After nine years of development, Dead Island 2 is finally close to being in the hands of players, with a whole new cast, location, and variety of zombies to slay. Despite these new features, publisher Deep Silver, and developer Dambuster Games have revealed core gameplay that still looks familiar to long-term fans of the Dead Island franchise who are eager to re-enter its post-apocalyptic, zombie-filled world.

From the start, Dead Island 2's marketing signaled a tonal change from Dead Island and Dead Island: Riptide's more somber cinematic trailers. Although it didn't showcase gameplay, the original E3 reveal for Dead Island 2 was far livelier to mirror the sequel's change in location, with a jogger gradually transforming into a zombie as L.A descends into chaos around him while the upbeat song "The Bomb" plays. After this announcement, the title went through a turbulent development until Dead Island 2's gory re-reveal at Gamescom's 2022 Opening Night Live event showed gameplay for the final product.

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Dead Island 2's Release Date Is April 21, 2023

One of Dead Island 2's playable protagonists, Jacob, sits on an inflatable chair, drinking a cocktail in a swimming pool as zombies approach from all directions in Dead Island 2's official cover art.

After several delays and developer changes since its 2014 reveal, Dead Island 2 is finally due to release this year. After many release date rumors for Dead Island 2, Deep Silver and Dambuster Games previously made the announcement that it would be targeting an April 28 release date (which in itself was delayed from a February 2023 release window), but as the title achieved Gold status (meaning that a title is completed and in a state that its publisher has determined to be good enough to ship), the developers issued a statement on the Dead Island website saying, "Zombie slaying will now commence on Friday 21st April 2023", bringing the release date forward by a week.

Every Platform Dead Island 2 Will Be On

A first-person perspective of a muscular "Thug" zombie attacking a sledgehammer-wielding player on a zombie-infested Venice Beach in Dead Island 2.

As expected of any title released in 2023, Dead Island 2's PS5 and Xbox Series X/S versions will lead its console release alongside PC, where it's exclusive to the Epic Games Store at launch (although as with most PC games, this exclusivity will likely be timed). Console users who have been awaiting the game for nearly a decade and have yet to purchase a new-gen device shouldn't be disappointed though, as the title will also be coming to PS4 and Xbox One upon its April 21 launch. The title can also be partially played with voicechat thanks to Dead Island 2's Alexa Game Control compatibility, which will allow players to shout their zombie-slaying commands into the game like for zombie goading, weapon changes, waypoint shortcuts, and interacting with NPCs.

Dead Island 2 Story Details - Setting, Characters, Plot

One of Dead Island 2's playable protagonists, Dani lights a cigarette outside of a blood-soaked convenience store as zombies approach on the street behind her.

Dead Island 2 will be taking place in a completely different location from its predecessors, with the zombie-slaying action moving from islands within the Banoi Archipelago to the streets of Los Angeles, which has been nicknamed "Hell-A" in the title's promotional material. Although technically this does mean the happy nonsense of Dead Island 2 doesn't happen on an island, but instead on an American coastal state, and will therefore lose the tropical and jungle environments seen in the first two mainline Dead Island titles and spin-offs such as Escape Dead Island, players will instead be able to explore post-apocalyptic versions of areas such as Beverly Hills and Bel-Air and dispatch their undead foes in front of iconic landmarks like the Hollywood sign.

There are six playable characters for players to choose from in Dead Island 2, which is a step up from the original Dead Island's four protagonists, and Dead Island: Riptide's five. Unlike Dead Island: Riptide, which saw players able to carry over their character and XP levels from the first game, or pick one additional new character instead, Dead Island 2's cast will consist of entirely new characters - Amy, Jacob, Dani, Ryan, Carla, and Bruno - who each have their own unique personality, dialogue, and abilities that reflect their specific backstory which include past careers as athletes, stuntmen, motorcycle club members, and more.

Not much has been revealed about the title's story, but it has been confirmed that it will take place mere months after the events of Dead Island and Dead Island: Riptide. In Dead Island 2, the United States government and US military are forced to turn California into a fully restricted quarantine zone due to a "new and stronger" zombie outbreak. Although Dead Island 2's homage to Hollywood B-movies will see the return of special zombie types from its predecessors, such as the extremely strong Thugs, or the explosive Suiciders, this stronger outbreak will be represented by an all-new, more powerful zombie type with special abilities: the Apex.

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Dead Island 2 Gameplay, Combat, & Exploration Details

A first person perspective of someone holding a zombie by the throat with one hand, and wielding an electrified sword in the other in Dead Island 2.

A recent gameplay video showcased Dead Island 2's newest combat features, such as a more fluid combat system that has timed dodging and counter-attacks, as well as the addition of Back 4 Blood-esque skill cards to customize abilities and suit specific playstyles. Dead Island 2 uses a new gore system created by Dambuster Studios called F.L.E.S.H. (an acronym for "Fully Locational Evisceration Simulator for Humanoids") which should provide some of the most detailed, real-time zombie kills seen in gaming. Much like its predecessors, players will be able to explore the game's open world solo or in co-op, acquiring a range of weapons that can be upgraded, repaired, and modded at workbenches to add elemental damage such as electric or fire attacks to inflict additional damage.

Dead Island 2's breakable weapons have a variety of types that are particularly beneficial for different zombie encounters, with bladed weapons fully utilizing the F.L.E.S.H. system to dismember zombies in one-on-one fights, and blunt heavy weapons like sledgehammers being particularly useful for crowd control and clearing paths through larger groups of zombies.

Guns make a return, being particularly useful for dispatching targets such as the Suicider from afar to avoid its devastating blast. These ranged weapons can also be used in conjunction with the open world by triggering traps or igniting gas cans, likely a difficult maneuver players attempt to use Dead Island 2's voice controls, but players are warned not to waste too much ammo by blowing items up for fun, as supplies can be scarce.

Further items found in the open world, such as car batteries, can also be chained with attacks to create environmental damage, or create the aforementioned traps. On top of these environmental features, players can craft items called Curveballs that can be used strategically in the heat of battle, with one example, Meat Bait, being thrown in a direction to draw zombies away from the player, allowing time to escape or focus on a smaller-sized group instead of taking on a full horde.

Lastly, after getting bitten by a zombie in Dead Island 2, players will be able to fight fire with fire by tapping into their character's corrupted DNA thanks to Fury Mode. This mode temporarily unleashes mutations seen in some of the more powerful zombie types in sequences similar to those seen in original Dead Island creator Techland's Dying Light 2 to destroy the undead with ease.

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Sources: Dead Island, PlayStation Australia/YouTube, PlayStation/YouTube