Dead Island 2

Dead Island 2 It ended a long run of almost a decade with all its development hell. Given the circumstances, it’s almost a miracle that we’re here today reviewing this zombie game, the heir to an installment that in 2011 showed that not everything had to be dramatic and that there was room for all that ridiculousness and fun of the B-movies of the genre. What the hell do we have on our hands? We only know that the decline of Western civilization began in Hollywood: Welcome to Hell-A!

Video: Dead Island 2 went through development hell

you’re not dreaming Dead Island 2 is here

At some point it was thought that Dead Island it was a dead franchise because the development of the sequel got into trouble, time passed, new exponents emerged and well… the industry, the trends and the generations of players changed since 2011 and 2013, years when 2 installments were released. Dead Island 2 is a dead man brought to life by Dambuster Studios that has changes from the original version probably so that the project would remain current.

This time we are not on an island, but in Los Angeles, in Hell-A, to be exact, a place devastated by a zombie apocalypse where there are a few survivors. On the one hand, there are the Slayers, the Zombie Killers, 6 characters to choose from with different abilities, strengths, and weaknesses that you should take into consideration depending on your style of play. On the other, a series of NPCs that maintain the thread of the story and their missions (main and secondary) that provide clichés, stereotypes, some black humor and, sometimes, relevant information.

This zombie version of Los Angeles, California is not open world and you will experience it in sections. Let’s say each part like Beverly Hills, Bel Air, Santa Monica, has a core which is where the main quest takes place, but you can get there by different routes where you will find various enemies to grind, level up and loot and You will find the protagonists of the side missions that request any type of madness, including a rockstar on drugs and a legendary movie star living his old age in the style of Hugh Heffner. The decision is wise, because an open world would have been disastrous if we take into account that it is a zombie game focused purely on combat. In this way, the progress by sections makes it attractive, even more so because of the rewards that are on the way.

“An open world would have been disastrous for this proposal. Taking into account that it is a zombie game focused purely on combat, advancing by sections makes it attractive, even more so for the rewards that are on the way”

Starting from its creative origin as a B-series product, the story of Dead Island 2 it’s just a common thread to justify the zombie massacre. Don’t expect a deep and involving narrative; some characters are forgettable, some memorable (Sam B returns and confirms that, if real, he would have been signed as a rapper to Death Row Records as Showoff), and there are no surprising twists, so don’t expect the chain of dramatic events that will change your life. life.

A zombie-themed action RPG

Dead Island 2 It’s all design and mechanics, so let’s see if so many years were worth it. Initially, this is an action RPG (at least that’s how Dambuster and Deep Silver define it); It’s not a hack and slash or a parkour fighting game, so if you think of playing it that way, you’re fried.

What we have is a basic combat system where expertise in knowing when and where to attack and defend is the key. This originates and justifies the combat system in combination with what the study defines as the “flesh engine”, which generates a result in the body of the zombies depending on the type and strength of the attack. Each impact causes changes in the enemies: deforms them, rips off body parts and exposes their organs so you have all the gore you want. At the same time, the bodies of the zombies are exposed to the environment: if you burn them you will see the process that will leave them on the verge of calcination waiting for a blow that will send them to eternal sleep; if you throw a chemical on them they will melt; if you electrocute them you will see parts of their body explode and so on. From this perspective, the proposal is well achieved and it is gratifying to experiment with the control and see the results.

As we mentioned, Dead Island 2 asks you to decide between 6 Zombie Slayers, each with offensive, defensive and special characteristics that adapt to different play styles establishing a base on which you can level up.

“We have a system of cards that enhance attacks, defense and special abilities. In this case, the interesting thing is to collect as many and combine them in each section in order to have a solid and functional deck”

The progression covers 2 spectrums. One levels up with combat experience within a well-balanced system tied to mission progression; Enemies get stronger as you progress, so an imbalance in your character’s level is dangerous. However, the game doesn’t let the gap be very big and in case you decide to follow the main quests, you will be 1-2 levels below the zombies, which means more damage and less chance of success.

On the second spectrum is a card system that boosts attacks, defense, and special abilities. In this case, the interesting thing is to collect many (most are obtained by leveling up and others are in secondary missions) and combine them in each section to have a solid and functional deck.

For example, in defense you can choose a card that allows you to regenerate health by dodging properly; on offense, one that allows you to launch a flying kick to get rid of large concentrations of enemies. Changes to your deck impact in real time, and sometimes if you feel like you can’t handle hordes or a boss, it may be the card combinations that are key.

Dead Island 2 it’s focused on combat and the idea is that Dambuster provides the tools and scenarios for you to take out zombies however you want. Taking basic elements of a survival game, there are all sorts of weapons: some that meet the definition of the word, but you can improvise with mallets, tools and blacksmithing, though you can also use your hands and upgrade them with blades and even harness your immune quality to enter Fury Mode and kill everyone around you for a limited time. Looting and exploring each corner will give you pieces that you can use on work tables to improve your weapons or create items; Can you make your mallet have electricity or spikes to create deep wounds on a zombie to deplete its life? little by little.

Because the essential proposition of Dead Island 2 It is the combat, especially the melee, the game shines in this section, but it also stumbles. While taking down zombies in different ways (directly with close combat, ranged combat or using the environment) is fun at first, as the missions progress it becomes repetitive and this has to do with the large number of enemies in Hell- A and the impossibility of having moments with enough time to explore the corners. The combat system Dead Island 2 it’s basic, especially if you compare it to other video games, and once you get the hang of it (especially when you have access to firearms) you’ll find a favorable pattern and repeat it over and over again just to move on and see what’s next .

The variety of zombies from Dead Island 2 It goes from the basic undead that are distinguished by their slowness and clumsiness, going through those that are violent, fast, skillful runners and with a certain intelligence, the muscular ones or creatures that mutated from it to those that have added elements such as electricity, fire and even some with abilities like swarm control and able to scream to attract more zombies. In this case, the combat becomes interesting for the first few hours, but soon you start to use logic to deal with them and figure out what weapon or items they are susceptible to and which part you should damage. Does a runner bother you? Blow off his legs. The guy from the gym won’t leave you alone with his lethal blows? Rip off his arms. Like we said: midway through you’ll be fighting over and over without a break, sometimes out of grind, sometimes out of compulsion, and sometimes because Dambuster thought it was a great idea to clutter up the stages.

An example of the above is the way in which the studio sabotages its own work in boss fights that were painted to be very exciting (and in part because of the level design and the invitation to take advantage of the environment), but they fall apart when out of nowhere and without justification hordes of zombies come out. Unfortunately, Dambuster felt that the right way to make an (already powerful) boss encounter difficult was to get zombies out of nowhere, so the balance is lousy in these battles that should be difficult and end up being simply unfair. On average, you can find 3 rounds of hordes with each boss more difficult than the last, resulting in a frustrating experience, even more so as focus is lost on dueling against a powerful enemy.

“It’s unfortunate that Dambuster thought the proper way to make an (already powerful) boss encounter difficult was to spawn zombies from anywhere”

In audiovisual matters, Dead Island 2 He comes out well off: Hell-A looks good, as well as its constructions and the disaster that accounts for what happened. The game runs well, there are no frame drops or any visual elements that hinder the action or cost you your life. There are bugs, especially in closed spaces with zombies whose body parts go through walls. Perhaps the most conspicuous and consequential bug I encountered were objects on the floor that hindered my mobility, even though they shouldn’t (like plants) and sometimes I got trapped in tight spaces at the mercy of zombies. In terms of audio there is no complaint: the soundtrack is very good and there are songs that motivate you to fight against the hordes and look like a pretentious Hollywood fake.

Dead Island 2 not bad, just stuck in 2014

Dead Island 2 It’s not a bad game, nor is it the Holy Grail of zombie-themed action games. It is a fun game that unfortunately lacks creativity and has limitations that were surely due to the need to get the project out of the hell it was in. My recommendation is to go with low expectations, thinking about having a good time with brutal combat and gore, and consume it little by little to avoid the combat feeling repetitive, since it lasts for more than 20 hours throughout more than 20 main missions. and more than 30 high schools. In the end, Dead Island 2 he managed to rise from the dead, but when he looked around he realized that it was no longer 2011, 2013 or 2014.