Dead Island 2

Trouble in paradise

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Almost ten years after it was announced (and from the sounds of it, spending a fair chunk of that time in development hell), they finally managed to release  Dead Island 2. In many ways, that itself is an accomplishment, and nothing but respect to Dambuster Studios for pulling it off – but rather than a magnificent rebirth, it feels more like the cursed half-revival of one of the zombies you’ll be carving down, in a frame as creaky as those undead joints, unable to support the few things that do manage to work.

Your hero of choice may be a dab hand at brutalising infected into bloody pulp, but the narrative is pretty much standard zombie fare, requiring you to set up a safe house, rescue fellow survivors, and try to find a way to get out of the quarantine zone alive while also chasing after a potential cure. While returning character Sam B warns you not to trust the government, it’s lip-service lampshading – you’ll have no choice but to follow those beats.

HELL-A CONFIDENTIAL

Similarly, your Slayer doesn’t have a lot of options when it comes to navigation. Dead Island 2 isn’t an open world game; instead each area acts as a kind of hub. Which sounds fine on paper – each of those areas is home to side-quests and collectibles – but these hubs are surprisingly small and linear, even quite far into the game. Many simply feel empty. For example, a hotel location features a couple of extremely long, straightforward roads that lead towards your missions, and Santa Monica pier has a bland beach (before you’re sent on a simple path down the pier for that area’s main story mission).