Dead Island 2's Creative and Art Directors have revealed the secrets behind the upcoming zombie action-RPG's detailed new gore system. Dead Island 2 was re-revealed at Gamescom 2022's Opening Night Live with a trailer that was so gory it had to be censored for the event and uploaded in full on the Dead Island YouTube channel.
Dead Island 2 was originally revealed with a trailer at E3 in 2014, but fans went years without any new news due to its troubled development. Over the past decade, Dead Island 2 has changed studios multiple times, leading to many skeptics wondering if the title would ever get released. Yager Development was originally set to helm the sequel once the series had been handed over from Techland - who went on to develop the parkour-heavy gameplay of the Dying Light series - but Yager was removed from the project in 2015 and replaced by Sumo Digital the following year. Sumo Digital would then also be removed, with Dambuster Studios taking over and starting development from scratch in 2019.
One of the main changes the team at Dambuster Studios made is an overhaul to the game's gore system. In an interview with Game Informer, Creative Director James Worrall and Art Director Adam Olsson spoke about Dead Island 2's unique F.L.E.S.H. system - which stands for "Fully Locational Evisceration Simulator for Humanoids", an acronym the team is particularly proud of - and what it would entail. The F.L.E.S.H system is fully procedural, with modified, granular skin, fat, muscle, bone, and organ simulation to deliver unique kills depending on what weapons the players use, and where on the body they hit. This can be anywhere from eyeballs being knocked out by melee weapons to targeted dismemberment with bladed weapons.
Dead Island 2's Humor Will Enhance Its Dramatic & Gory Gameplay
Although Dead Island 2 saw updates from different developers multiple times since its initial, lighter-toned reveal trailer in 2014, Worrall and Olsson confirmed that the upcoming game would still have a sense of humor reminiscent of horror comedy movies from the 80s and 90s. Expanding upon this, they reflected on the way humans deal with real-world horror with jokes as a coping mechanism and explained that the game would not be drawn into a "Whedonistic world" with its humor, but would use those comedic moments to juxtapose and enhance its more serious and darker elements, making them hit much harder.
After eight long years, Dead Island fans are finally set to get their hands on the long-awaited sequel in February 2023. Whereas some were concerned about the title after its many developer changes, it looks like Dambuster Studios has kept moments that players were initially intrigued by, such as its humor and Los Angeles setting. The developer also seems to have created and made new enhancements such as the F.L.E.S.H. system that should make Dead Island 2 feel like a next-gen release.
Source: Game Informer/YouTube