TheDead Islandseries has had a wild development cycle. The franchise began with Techland as the lead developer when they put outDead Islandin 2011. They also developedDead Island: Riptidewhich was both an expansion and a half-step sequel. That was in 2013, and following that release, Techland moved away from the series.
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Dead Island 2was announced in 2014, but Techland was not the developer. They instead began a new franchise,Dying Light, in 2015.Dying Light 2came out in 2022 after a troubled development cycle too. Now, after almost a decadeDead Island 2is here. Does it outdo what Techland began in 2011 and does it outdo Techland’s latest game?
Dead Island 2might be one of the mostgruesome zombie gamesto have been made. There is a dynamic system to the models that deform over time. It goes beyond removing limbs as well. The flesh will fall off, jaws will become unhinged, and even eyeballs can fall out.
It’s sick stuff, but then again that is more realistic to what a zombie would be like. The infected inDying Light 2are scary because they move fast, but they are not as horrific visually.
7The Graphics: Dying Light 2
Dying Light 2excels visually. Zombie brains may not fall out of skulls but at least everything has a great shine to it. The game was not without its glitches at launch but that is quite common to find inan open-world game.
Dead Island 2doesn’t look bad but it doesn’t look like a phenomenal next-gen experience. The zombie gore is the only thing in its art design that is great visually even if it is gross in some regard.
The firstDead Islandgame was truer to the name as it took place on a tropical island. There were beaches, palm trees, vast amounts of water, and so on. The name makes less sense now, butDead Island 2is still in a paradise for the American Dream aka Hollywood.
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The sunlit streets of L.A. make it stand out from the crowd of zombie games that favor a lot of browns and grays in their color pallets.Dying Light 2is a good/bad example of this as it does take place in ableak post-apocalyptic society.
5The Parkour: Dying Light 2
Dead Island 2has a great variety of locations but there is one problem with the environments: They are small locales making the game a series of semi open-worlds instead of one giant one. That’s the great thing aboutDying Light 2as players can explore more openly.
Also, traversal is a lot more fun in the game. That sense of parkour transfers over from the first game. Dodging and weaving through zombies while hopping across rooftops never gets old like a zombie version of anAssassin’s Creedgame.
As cramped as the locations are inDead Island 2, there is another thing that helps them out at least – there are tons of ways to kill zombies with traps in the game. For example, dumping oil or gasoline in an area can be ignited with a gun or a sharp object thus creating a wall of fire.
This fire can damage enemies while keeping the player safe. It’s fun to play around with the environments in the game and there’s not much of that inDying Light 2.
3The Story: Dying Light 2
The Last of Usset a high bar for zombie games and post-apocalyptic games overall.Dying Light 2does not beat that classic out, but it does tell a gripping tale. The best thing about the story is the branching pathways players can take.
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Simply giving a city water can have huge ramifications in the story which gives players a reason to go through the game mutliple times. There’s nothing like that inDead Island 2to add to the replay value.
WhatDead Island 2lacks in drama, it makes up for with humor. The comedic tone falls somehow in the realm oftheBorderlandsseries, with a lot of obvious jokes being thrown out there. It’s over the top which is obvious from the tones of extreme gore alone.
It’s not going to make everyone laugh but it is undoubtedly funnier thanDying Light 2. Players will be at a loss if they hope to crack a genuine smile while playing that game.
What’s the best current zombie game? According to Metacritic and fan outcry, the remakes ofDead SpaceandResident Evil 4are doing quite well.Dead Island 2andDying Light 2are two different zombie games from those, but they are similar to each other. They areopen action RPGsthat give players a lot of neat weapons to play around with. They are both a good time and are easy to recommend.
Dead Island 2, however, wins by a thin margin for being okay with not being yet another dramatic look into the human condition during a zombie outbreak. It is dumb fun pure and simple.
Dead Island 2releases on August 02, 2025, for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
