Dead Island 2: A Stunning Visual Zombie Gore-Feast

I proudly declare myself a hardcore consumer of zombie culture. Since childhood, I’ve been obsessed with movies like Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead by George Romero. For me, the zombie theme has always been fascinating and terrifying at the same time. I will consume whatever form it comes in, from books like World War Z by Max Brooks and TV shows like Dead Set or the first four seasons of The Walking Dead to comics like Marvel Zombies. I thoroughly enjoy a well-told story featuring the undead. Naturally, this fascination led me to explore the latest gem in the zombie genre, the video game Dead Island 2 (DI2). This game does not disappoint.

Developed by Dambuster Studios (Chorus) and published by Deep Silver (Metro: Last Light Redux, Wasteland 3), Dead Island 2 is the sequel to Dead Island and Dead Island: Riptide. The first-person narrative unfolds 15 years after the events of the original games, detailing a zombie epidemic ravaging the city of Los Angeles.

While I won’t dive deep into the intricacies of the story, I can say it’s not necessarily ingenious—nor does it aim to be. It’s a mix of gore-filled horror, full of easter eggs and dark humor. It also has some social criticism, especially towards consumerism, social inequality, the use of social networks and influencers. Players can choose from six distinct characters: Ryan (the stripper), Amy (the paralympic athlete), Jacob (the stuntman who bears a strong resemblance to Lenny Kravitz), Dani (the retail worker), Carla (the mechanic), and Bruno (the hustler). Together, they descend into HELL-A —a hellish, zombie-infested version of LA—through various game levels.

But beyond the plot, the game’s most remarkable aspect is its visuals. Before delving into this, let’s revisit its challenging development journey.

A Complicated Development Journey


In 2012, Deep Silver removed Techland, the studio behind the original Dead Island, from the project. This benefited Techland, as they joined Warner Bros. Games to develop the highly successful zombie game Dying Light. Then, Yager Development (Dune: Awakening) presented a teaser for DI2 two years later. However, in 2015, Yager announced they would no longer continue the project.

Once again, DI2 was adrift. It remained so until 2016, when Sumo Digital took on bringing the game to life. However, this changed in 2019 when Deep Silver announced that its subsidiary, Dambuster Studios, would take over the development of the zombie-filled nightmare. Finally, the wait was over after 10 long years and several failed attempts. On April 28, 2023, DI2 was commercially released, selling 1 million units in just three days. By May 2023, the game had sold over 2 million units; by May 2024, that figure rose to 3 million.

A Visually Innovative System


The wait was worth it. Dambuster Studios may not have created a perfect game, but they delivered a visually stunning one. To achieve this, they developed a groundbreaking system for motion design in video games called FLESH (Fully Locational Evisceration System for Humanoids).

Traditionally, in many zombie or action games, enemy damage effects are superficial or limited to pre-defined animations. For example, when attacking an enemy, the impact often appears as generic blood splatters or basic falling animations. FLESH breaks these limitations by offering a wholly dynamic and localized model to display damage in real time.

Essentially, FLESH equips zombies with separate layers of skin, muscle, fat, and bones. Each weapon the player uses inflicts damage to these layers individually, reacting in real-time by showing scars and blood splatters on the environment. The zombie’s body reflects the impact based on the type of weapon used, just like in the real world. For instance, a hammer deforms and fractures bones, while a knife produces clean cuts.

This new technique’s result is simply overwhelming. The gore is so intense that I must admit it has occasionally tested my moral boundaries regarding graphic violence when destroying the undead. It’s simply the best gore ever seen in a video game.

Immersive and Realistic Scenarios


The developers have also meticulously created the human characters and the game’s environments, using photogrammetry—a method that reproduces physical elements to create precise 3D models. Iconic areas of Los Angeles, such as Venice Beach and the Santa Monica Pier, are recreated with incredible detail. The nighttime atmospheres are so immersive that jumping in fear is easy during challenges. Overall, the landscapes are almost photographic. It’s like walking through them in real life.

It’s also impressive to observe the interaction of elements like sand when it comes into contact with blood or water. Explosions, chemical substances, and electrical discharges have visually stunning effects on objects in the environment. The game architecture was built using Unreal Engine 4. On consoles like the PS5, the game runs at 60 fps with a target resolution 4K.

Expansions and Updates


Since its launch, this zombie gorefest has expanded its content with several downloadable expansions that can be played individually or in co-op mode. HAUS was introduced in November 2023, followed by SoLa Festival in April 2024. In November, the Neighborhood Watch mode was added, allowing players to combat hordes of zombies in multiplayer mode. This update featured the young VCLA Bobcats team (Dez, Bozzy, and Rav) and the NG+ Challenge. The Ultimate Edition, available since late 2024, includes all expansions and patches released to date. While there’s no official announcement for a third installment, fans hope they won’t have to wait another ten years.

Dead Island 2 is far from a perfect game, but it is a groundbreaking audiovisual piece in the realm of motion design. It offers hours of terrifying entertainment and plenty—plenty—of gore. Are you ready to take on the zombie apocalypse in California? If so, don’t wait any longer and dive into the HELL-A of Dead Island 2’s undead.

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About the author

Jesse (he/him) is a multilingual design, communications, marketing, and strategy professional based in New York. He combines his passion for photography, movies, tv, and Broadway shows with his obsession with Sci-Fi and Superhero stories. He has developed a versatile career with over 20 years of experience in diverse areas of Communication in Journalism, Advertising, Graphic Design, LC Broadcaster, and Social Media. As he defines himself, he is a multiversal soul searching for creative projects.