Dead Island 2 review – it’s not just the zombies who are back from the dead 

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It may not be for the fainthearted but there is a certain charm in melting a zombie’s face with an acid laced cleaver, and then taking off their legs to watch them slowly crawl around and melt. This is just one of the many memorable ways you’ll find yourself dispatching the undead in Dead Island 2, as you slice your way through LA.

From the very first moments of Dead Island 2, you will be introduced to the eclectic cast of characters, giving the player the choice of who they wish to take into the depths of Hell-A. There are six characters in total and for the purpose of our review, we played as Amy. Each of the characters boasts their own stats, mixing up how you can approach the game, but the story itself remains the same regardless of who you choose. 

It’s a completely new cast of characters for Dead Island 2, aside from Sam B returning as an NPC after his appearance in the first game – an NPC that will help guide your character through their journey and play a key role in the story. It’s certainly nice to see Sam but the new cast of characters helps keep the game fresh, while they also help bring to life the aesthetic we have come to expect from Los Angeles.

A wild ride through Hell-A

From the off, Dead Island 2 does make an impressive visual statement – the game looks terrific. Every zombie looks fantastic, and it doesn’t matter if they’re still whole or they’ve just had a limb hacked off, the level of detail is impressive. Dead Island 2 looking so great not only helps bring the undead to life but also helps make LA feel so atmospheric. 

If the developers did anything right with this game it’s the environments they have created – the game might be set in one city but each location you visit has its own style and feel.  Whether it’s the movie sets, where the zombies look like Aztec extras, to muscle beach the locations all offer something unique. It perfectly captures the vibrancy we expect from the Californian coast, whilst also relaying how warm it is. Everywhere you go during the day you’ll see hazes of heat and dryness of LA in the summer. It’s not worth thinking about how badly it must all smell. 

While all of the zombies look great, and the environments are incredibly varied, all too often it felt like I was being swarmed by multiple zombies of the same kind. It isn’t too big of a deal when it’s a few firemen in the same suits, or zombies in hazmat suits, but frequently I would be getting attacked by the same three girls in bucket hats. It’s most noticeable with the special zombies that have much less variety in the game. If you are approached by two crushers (the big muscular zombies) more often than not they would look identical – or maybe LA just has a lot of twins. 

Variety is the spice of life 

But even if the zombies and their lack of variation sometimes grew repetitive; ripping off their limbs, popping out their eyes, and dispatching them in any way you can imagine, remains so enjoyable throughout. Dead Island 2 has a lot of different weapons that can be altered in a variety of different ways to keep them fresh. It’s clear that Dead Island 2 just wants to make slaying zombies fun, and it achieves this throughout. 

Weapon upgrades, blueprints for attachments, and more can be found throughout the story which means you’re constantly finding new ways to rip apart zombies in new and grisly ways. Even now, during the endgame content, I am finding weapons I had never seen before allowing me to try out something completely new. Once the game finishes there are still plenty of things to find and explore, especially if you have a pal you can invite along for the ride, so even when Dead Island 2 is done, it isn’t really. 

Upgrading your weapons, and seeing what works for you is entertaining, but the actual looting for materials is mindless at best. Very rarely did I ever lack any materials or have to hunt down anything in particular. I was constantly just picking up all sorts of random objects as I explored, finding them at a rate that was simply unmanageable. It is still worth exploring every inch on offer though, there are plenty of things to find in the world like new weapons, materials and even notes that set the scene of the outbreak. It is just a shame the looting itself isn’t particularly interesting or meaningful. 

Helping hand from the City of Stars 

The environments are not only littered with objects to collect, but it’s also one of your biggest allies in the game. Playing single-player means you don’t have any help apart from your wits and the environment, so you’ll have to utilise both, and particularly the latter, to slow down hordes of zombies before you get overwhelmed.

Dotted about the world there are plenty of hazards that can kill you, too – but they can also kill the zombies. Red barrels (classic), acid, electrified water, and more are strewn over the world to help you survive the zombocalypse, which can prove incredibly useful and fun tools – but will also kill you without prejudice too if poorly used. It’s again a testament to the good work the developers have done on the world, that it can be so threatening to the player but it can also be the difference in helping you survive if you successfully take advantage of it. 

Using the environments, weapon variety and upgrades will keep the combat engrossing and different in the 25 hours or so it takes to finish the game but it’s a huge shame you can only have two ‘curveballs’ equipped at a time. Curveballs are the throwable items you have, they’re akin to your grenades in a shooter, but instead of finding them around the world they gradually recharge over time. Using bait to draw in enemies, and then a pipe bomb to blow them away is a great tactic. I just wish these played a bigger part in Dead Island 2, as they represent some of the most interesting ideas in zombie-killing in the game, and have the ability to get you out of all sorts of jams. If I was able to throw another one into the mix, it would really help elevate the slaying. 

The only other major issue I had during my time with Dead Island 2 is some of the behaviour of the zombies. At times they could be incredibly hostile, never giving you a chance to breathe or explore the well-constructed world, or they would just disappear if they weren’t triggered. On more than one occasion, I would clear out an area, pop away for a bit and when I re-entered the cleared-out area it would be full of zombies again. By having the zombies so quick to return, it made it really awkward to properly explore or find any secrets – at times, when looking for something in an open area, the zombies quickly became an annoyance instead of a hurdle. 

Dead Island 2’s a well-trodden path

The game’s story is one that will take you from zombie-slaying scenario A to zombie-slaying scenario B, which attempts to set up a mystery throughout. It isn’t the most compelling story, and it often feels like a way of just pushing you through scraps, as opposed to an engrossing tale. The story follows a well-trodden path, and if you have ever played a Resident Evil game then there won’t be any surprises here. 

Luckily, all the characters are well presented, thanks to the writing. It was to my surprise that I found myself having a little chuckle to myself on plenty of occasions throughout the game, while the cliché residents of LA are just what you would expect, they feel very well executed if not quite chill about the walking dead situation.

Alongside this, seeing the world through Amy’s eyes and perspective is a welcome way to experience it. She has this balance of a typical action hero who is very gung-ho, but also still speaks about her dreams and ambitions like competing at the Paralympics. This makes her feel a little more real and believable. In Dead Island 2 you’re exposed to how a person would react to this grim reality, and although it isn’t quite as dark as other takes on an apocalypse, the characters help make it an enjoyable ride. 

Recapturing the charm of Dead Island

Dead Island 2 delivers on what it originally set out to do all of those years ago by taking the charm of Dead Island and thrusting it into a Los Angeles setting. The promise of an over-the-top game, in an over-the-top city has been fully realised. It intends to make a game where killing zombies makes for a good time, while everything else takes a backseat. It may seem reductive, but Dead Island 2 is pure, unabashed fun. The city of Hell-A feels great, and killing zombies in a multitude of scenarios has never looked better. If anything, Dead Island 2 may look a little too detailed – if you aren’t big on blood this may be one to avoid. The latest entry into the Dead Island series may not be perfect, but it is sure to be a hit for fans of the originals and newcomers alike. 

Reviewed on PS5, and with a code provided by the publisher and PR.