Dead Island 2 Makes Up for Lost Time with Fun | Push Square

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Pretty much no game ever is worth waiting almost 10 years for, but when Dead Island 2 launches on PS5 and PS4 next month, it'll at least deliver on the comedic fun its reveal trailer teased all the way back at E3 2014. Having been passed between three different developers over the past decade, it's difficult to work out where the work of Yager Development and Sumo Digital ends and where the efforts of Dambuster Studios begin. However, what's there is enjoyable. Familiar, but fun.

We recently had the chance to play the game's opening four to five hours, spread across various mainline missions and a handful of side quests. Having selected from one of six characters — all of whom have a few abilities and stats to call their own — the opening sequence has you fall victim to a zombie bite. This actually turns out to be a boon rather than a hindrance as it's revealed you're immune to the virus; this has gameplay ramifications in the full title, but we did not see any of it in the opening hours.

Nevertheless, the first few main quests have you form a home base at a celebrity's HELL-A mansion and then explore the surrounding area in search of rescue. Our first impressions of the core story are it comes across a bit formulaic, with little to truly get excited about or characters you'd want to risk your life for. It's a very typical open world narrative, but the side quests we encountered did provide quirkier tales to pursue. From an elderly gentleman who's stuck on the top floor of his mansion because the power to his stairlift has been cut to a TikTok-loving teen with a thirst for zombie carnage, Dambuster Studios appears to have gotten much more creative in its optional content.

As for how Dead Island 2 plays, think Dying Light