![]() ![]() When the story begins, it seems like Dambuster is taking a Dawn of the Dead approach by using zombies as a stand-in for the privileged world of Los Angeles in all its forms. What’s less exciting is its written narrative, which feels like a missed opportunity given how engrossing the world is. It’s the kind of detail I expect from an immersive sim like Hitman or Prey. In just about any space I go to, I can suss out exactly what was happening before it was overrun with monsters. Outside, I stumble into a pool full of inflatable pool toys and bathing-suit-clad zombies. In one room, I find a social media “apology” script scrawled on a whiteboard, sitting behind a camera. Early on, I stumble into an abandoned influencer hype house that’s loaded with sight gags. What’s most impressive here is how much environmental storytelling is packed into every single space. ![]() Its richly detailed version of Los Angeles is just begging to be satirized. Another level takes me to a massive film studio, represented as a maze of empty trailers and Hollywood sound stages. ![]() The Santa Monica Pier is a richly detailed adaptation of the real thing, with dilapidated rides turning into dangerous electrical hazards. Rather than taking a full open-world approach, developer Dambuster Studios breaks the city up into smaller, open-ended chunks that provide a masterclass in great level design. It follows a group of survivors trying to bust out of a nightmarish version of Los Angeles that’s been left for dead by the U.S. Escape from Hell-Aĭead Island 2 plays out like a zombie-infested ode to John Carpenter’s Escape from L.A. It just never quite lives up to the strength of its allegorical premise, with a generic narrative and repetitive missions that I was shambling through by the end. If you’re just looking for brainless fun, Dead Island 2 is a perfectly enjoyable zombie game that’s filled to the brim with delicious gore and top-notch environmental storytelling. It’s just a shame that the first-person hack-and-slasher shambles past that meaty premise in pursuit of overcooked genre clichés. It’s a clear satirical premise, as social media-obsessed adults and carefree millionaires transform into mindless monsters that only live to consume. It takes players to a post-apocalyptic version of Los Angeles that’s been quarantined after a zombie outbreak, leaving any remaining survivors to fend for themselves. Like most zombie media, the long-delayed sequel to 2011’s Dead Island has a clear target in mind. Dead Island 2 - Extended Gameplay Reveal ![]()
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