Never mind “Hell-A”; Dambuster Studios’ zombie bash-em-up has been in development hell for so long, you’d be forgiven for thinking that Dead Island 2 is fully primed to flop when it releases next month. But after playing through the first five hours of the game’s campaign, you can rest assured that the carnage remains as cathartic as ever. Sure, the long-awaited sequel to 2011’s Dead Island isn’t big or clever, but it doesn’t want to be. Rather it’s the perfect apocalyptic vacation in which to indulge in some gory, mindless fun.
All six of the available slayers boast their own exclusive skill cards to start off with. Playing as Carla, a streetwise motorcycle racer who’s a native to this rundown version of LA, I benefitted instantly from the Mosh Pit card’s nature to offer a slight damage boost amid zombie hordes; getting swarmed by the undead is a regular occurrence in Dead Island 2, so it works wonders for crowd control. And when I was at risk of getting overrun by too many zombies, Carla’s other starting skill card, Dig Deep, gave me a much-appreciated toughness boost when my health was low. The exact depth of the skill card system remains to be seen, but it felt good unlocking a few more abilities as I levelled up across chapters, so that bodes well.
One system that I’m already confident has a surprising amount of complexity is Dead Island 2’s trademark weapon crafting. From nail bats to flame-kissed knuckle dusters, all of the usual suspects are here. Of course, every weapon is subject to deterioration, being one of the series’ staple mechanics, but never to the point of annoyance. Largely due to the fact that melee weapons are never in short supply; whenever they shattered over a zombie’s head, I always had a handful in my backpack, making for near-seamless bludgeoning, slicing, and general mashing of animated corpses.
