Dead Island 2: Zombie Shooter Rises Again

Dead Island 2 was long gone. Years after the last sign of life, the survival shooter returns with violence: there are allusions to press representatives, information, and a release date that should absolutely be set in stone. Actually, Dead Island 2 seemed to be one of those projects that were quietly buried.

The original developer Yager was pulled out of development in 2015, publisher Deep Silver last assured work in 2017, and the developer was switched for a third time in 2019. Then it was quiet. The new announcement, therefore, combines Deep Silver with something tangible: many reference reports based on a beta version of the title, which publisher Dambuster Studios have been developing from the ground up since 2018.

The result is a game that gives a tour of the sights of Los Angeles. The goal: escape from the city overrun by zombies who have turned the once paradisiacal paradise into an infernal environment. A core component of Dead Island is the disintegration of the undead, the developers explain, either in close combat or at a distance, which this time works procedurally and was developed with a lot of effort. How they progress can be determined using skill cards. Stylistically, the title should be based on 1980s pulp horror movies.

Impressions are positive

How good the final product will be will become clear on February 3, 2023, when Dead Island 2 will be available for PC and the last and current generation of Xbox and PlayStation consoles. The release date writes Eurogamer after a developer visit, is considered immutable, and gives more impressions polygon. The preview mentions that players will play one of six characters and choose to roam the world cooperatively, but not freely.

In fact, Dead Island 2 sends its protagonists through different districts one by one. The game itself feels like something that could have been released in 2015, Polygon says, but that’s not necessarily a negative. The no-nonsense, simple approach is also refreshing.

They also express themselves positively in principle Gamers worldwide where the “B-movie flair of the orgy of violence” added to the entertainment, and GameStar. However, in both articles, it is also made clear that a sequence of around 20 minutes was entertaining, but it is not yet sufficient to draw conclusions about the long-term entertainment value. Nevertheless, the signs for a happy ending to the Dead Island 2 story are currently good.