Dead Island 2 Preview: 5 Hours of Pure, Violent Zombie Escapism

Getting time with a preview build of Dead Island 2 landed at exactly the right moment for me. After wrapping up games packed with dense storytelling and endlessly busy systems, it felt like a relief to only worry about moving from point A to point B—and smashing through whatever mindless monster steps into my path.

By the time I’d logged about five hours, cleared nine main missions, and completed three side quests, Dead Island 2 had settled into a guilty pleasure: messy, brutal, and unapologetically focused. Early on, the objectives don’t demand strategy on a deep level. That’s not a criticism here—it’s the point. I can just lean into the satisfaction of hitting zombies as hard as possible with a pole and watch the game’s gore do its thing.

Morbid as that sounds, the standout draw so far is how convincing the world looks and how vividly it sells its dead bodies. Dambuster Studios claims every zombie is assembled from layers of bone, blood, and flesh, and that each strike—whether you’re slicing, smashing, or setting someone on fire—tears into those layers in a way that feels gruesomely consistent.

That claim shows up in practice. A well-timed hit with a bladed weapon can take a zombie’s leg out immediately, cutting off its ability to spring at you. If you keep ramming a golf club into the head, you’ll quickly crush the skull and expose what’s underneath. And when you lean on elemental or environmental effects, the results get even nastier: running electricity through a puddle can fry enemies, while burning attackers down can leave their skin charred and brittle—still terrifying as they scramble toward you with whatever strength is left.

The melee combat itself also feels great, and that’s been true since earlier hands-on sessions with Dead Island 2. With so many weapon options, there’s real nuance in how they play—even if you’re mostly there for the violence.

Weapons fall into different categories with distinct behavior. For example, a class like “headhunter” pays off when you land precise strikes on zombie heads, boosting damage when you aim correctly. A “frenzy” weapon type shows up with lighter gear, enabling you to stun-lock enemies as you carve through them. One early enemy variation that stands out is a bruiser-style zombie: it leaps in, generates shockwaves at ground level, and can knock you off your feet. Eventually, you even get an ability like that for yourself. These aren’t revolutionary mechanics, but they keep the opening hours moving instead of becoming a loop.

There’s also a counter mechanic that feels satisfying in the moment. You can dodge or block—though you only pick one at a time—and if you time it right at the last second, the zombie gets staggered. That opens up a hold state where you can line up heavier attacks and takedowns. It can be hard to tell for sure when you’ve succeeded, and it would benefit from clearer feedback. Still, the system is fun to lean on, especially once you start trusting your timing.

On top of that, weapons can be modified, upgraded, and reshaped to push damage higher and add status effects. The game follows a broader trend of treating weapons like RPG items, complete with a visible damage number. Weapons also wear down with use, which is usually a good design choice—at least, it encourages you to carry a few favorites and keep them upgraded instead of relying on one tool forever. That said, improvising when you’re stuck is also part of the fun.

Even as someone who prefers turning damage numbers off, I still found it easy to stick with weapons that felt good to swing and then quickly confirm—via a simple input—that they were strong enough for what I’d face next.

Because Dead Island 2 doesn’t place an especially heavy emphasis on explaining every detail of what you’re doing and why, it helps that there’s plenty to focus on while you’re actively fighting. Each small encounter tends to feel tense, gross, and rewarding to push through. Outside the combat, the game’s environmental details in its small, explorable neighborhood “playgrounds” help sell the illusion of a far bigger world—and they’re interesting enough to keep pulling me in.

For the broader worldbuilding, Dead Island 2 tries to paint a heightened picture of California and Los Angeles culture, exaggerated and made more inward by the post-apocalypse. The game markets itself as “punk,” and it leans pretty hard into branding attempts like “HELL-A” (pronounced like “L.A.” but with “Hell” attached). If you’re looking for a comparison, it’s easiest to think of the goofy side of Far Cry turned up to an extreme volume—especially since that game also leaned into the absurd energy of Grand Theft Auto and multiplied it.

Early on, the supporting cast includes larger-than-life performers, personal assistants, washed-up rockers, and online influencer types. They’re intentionally written as parodies of annoying archetypes, and whether that lands depends on your tolerance. Personally, I’m usually in the “grating” camp—but for roughly the first five hours, I was mostly okay. The pacing of the action gave me enough room to shut off the irritation by going back to work with a crowbar, then following up with kicks that send enemies through glass.

Your choice of protagonist heavily shapes how that experience feels. There are six playable characters, and while each one brings unique inherent combat advantages, they also come with their own personality. It matters that you connect with the character you pick—not only for their fighting style, but for their overall vibe—because they all talk constantly. The game features plenty of conversations, lots of idle chatter, and frequent stream-of-consciousness narration.

I ended up enjoying two of them the most. First was Amy, a fast and agile Paralympian who uses a running blade on one leg. Her demeanor felt the most grounded and self-possessed. The other was Dani, an Irish-born roller derby rockabilly character who surprised me by being less of a cartoon than I expected, and who swears casually in a way that feels friendly rather than forced.

I’m glad that worked out, because Dani seemed to have the strongest passive abilities by a wide margin. Her heavy attacks deal area-of-effect damage, and she gains health from killing multiple zombies quickly. Still, even if passives weren’t as favorable, simply having choices would be a big deal. I don’t think I could’ve stuck with the experience for long if I’d been locked into one of the other characters.

Overall, I found plenty of bloody satisfaction during the first stretch of Dead Island 2. I can see myself coming back as a light but fulfilling form of stress relief—the same kind of comfort you’d get from a popcorn movie. I also know there are more interesting zombie varieties ahead, based on what was shown in the preview, plus genuinely grotesque boss characters. That’s all promising for later encounters. For now, the game feels like a massive, overstuffed cocktail of ideas, and while there’s plenty to enjoy, the longer-term question is whether the satisfaction holds up—especially since the plot hasn’t quite grabbed me in the way the action has.

Dead Island 2 launches on 21 April 2023 for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

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Edmond was the founding managing editor of GamesHub. He previously spent 13 years at GameSpot, serving as the Australian Editor and producing award-winning video content. You can follow him on X at @EdmondTran.

• Dambuster Studios
• Dead Island 2
• Deep Silver
• Plaion

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