In the mid-late 2000s, the zombie genre was one of the most popular in all of gaming. FromResident Evilsequelsto new and creative IPs likeDead Rising, the gaming industry saw an onslaught of zombie-based titles, but while some have managed to remain relevant all these years later, most have faded into obscurity. That was certainly the case withDead Island 2, that is up until a few weeks ago.
Announced all the way back in 2014,Dead Island 2disappeared for almost a decade, with only a handful of occasional leaks describing the development hell behind the scenes. But just a few weeks ago,Dead Island 2resurfaced, showing off the game’s first look at actual gameplay. Based on the trailer, it does seem as thoughDead Island 2is on the right track, but its competition right now is high, withDying Light 2already filling most of the niches left byDead Island’s absence. That being said, there are a few things thatDead Island 2can do to stand above its competitor.
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Back during the initial onrush of zombie games,Dead Risingmanaged to stick out from the crowd by giving players an unprecedented amount of freedom over their choice of weapons. While regular swords, guns, andmelee weapons existed inDead Rising, the main hook was that players could combine their weapons together to form some truly creative armaments. From lightning guns to laser swords,Dead Rising’s combo weapons only got wackier with each title. However, theDead Risingfranchise has been dormant for quite some time, with nothing really filling this void.
Thoughthe originalDead Islanddidn’t really have any combo weapons, the sequel could certainly borrow the feature fromDead Rising. The ability to combine different weapons together would immediately distinguishDead Island 2fromDying Light 2, as while the latter has a handful of unique melee weapons, they tend to be quite grounded.
The originalDead Islandhad a solid melee combat system, but that was in comparison to other 2011 releases. The first-person melee genre has come quite a way in the last decade, andDead Island’s simple hack and slash system just won’t cut it for the sequel. To stand out from the crowd, andDying Light 2in particular,Dead Island 2should introduce a range of new, more complex melee mechanics. A few examples of this could be a parry mechanic and a dodge system, but it should double down and get really creative on top of that.
The key component that’s already settingDead Island 2apart fromDying Light 2is the game’s inclusion of ranged weapons. ThoughDying Light 2has a smattering of bows and handguns, they don’t feel great to use, and it’s clear that the game encourages melee combat over ranged. It seems as thoughDead Island 2will have plenty of ranged weapons, with a shotgun playing a pivotal role in the recent Gamescom announcement trailer.Dead Island 2should double down on its ranged weapons, and focus on making each one feel unique and worthwhile to use.
Dying Light 2’s skill treeis split into two segments, parkour and combat. Every ability in the game comes under one of these categories, and while some push the bounds of the category’s definition, they do tend to follow the same general trend, which can get a little same-y. The firstDead Islandhad a fairly impressive skill tree, with plenty of branching paths and varied abilities to choose from. The sequel should expand on this even further, and use its class system to bring even more varied skills and abilities to the game.
The biggest difference betweenDead Island 2andDying Light 2seems to be their tone. ThoughDying Light 2isn’t afraid of including some light-hearted Easter eggs, the general tone of the game tends to be fairly serious, with character dialogue, plot points, and general environmental and technical design leaning more towards a grounded, realistic approach.Dead Island 2, on the other hand, seems to be aiming for a more tongue-in-cheek tone, embracing its absurdity, which is a smart way to separate the two franchises.
Dead Island 2launches on Aug 07, 2025, for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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