It wasn’t until about two hours into my seven-hour session with Dead Island 2 that I realized the game’s linear nature wasn’t just part of the tutorial, and that Dambuster Studios’ game wasn’t going to swing its proverbial doors open and reveal the sandbox I was looking for. Over the past 15 years, action RPGs, particularly zombie-centric ones, have so frequently used an open-world setting that it was surprising to see that Dead Island 2 isn’t the latest in a long line of them. That required some mental remapping of what this game will be, and while the smaller scope is disappointing, it is not without benefits.
During my hands-on time with the game, I went to several locations, including the disgustingly wealthy Bel-Air, a dilapidated but likely once five-star hotel, and a once proud movie studio. The way these areas snaked around, surrounded by unclimbable walls, felt very restrictive at times, more akin to a game as tightly set as BioShock than even the original Dead Island’s large hubs. While this is a much more linear game than its predecessors, each area has many optional nooks. I came across numerous locked rooms, safes, and loot caches that would necessitate further investigation or even backtracking, some of which were not possible in my limited demo.
These side attractions, whether puzzles or simply inaccessible, gave me the impression that, while the world was narrower, it was also deeper at times.
About an hour into the game, I found myself in a luxurious home/studio belonging to a media group of online influencers—rich Gen Z kids with podcasts, basically. I had to go through this as part of the main campaign, but all I had to do was find the key and move on. Instead, I explored the environment and discovered a lot of environmental storytelling that felt deeper than anything in the original game, and perhaps deeper than this game could’ve had if the sandbox hadn’t been removed.
The glass-paneled McMansion, complete with a spiral staircase, bowling alley, and basement bar, led out to an extravagant poolside deck and home gym. The large parking lot was littered with sports vehicles, and a recording room informed me about the streamers who used to seek subs and contributions there. It would’ve been a luxurious home if it hadn’t been for the fact that its previous residents were now shambling in and around the pool, occasionally stopping to consume the flesh of victims long ago abandoned to bake in the California heat.
My favorite feature, though, was a whiteboard with a prepared apology that a local influencer was entrusted with giving to their admirers in the immediate aftermath of the zombie outbreak. The apologetic letter emphasized that the influencer was downplaying the epidemic to their fans—”truthing” it, as we see so frequently in the real world when irresponsible individuals with microphones encourage others to believe terrible ideas. The apologetic script even contained cues for when to weep and instructed the influencer to be sincere. The image of a society of spoilt brats who formerly lived in excess now torn apart by the undead was as scathing of current culture as Grand Theft Auto has been for decades, and it infused the world with character.
The first Dead Island had a far larger environment, but Dead Island 2 seems richer, with more storylines tucked away in its confined realm. Another highlight was a boss battle with a hulking undead bride left roaming a reception on the day of the outbreak, which did two things effectively: introduced one of the game’s mini-boss zombie classes, which would later appear frequently, and reminded me of the game’s unserious tone as I found myself “dancing” with the bride to the tune of Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell’s “Sad Wedding”—a banger in any context
Environmental storytelling is what could salvage the game from criticism surrounding its tiny environment, although it’s apparent Dambuster wants the primary point of the game to be its fighting nevertheless. Bashing zombie skulls and severing their legs isn’t a new technique in computer games, but Dead Island 2 accomplishes it better than most and adds layers—literally—to the process. Weapons come in a variety of forms, such as maiming, headhunting, and fury. These indicate how they will feel to use and what they will do to the undead.
Headhunting weapons deal brutal force, maiming weapons are slower but effective at keeping groups of zombies out of your personal space or removing their limbs, while frenzy weapons allow for quick cutting and sprinting. A skilled zombie killer will keep several of each in their weapon wheel and switch them around on a frequent basis for hordes of all sizes and shapes.
The creatures’ bodies will break down in exquisite detail when you strike them. Bludgeon them in the face, and their jaw may hang off like a loose door hinge, or their skin may peel away to show red flesh, bones, and finally brains beneath, similar to peeling back the world’s least appealing onion. You may even pull their arms off to avoid getting grabbed. With the game’s first-person perspective, each cut and whack leaves marks, making each zombie murder seem up close and gruesome.
While I anticipate the game to ultimately evolve into a power fantasy, I was relieved to discover that even taking on two or three zombies at a time proved difficult, requiring me to consider how to bob, weave, hack, and slash with each set of zombies in order to stay on my feet.
The game aspires to provide you with more than simply melee combat, but also a range of environmental kills. The game begs for your ingenuity, from igniting a gas leak with a handmade electric weapon you can construct at a workbench to pushing them into a pool full of military-grade hazardous sludge that causes their skin to melt off like ice cream in the sun.
Seeing a horde of zombies that aren’t aware of my presence and standing next to a number of red barrels doesn’t make me feel clever. It’s as if I’m pressing a large flashing action button in front of me. Some interactions, on the other hand, are less telegraphed and do a better job of providing me with the instruments for destruction without needless instructions. Mixing my customized weapons, throwables like bait and pipe bombs, and random items like gas canisters or potential electrical hazards keeps the battle interesting, and it’s all made better by being tougher than I thought.
Although co-op was not accessible in my sample, the game’s three-player mode implies that a whole squad may load out with half of the game’s cast. Each of the six characters has a distinct personality, voice lines, and beginning statistics. Because you can’t change one out for another in the same save file, I created room for another character to explore how they vary.
Characters have unique powers, and while many of the attainable ability cards are universal, some are specialized to certain characters, implying that character and team builds should be considered. One thing my characters, Amy and Dani, had in common was that they both suffered from the video game stereotype of a lonesome hero talking to themselves much too much, but I imagine in co-op those lines would be drowned out by real-life discussion anyhow.
Overall, my time with Dead Island 2 could be cleanly separated into three sections: the first, in which I anticipated the linear prologue to give way to the sandbox, the lengthier period once I understood it wasn’t coming, and the time in between, in which I had to actively reset my expectations.
An open-world environment does not necessarily improve a game, but I, like many others, expected to find one here. Hopefully, reading this allows you to recalibrate ahead of time, because I believe that if you approach it on its own terms, rather than those assumed by the makeup of the first game or implied by previous collaborators on its long road to release, there’s reason to believe that Dead Island 2 has escaped development hell.
