Dead Island 2 Release Date, Trailer, System Requirements & More

Are you a fan of zombie-slaying action-adventure survival games? If yes, then the newly released ambitious game zombie hack-n-slash game by the name of Dead Island 2 should most definitely be on your wishlist of games to check out this year.

Before we talk about the sequel, let us take a few steps back and start with the initial games from when the series began. Starting with Dead Island, it was a first-person action-adventure horror game released in 2011 in which players are stuck on a tropical island and must use their skills to escape it alive, all while trying to escape from the clutches of all the other inhabitants present on the island, who have mysteriously turned into flesh-eating zombies overnight.

Keeping with the tradition of the game, players had the option of selecting between a couple of characters, each with their strengths and weaknesses, that they could select based on their preferences. Moreover, players could craft outrageous weapon modifications to inflict unique damage on their adversaries.

Dead Island: Riptide on the other hand immediately followed up the story of the initial game in which another group of immune survivors are tasked with uncovering a controversy that is hidden deep in the island, all while trying to make it out of there alive.

Coming to the latest game, Dead Island 2, although the story is different and takes place in a new locality with new playable characters, the best part about the game is that the core gameplay that made the initial games famous in the first place has made a triumphant return.

At Gamescom 2022, the release date of the much-awaited Dead Island 2 was announced and in doing so, it became the third main installment of the Dead Island video game series, after Dead Island and Dead Island: Riptide.

So now that we have had a little sneak peek into the Dead Island series as a whole, without any more delays, let us jump in and discuss all the details we currently have regarding the next game in this zombie-slaying series:

Dead Island 2 Release Date

The long wait for the much-awaited game is finally over and we finally have the game in our hands to try it out for ourselves and enjoy one of the best, and most ambitious, zombie-centric games in recent memory.

After many years of uncertainty, delays, countless rumors of its cancellation, and inaccurate speculations, Dead Island 2 was finally released on 21 April 2023, after the game was initially announced all the way back in 2014.

The road to completion for this game has not been easy, to say the least, hence it is a great achievement for the entire team behind the development of this game to finally be in a position to release the game in a playable condition.

In 2012, Deep Silver, the publishing company, tasked Techland with the development of the game, but Techland had a more ambitious idea for the game which did not align well with Deep Silver’s vision of the game, leading Techland to move on and create a new IP and work on another survival horror video game series by the name of Dying Light. 

In came Yager Development, who got the deal instead to help in the development of Dead Island 2. Yager Development was created specifically to assist in the development process of this game they established a sub-studio Yager Productions GmbH.

After 3 years of development, Deep Silver cut ties with Yager too, and the project was re-assigned to Sumo Digital.

After losing the developing rights to this game, Yager Productions GmbH filed for insolvency, as the MD of the company called the whole situation ‘catastrophic’, as according to them the game was close to completion and not releasing now was a ‘lose-lose’ for everyone involved with the project.

Sumo Digital, on the other hand, worked on the project until the start of 2019. In August 2019 another announcement was made which stated that the development of the game has been handed to Dambuster Studios, which is the internal studio of Deep Silver, most notably known for developing games like Homefront: The Revolution. Finally, Dambuster Studios completed the development of the game and rubber-stamped a release date for the game to be April 21, 2023.

Dead Island 2 Gameplay Features & Storyline

The game takes place in the city of Los Angeles or LA (dubbed in the game as HELL-A), the city of San Francisco, along with a third unknown location in California, which has been severely affected by a Zombie Outbreak.

The events of this game occur some months later after the events of Dead Island (the first game in the Dead Island franchise).

The game includes a large arsenal of melee as well as ranged weapons for players to make their way through the large hordes of killer zombies. Players can slice, smash, burn, and rip off the zombies at will. Players will once again be able to make weird weapon combos by combining everyday items and going on killing sprees.

Players will be able to combine various items like a car battery with a rake to produce an electrifying power rake that can electrocute enemies or combine a hammer with a box of nails to produce a nailed hammer capable of dealing massive piercing damage, over and above the massive blunt damage of the hammer itself.

The game also introduces a new mutation system which players can take advantage of. Anyone who has played a few RPG games will recognize this mechanic to be quite similar to certain ‘rage’ modes in games that amplify the strength and speed of the protagonist to super-human levels, to enable them to annihilate their foes for a limited duration.

Players will also be able to choose between six uniquely stylized playable characters in the game known as Slayers, out of which 3 are males, and the other 3 are females. The Slayers are completely customizable to the players liking and with each of them having unique skills, strengths, and weaknesses, players can select the one which suits their playstyles the best.

This new game also comes with a new F.L.E.S.H gameplay system which basically translates to ‘Fully Locational Evisceration System for Humanoids‘. This system is a procedurally generated dismemberment system that allows players to inflict damage to enemies based on the weapons they are attacking with, to help add realistic weapon damage to the game. For example. players attacking with sledgehammers will be able to completely smash the skulls of the zombies, whereas players attacking with swords or katanas will be able to slice and chop individual body parts by giving deep cuts to the enemies.

Furthermore, skill points from the previous games in this series have been replaced with skill cards which players will collect during their gameplay sessions, with each new skill card offering players new moves and buffs that will help them slay the zombies efficiently.

The game also features a co-operative (co-op) multiplayer mode feature for up to 3 players that groups of friends or family members can make use of to have countless hours of gory fun in the game. Why only 3 players you ask? According to the developers, through multiple tests, they came to the conclusion that having 3 players in the team gave the game a nice balance, giving players enough of a challenge while also retaining the essence of the game without making it too difficult or too easy.

Amazon Alexa Voice Control

The game also features a unique feature of Amazon Alexa voice control. Using this feature, players will be able to switch between different weapons and even interact with NPCs (Non-Playable Characters), for example, they could taunt zombies in the game by saying “Hey Zombie. You’re good for nothing” or “Aye Zombie. Is that all you got ?”. 

Another great news is that players can access this feature using any microphone or headset and one does not require the Amazon Echo device separately, so one will not be required to say “Alexa” every time before giving any commands. 

Moreover, Dead Island 2 will be the first game to have this amazing in-game feature. This new feature guarantees the game to be much more fun and enjoyable, but players hoping for this gameplay mechanics to completely overhaul their gaming sessions will be left disappointed as it as as more of a cosmetic feature rather than a truly game-changing one.

Interested in knowing more about this game? Check out Dead Island 2’s Official Website to know more about it.

Dead Island 2 Platforms

The game is available to users using various platforms like PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Stadia, and PC. Additionally, the game can now also be purchased for multiple platforms: PlayStation users can purchase it on the PlayStation Store, Xbox users on the Microsoft Store, and PC users can purchase the game through the Epic Games Store and Amazon.com.

This game, at the time of writing this article, will not be available for purchase on Steam. It may happen in the future, but right now it is exclusive to the Epic Games Store as far as PC users are concerned.

The game is available in three editions – Standard, Deluxe, and Gold. 

As the name suggests, the standard edition will give gamers the vanilla experience of the game without any additional in-game freebies or perks. The Deluxe and Gold Editions on the other hand provide players with Bonus Content that includes access to limited edition weapons and unique unlockable characters to play as.

Dead Island 2 Official System Requirements

Well, now that we know what platforms the game has been released on, let us take a look at what hardware gamers will require to run this game and experience all the goodness it has to offer.

The official system requirements for Dead Island 2 on PC are as follows:

Dead Island 2 Official Trailers

Down below we have embedded the Dead Island 2 official reveal trailer and gameplay trailer for you to enjoy.

Dead Island 2 Official Reveal Trailer

The Official Reveal Trailer for Dead Island 2 was released back on 24 Aug 2022 by GameSpot on their official YouTube channel.

Here, take a look:

Dead Island 2 Official Gameplay Trailer

GameSpot recently released the Dead Island 2 Official Gameplay Trailer on 7 December 2022 on their official YouTube Channel.

Here, take a look:

Conclusion

So there you have it! Dead Island 2 in our opinion, is a great option for gamers looking for some no-brainer zombie slaying fun, and if you’re someone who’s looking for a great first-person role-playing horror game to sink your teeth into, then this game is one of the better options on the market today to try out.

The game is categorized under the Mature category, which basically means you should ideally be 17+ years of age to play the game, but if you’re someone who has a high tolerance level for gore and violence that is depicted in this game, while also being immune to the alluring personalities of the numerous zombies in bikinis, then technically one shouldn’t have too much of an issue playing this game.

Overall, if you are a fan of survival horror games, then Dead Island is going to entice you and keep you coming back for more, especially to try out the plethora of weapon modifications and exciting skill moves players can use to slay countless undead freaks.

So, that was it from our side today, we really hope you liked this article. Stay with us for more such content in the future.

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