That didn’t quite make sense to me, and it was a little offputting. The same types of enemies I was able to kill in three or four hits a few minutes earlier now required nine or ten strikes each. For some reason, the zombies in this part of L.A. Immediately after I sliced and diced my way through a gauntlet of the gruesome undead, I traveled to a new area (rather than having an open world, Dead Island 2 is split into several expansive levels). I think there’s a balance problem as well. Dead Island 2 is not as much of a creative zombie slaughtering sandbox as it could be, and that’s a pity. But, an acid-filled swimming pool aside, the traps don’t feel as innate to the gameplay as simply swinging a sword or meat tenderizer. You can use the environment to your advantage by electrifying pools of water, setting gasoline puddles ablaze and blowing up gas canisters. Peter Jackson and Sam Raimi might be proud. The Flesh system adds an extra degree of violence to a game that’s largely played for laughs with a few scares tossed in for good measure. Sledgehammers snap off legs and knives realistically slice through skin and muscle. The Flesh physics system allows for some gnarly visuals that come into play as you bludgeon, dismember and blow up the infected.

“Butchering” is the key word, as this is an immensely gory game. Whenever it seems that things are getting a touch stale, Dambuster Studios adds a new wrinkle to broaden your options for butchering the undead. In general, combat is great (I’m glad the stamina system only applies to special attacks) and the game is well-paced.

Ps5 dead island 2