Before the brilliant Dying Light, there was just one open world zombie game to rule them all. Dead Island had everything we could have asked for, huge island to explore, brutal combat, vehicular manslaughter, and of course, hordes of the undead to contend with. There were a few bumps in the road technically, but as a whole, Techland created something special. It was like a horror b-movie come to virtual life, and the world hadn’t seen anything like it.
Techland continued the story with Dead Island: Riptide improving some elements that plagued the original game. The key fundamentals, however, were mostly unchanged. This led people to believe it was more of a spin off than a direct sequel, but why fix something that wasn’t broken?
Well, Techland and Deep Silver have remastered these two classics and brought them onto our current generation of consoles. This “definitive edition” promised updated visuals, smoother frame rate, plus all the downloadable content that was ever released. They delivered on some, at least.
Dead Island puts you in control of one of four survivors on the beautiful island of Banoi. An ideal holiday getaway with sun, sand, and sea. Banoi has something other holiday resorts doesn’t though: zombies, loads of zombies. An outbreak has occurred and it’s up to you as either rapper Sam B., hotel receptionist and spy for the Chinese government Xian Mei, former football-star Logan Carter, or ex-police officer Purna to escape it alongside a collection of other survivors who helped you. It’s time to return the favor.
The plot is very cliché which is bogged down with hit and miss voice work. There are group leaders, such as Sinamoi, a tattooed life guard, who is a stern individual with everyone’s best interests at heart, but he needs a lot of help getting things done. He enlists you for the silliest things such as collecting food which, going by the looks of him, he is more than capable of doing himself. There are a lot of other characters like Sinamoi with their own issues for you to help with. Things soon get rather sinister but without giving away spoilers, it’s worth discovering. Riptide, which is included as a digital download, is a follow up to the four survivors’ escape from Banoi Island. Sadly there are hardly any, if any at all, improvements with voice work or a deeper plot. What is also included is Ryder White and his campaign which was released as a DLC pack. He has his own job in Banoi as a soldier: contain the outbreak and find a cure for his wife. Again, cliché, but whereas the other survivors are hell bent on escaping the island, Ryder’s motives are a welcome change.
Gameplay in both Dead Island and Riptide remain unchanged. Moving around is smooth and the combat is brutally satisfying and tough. Walkers are just standard fodder, but it’s when the infected type come running at you where things get tense. They are crazier and pose more of a threat, similar to the volatiles from Dying Light. Slow but powerful Thugs and the later Suiciders soon change things up before having to handle military types using smarter tactics than a baseball bat. This evolution of combat keeps Dead Island and Riptide interesting and playable from start to end. Combat isn’t just swinging until they fall. Hitting zombies in their limbs with blunt weapons cripples them, preventing further attack. Stabbing and slashing with bladed articles cuts them off. It’s incredibly fun and satisfying but remember, weapons don’t last forever. Alas, if all else fails, just use one of the many vehicles, but be careful though, they handle like crap.
Weapons can be crafted and upgraded using the workbenches in safe areas. Different upgrades require mod blueprints you get from completing missions or finding them on the island. These range from nails to put on a bat or stick to making flame swords, but you need components to make them which are found everywhere. They pack a serious punch and can even take boss types down quickly.
Your character can be upgraded too. Leveling up grants you a point to use within a simple skill tree. They are mainly increasing stamina and health, taking more damage, and other usual upgrades, however, you can also obtain ‘Rage’ mode. This is a special meter that once filled makes you go mental, granting a boost in attack power. A perfect escape plan.
The main attraction in Dead Island: Definitive Edition are the graphics, but they are far from the upgrade we expected. Although the island is initially beautiful once you emerge from the hotel, the cracks begin to show soon after. Constant sun glare and texture popping ruin the potential of a gorgeous looking game. Sprinting, at times, made the game need to catch up visually as things got blurry only clearing up once I’d stopped. The graphical glitches that were in the original releases are here too. Zombies getting stuck and floating objects are but a few. They occasionally create an ugly experience which is frankly unacceptable for a ‘definitive’ remaster. The enhanced textures though are a clear improvement, making characters look better and zombies scarier.
Aside from the main game and Riptide, Dead Island: Retro Rampage is also part of the package. This is a different entity altogether playing like an old school 2D arcade game. You play as a cat owner who has his pet taken and he must fight through hordes of the undead to get there. It plays similarly to side scrolling games you find on modern day devices. You constantly move right with enemies coming at you in three levels. You must switch between the top, middle, and bottom levels to take them out. You can use special attacks which start as a deadly grass trimmer and magic attacks. It’s super fun with loads of levels to play through, each increasing in difficulty and introducing different enemies and attacks. It’s a pure spoof of the main games. A tongue in cheek diversion from the island of Banoi that is heaps of fun, albeit repetitive.
Developer: Techland
Publisher: Deep Silver
Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC
Release Date: 31st May 2016