The long-awaited zombie game from Dambuster, Dead Island 2, is soon to be released. With a thorough gore system, a focus on customization, and an entirely new plot, the game aims to resuscitate the Dead Island franchise, which has been around for ten years. Based on what we’ve played so far, Dead Island 2 has a lot to offer in terms of gameplay, especially in its gorgeously realised “Hell-A” world and blend of laughter and shocks. You can now view the first 11 minutes of DI2, which showcase the initial areas of Dambuster’s zombie-infested city and some of that meticulously constructed zombie destruction system you’ve been hearing about.
In our Dead Island 2 preview, we were particularly impressed with ‘FLESH,’ Dambuster’s intricate, custom-made system that allows you to pick apart zombies piece by piece, and even dissolve them using buckets of acid. But gore can only get you so far – in the wake of Dying Light 2, which left some of us zombie sandbox game fans feeling a little cold, Dead Island 2 has the opportunity to swoop (or rather, shamble) in and save the genre, but it needs solid combat and some witty writing.
Pulling yourself out from a crashed jetliner, Dead Island 2 begins on a late, summery evening in Hell-A, as you attempt to rescue some fellow survivors from the descending zombie horde. You can check out the full opening sequence, complete with bloodshed, sledgehammers, and a couple of decent jump scares, courtesy of IGN, below:
Is this one of the Dead Island 2 slayers? It’s hard to tell. Potentially, this is just a cold opening that sets the mood and the tone of the game proper, or perhaps this brief and bloody vignette feeds into DI2 proper. It looks solid, though. Hell-A is vibrant and alive, there’s some entertaining back-and-forth between the cast, and, as you’d expect, some very squelchy blood-and-guts moments. Could this be the Dead Island game we’ve been waiting for? Let’s hope.
As we wait for DI2 to arrive, check out some of the other best co-op games available now. You can also get ahead of 2023 with all the best upcoming games, or maybe try some other great horror games on PC.