Dead Island 2’s Gore System Cuts Through Flesh, Organs, and Bones With Procedural Precision
Dead Island 2 developer Dambuster Studios has created a bespoke gore system for its upcoming zombie-slaying sequel, and it's one of the most detailed ever seen in games.
“We’ve probably spent an unhealthy amount of time passionately developing our own gruesome gore tech, which we codename internally FLESH,” explained Dead Island 2’s game director, David Stenton, in a conversation with IGN. “That’s short for Fully Locational Evisceration System for Humanoids.”
“[This system] allows players to slice, dice, chop, dismember, melt, bludgeon and break zombies in all kinds of spectacular and stylish ways,” he continued. “And it’s all fully procedural as well.”
The new trailer shows off a strong selection of gory kills, but Stenton has a lot of enthusiasm for the detailed way the FLESH system replicates burning flesh.
“One of the most fun things you can do in the game is melt a zombie,” he said. “You can see [the flames] burn through the clothes and all the soft tissue, and down through the organs and into the bones. So yeah, we’ve put a lot of effort into the core combat and the gore that goes along with that.”
Dead Island 2 was re-revealed at Gamescom 2022’s Opening Night Live show, showing off the zombie game for the first time in eight years. Dambuster is the third developer to work on the game, following original studio Yager and second studio Sumo Digital, and they began work from scratch after taking over duties on the project. Their new version of Dead Island 2 is set to release next February.
Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Features Editor.
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