Spooky season is upon us, and like every year, Playstation welcomed us with titles intended for this season. For October monthly, we were greeted by the Dead Space remake (the review of which will be waiting for you in a couple of days) and Dead Island 2!
And while one is, as the name suggests, in space, the other is of course in… Los Angeles?
We will ignore that the authors in this sequel were not focused on the geographical restrictions of the title but on the development, because this game was in development hell for over 10 years and already more or less everyone expected that it would never see the light of day.
Srećom, bor su u krivu i dois waitingo nas is andsti concept as u prvom titleu i stand-alone nastavku Dead Island: Riptide - 6 slayera, tona zombieja i hrpa otkačenih likova koji nam zadaju side-questove kakve bi i očekivali od celebritya i influencera.
Spoiler alert: If you're picking Ryan, he's not quite the firefighter you thought he was.
Like the original Dead Island, the game looks good graphically, but not in the AAA sense, but during the continuous adrenaline action, you won't even notice that the models are not that detailed, that sometimes the zombies are loaded before your eyes.
Sunny scenes of beaches, palm trees and luxurious villas are contrasted with the bloody tracks of zombies, creating a living picture of the apocalypse in vibrant colors. The streets are covered with details that bring a sense of life, or at least what's left of it: wrecked cars, abandoned shops, graffiti and bloody trails turn LA into a stage for constant chaos.
The lighting effects add to the atmosphere, especially when you're fighting off hordes of zombies at sunset or when explosions light up a dark street. The textures are often simple, but the visual dynamics of movement and combat effects make up for the lack of detail in the models. You'll notice low resolutions on background objects at times, but in the midst of fast-paced combat and zombie blasting, you'll rarely stop to notice those little things.
Although graphically not at the cutting edge of technology, Dead Island 2 makes the most of its stylistic expression. Colorful depictions of brutality, along with a rich palette of colors and lighting effects, create an atmosphere that is not dark, but somewhat cheerful.
Gameplay
At its core, Dead Island 2 brings us back to what many loved about the original title – pure, light-hearted fun in massacring zombies with a touch of dark humor. Although the game went through a long development path and several studio changes, what finally arrived on our screens is a reflection of patient work and undisguised love for the genre.
Dead Island 2 doesn't try to pretend to be something it's not; instead, it uses its limitations to create an experience where the focus remains on action and visual entertainment, even when the script or game mechanics feel a bit simple or seen-before.
Naš protagonist, without obzira kojeg slayera izabrali, lutat će through sunčane ulice Los Angelesa, in "Hell-A" verziji grada prepunog zombieja. Moram priznati da mi is onziv Hell-a was do starta malo cringe, a i previše se koristi during cijele games.
There are some elements that players love – such as diverse enemies, creative weapons and the enticing F.L.E.S.H. system (I'll explain a bit below) that brings an unprecedented level of graphic brutality, which is especially evident when you send zombies to your friends flying backwards with the help of a dropkick in the co-op mode.
The game has RPG elements based on cards that you add to your character. Some cards are unique to your character, but in principle they are not very crucial for the game in the later phase, but in the beginning they can be the difference between life and death for you.
Dead Island 2 nas poziva na akciju who naginje klasičnoj arkadnoj zabavi – as kad udaware zombieje "naslijepo", koristeći hrpu improviziranih oružja i resursa koje pokupite s ceste.
Co-op is where this game shines. You can invite up to two friends or random players to join your team, and the fun is guaranteed. When the team is coordinated, every zombie encounter becomes an opportunity for creative methods of elimination.
The sense of chaos and euphoria escalates when the team manages to orchestrate deadly combinations, for example, using electric traps to fry zombies and then dropkicking the survivors towards a friend who finishes them off with a baseball bat. This level of interaction with the environment and combinations of attacks is far more fun than single player, and if you have your own team you can clear LA with no problem.
Players can explore and share resources together, creating dynamic gameplay where friends must rely on each other, especially when surrounded by numerous enemies. While this sounds like you'll be helping each other, fights will often break out over "accidentally" picking up weapons with good stats.
Some things never change.
F.L.E.S.H. - Gore na novoj razini
One of the most memorable components of the game is definitely F.L.E.S.H. system – an innovative approach to simulating zombie damage. Every bump, cut, fracture or explosion on the zombies' bodies is shown in stunning detail.
F.L.E.S.H. (Fully Locational Evisceration System for Humanoids) represents one of the most revolutionary damage display systems ever seen in video games. It is a technology that simulates the physical consequences of every blow or cut on zombies in an astonishingly precise way. Thanks to this system, every physical contact with an enemy seems incredibly realistic - each part of the zombie's body has its own specific reactions, and the game tracks in detail how skin, flesh and bones separate and change with each attack.
It's cool to see when you use a weapon like an ax or sword to see exactly where the cut is being made on the zombie. Rather, you can see details like the separation of muscle fibers.
Firearms on the other hand do a completely different effect which is an explosion of body parts based on the hit, or in case you use a literal firearm, such as a burning machete, you'll see the zombie slowly burn and change appearance. Top!
It's also cool that certain zombies have resistance to certain elemental effects, such as zombie electricians being immune to attacks with weapons that have electrical damage. So, you cannot rely exclusively on one favorite weapon, but continuously combine weapons depending on the situation.
The game thus rewards brutality in combat and allows players to experience all the adrenaline of combat in a way that is unique to this title. Many critics have declared this system as one of the most important additions that make the game different from similar survival titles.
Misiis and atmosfera - Decušaj parodiis on influencere
In Dead Island 2, character selection can mean a lot or very little, depending on your playstyle. Each of the six slayers brings specific skills and personalities, and Ryan stands out among them, who is not the typical fireman you might expect, but a character with a touch of irony and dark humor.
Iako je priča najosnovnija moguća verzija zombiee priče i ne ide previše u dubinu, interakcije sa sporednim likovthere is pružaju zabavne trenutke. Likovi koje srećemo nisu standardni NPC likov, already često parodiparadiseu poznate stereotipe iz Los Angelesa, like narcisoidnih celebova i ekscentričnih influencera koji traže pomoć u fight protiv zombieja dok istovremeno brinu o svojoj "imovini" i imidžu.
But here we come to a small problem. At first, we come across fun situations – rescuing an influencer who fears for his number of followers more than his life, or helping luxury-obsessed celebs as the city crumbles – and these interactions quickly lose their charm. Characters that initially seem caricatured and funny, often because of their vain priorities, become predictable after a few missions, and the humor disappears very quickly when you have to solve the same quest every time, only in a different location.
And yes. Missions are repetitive. All the time.
Repeating similar tasks for the same characters reduces the sense of progress and dynamism, and the repetitive nature of the tasks occasionally breaks the intensity of the game and the humor loses its effect.
Additionally, some of the NPCs that are meant to be satirical depictions of social trends – like an influencer who even in the middle of the apocalypse takes “selfies” and screams about the loss of his followers – feel like a concept that never quite reaches its potential. Because of this, after the initial enthusiasm, they can seem one-dimensional and empty to the players.
The game would benefit from a greater range of humorous elements and more deeply elaborated quests, perhaps through stories that would expand the perspective of these caricature characters, or offer additional layers of irony. The only character that had real depth to me is Patton, because he offers a spectrum of emotions, a great background that, unlike our slayers, is explained a little more, tragedy and a touch of humor.
Plus, Patton is a cool dude.
New Game+
The good news is that while I was writing this review, the New Game+ mod came out, so I played the game once more. The New Game+ mode in Dead Island 2 brings a refreshed experience for players who have already completed the campaign and want to re-immerse themselves in the story with additional challenges and custom builds. This mod allows players to keep all of their earned skills, weapons, and gear from the previous campaign, meaning you don't have to wait 10+ hours to find your first firearm.
One of the most striking changes in the New Game+ mode is the presence of powerful Apex zombies almost right from the start of the game. While these elite zombies in standard mode are reserved for the later parts of the campaign, here players encounter them already in the first missions. Apex zombies have special skills and increased stamina, which brings an extra challenge and a whole new dynamic of combat. Players will need to adapt their strategies, as standard approaches may not be enough for these powerful enemies.
In addition to Apex zombies, even regular enemies are significantly stronger in this mod. Regular zombies now have an increased amount of health and deal more damage, making every fight more tense and risky. Of course, your character will also be much stronger, but this part was much more fun for me.
BTW, don't jump right into New Game+ because some quests are only available after you finish the game.
Final Verdict
Dead Island 2 is like a summer horror movie - it's not trying to be serious or revolutionary, but a fun chaos where the only rule is: hit the first zombie you see and laugh as it flies to pieces. After the game went through a decade of development hell, we got what we may have been secretly wishing for - a simple, gory, yet addictive experience.
F.L.E.S.H. the system is literally a meaty delicacy that turns every encounter with zombies into its own horror spectacle, while Hell-A reminds you every now and then that even in the midst of the apocalypse there is room for satire and humor. Meeting celebs who would rather save their Instagram profile than their own head adds a dose of parody that makes the game even more fun, at least until they start repeating the same requests for the tenth time.
But hey, they're almost like zombies too - they don't mind the routine. Regardless of their flaws, Dead Island 2 is everything it's cracked up to be: a wacky, gory adventure through apocalyptic Los Angeles where you laugh, scream and punch zombies in one non-stop arcade fun. If you like chaos and are not looking for deeper philosophical messages, Dead Island 2 is your ideal cocktail of horror and fun.
