Dark humor and lots of zombies in one of the funniest video games of Dead Island 2: 2023

A well-crafted story with acid humor

Developed by Dambuster Studios, the story of ‘Dead Island 2’ begins with a plane crash in the city of Los Angeles, renamed “Hell-A”, a name derived from an infection by a virus that turns its inhabitants into zombies. Before the plane crashes, we will be able to choose one of the six survivors to play in our adventure. Each of the main characters has their own characteristics and attributes, as well as special abilities, i.e. one character is faster, the other is stronger, etc. Once the choice is made, the player must embark on an epic journey (as if it were possible in this universe) with the mundane motivation of survival and the dream of a cure that allows them to escape this nightmare and reach their “happy ending”.

His argument is based on a light, dark humor-centered narrative with characters representing caricatures of an ideal world intent on engulfing itself. One of the biggest assets of ‘Dead Island 2’ is its extraordinary setting, almost as heavenly as in the first title. However, instead of placing the player on an island, this time we can fully engage in exploration of the familiar city, including classic locations that are recognizably rendered but deflected from common reality, to give a different experience applicable to its beaches, neighborhoods and beaches. even the sewer. For those new to the series, the best thing about it is that you don’t need to know anything about the first title to understand the sequel’s story, despite some far-fetched words.

Dead Island 2.

Between mission and mission, exploration

While ‘Dead Island 2’ has a very interesting storyline, it’s worth noting that the main quests do not represent the total experience. This is because the title contains a large number and variety of secondary objectives that unfold in parallel with the main plot. In addition to exploration and puzzles, how could it be otherwise, some missions involve clearing piles of zombies, but we can say that this second installment favors medium crowds over giant swarms. Here the greatest degree of difficulty lies in eliminating some special zombies. But don’t think it will be any easier.

Compared to other first-person action games, Dambuster Studios’ gameplay is a bit more solid in terms of gameplay, and in large part this is due to using more melee weapons than a fire arsenal due to the less ammo. However, killing a zombie, or even one, is not always a formality here. We have many weapons to make the task easy, which is another one of the production’s strong points thanks to an excellent job building on the original feature to create the weirdest deadly combinations possible during our special apocalypse. With the freedom to customize basically any type of item available in the game, the possibilities in battle are vast. Striking tools can be crafted from almost any tool, adding acid damage, electrical damage, as well as powerful homemade fire variants.

Dead Island 2.

Delicious combat system

In turn, to obtain new tools and improvements, the player must search for blueprints scattered across scenarios. They can even be bought sometimes, but every nook and cranny is always worth exploring. Regarding the number of weapons the player can carry, you will always need to account for diversity in combat, as certain zombies tend to be immune to certain elements. Since we’re talking about elements, one thing you shouldn’t leave out in ‘Dead Island 2’ is interacting with the settings. You won’t have to kill zombies simply by pulling them into acid-filled ponds or well-watered electrically-watered damp places to remove any remaining spark, for example, with weapons that degrade as you use them.

In addition to the arsenal, the player has defense possibilities and not only that, they can also access special abilities that act through cards that we receive when we complete a challenge, mission or pass a level. And here is the real goldmine of his proposal, the card system that makes an unusual use of skill points and active and passive skill schemes. On an operational level, choosing the type of skill card that most closely matches your playstyle and “combining” it with other cards with different effects is as fun as it is functional.

It’s also true that the combat system works better as the player gets used to the schematics and gets past the initial stage of just hitting and continuing. The possibility to customize your character through skill cards and shape it according to the situation or as the player prefers during the game is very practical and allows you to more fluently understand what is required when facing certain challenges in the adventure.

Dead Island 2.

every death is unique

Melee or fire weapons that can be upgraded, modified, thrown, and have combat abilities above a pre-built style. But there are other mechanics that increase the overall effect and leave a lot of positive emotions, for example the “Flesh” system, which is the algorithm that randomly creates zombies and tries to destroy them in the same way.

Forget ordinary undead, here each zombie is created uniquely within its own class and is destroyed according to the same principles. For example, the traditional drifters have other variants such as walkers and runners, the grenade, and the Apex (hypermutated zombies), all with unique abilities and behaviors. Along the same lines, depending on the type of weapon and the mods applied, the zombie can become charred, lose limbs by cutting or slamming, melt or fry its flesh, and more, but the most interesting thing is that all these effects are instantly visible. during the war.. The same patterns are repeated in the clothes that deteriorate depending on the type of blow and the location.

In games of this type, we can’t forget that it’s always better to explore and fight in cooperative mode, as the format often cries out for group activities that provide unique and memorable situations. ‘Dead Island 2’ lets you do this with up to 3 people in the same session without too many requirements or technical issues.

Dead Island 2.

Solution

‘Dead Island 2′ puts style and fun above all else in a more vibrant and expanding world. As a first-person action/RPG game, while it retains some similarities to the original, Dambuster Studios’ work is a definite claim as it improves gameplay in the series, works seamlessly with the already established universe, and provides a very capable experience. Entertain anyone playing alone or in co-op mode. When it comes to combat, it offers the most intense and visceral first-person experience possible, with a multitude of weapons and brutally tactical options to dodge through herds.

It’s all based on a very funny story, well-crafted scenarios that are well above average to be honest, and a combat system that will force players to try countless weapon combinations despite being really different. Now yes, we can already say that it was worth the wait for one of the funniest video games of 2023.

Dead Island 2 – Trailer