crafting area you may stick with the same skill cards rather than moving them around and trying out different things.
The Verdict
As Dead Island 2 has been in developmental hell throughout the past 11 years from the originals release this game was not bad. It’s a perfect hack and slash zombie game which allows for many different customizable options. The gameplay definitely feels smooth and the new flesh system adds a lot to the game. Minor issues will be seen in the game and some people have difficulties going long periods of playing the game as it’s somewhat taxing.
Regardless of the few issues here and there the overall game is a wonderful addition to the series. Don’t forget that it’s fairly new and many bugs throughout it’s existence can and will be ironed out by the developers, Dambuster and Deep Silver. The game offers many hours of enjoyable gameplay and good times with your friends, families, and loved ones. Additionally who knows how many patches, changes, and expansion packs the game can offer.
As you sink in hours of gameplay you can easily decide for yourself how great the game truly is. Overall the game has received a 92% by Google Users who genuinely enjoyed the game. Metacritic reviews differ slightly among PC players, Xbox players, and PS5 players. PC players gave it an overall score of 75 with user scores ranging at 6.7 / 10. Xbox players gave it an overall score of 76 with user scores ranging at 8.1 / 10. PS5 players gave it an overall score of 73 with user scores ranging at 7.6 / 10. As you can see the user scores for the PC players is a little lower due to some of the difficulties they may face with the optimization.
Overall great game, great buy, and you’ll definitely enjoy slaying zombies in Hell-A.