11 years after the first episode, Dead Island is finally back. Made official during Opening Night Live, we were able to get our hands on a demo version during a meeting with the game teams.
This version imposed a character among the 6 that will be available in the full game. Note that apart from a different appearance, they also have their own skills. In our case, our heroine can trigger a kind of rage, a state in which our attacks go through violent punches/claws.
Our session started in the middle of the night on a beach, with the aim of going to the heart of a funfair located on the pontoon a little further. No time to spare ourselves, we are quickly taken in the atmosphere with this beach simply lit by moonlight. However, we are far from alone since some zombies have also decided to come and take a little midnight swim.
A little further on, once you’ve arrived near the attractions, the tension has gone up a notch with on the one hand more hungry undead, on the other hand many pools of blood and above all the regular laughter of a clown. The atmosphere conquered us, the demo notably offering pretty lighting and colored neon lights. However, this quality will have to be confirmed in daylight environments, in order to see whether or not the care taken is still of the same ilk.
Good surprise, the zombies faced were quite varied. Already by their outfits and their appearances, we did not have the impression of finding the same model of adversary at all costs. But this variety is also found in the type of enemies that can be encountered. Here, in addition to the so-called “classic” zombies, we saw much more resistant and devastating mountains of muscles as well as electrified enemies who could then inflict additional damage on us. We also met a kind of mini boss that is also electric, more resistant, but above all with the ability to spread electricity to other nearby zombies as long as it has not been silenced. We can’t wait to see what else the full game can offer us in terms of “special” zombies.
Let’s continue on the gameplay to say that we particularly liked this one. The feel of the weapons is nice. We really appreciated the feeling of the impact of each blow. Depending on the weapon used, whether it was a firearm, a one-handed weapon or a heavier two-handed one, the sensations were different. We weren’t able to test the craft in this demo, but we had a wide range of weapons in our inventory, some of which were likely the result of an assembly of components. For example, we had access to a flaming ax inflicting burning damage in addition to that of impact.
The target location is not insignificant, the location of the damage seemed convincing to us, as did the physics of the game, even if it will take a few more hours to confirm it or not. However, blows to the arms make zombies one-armed and by extension less dangerous. Aiming for the legs will put enemies on the ground and reduce their movement while aiming for the head will often be synonymous with critical hits and decapitation.
Finally, we find what makes the DNA of the series with the life bar and the level of enemies, the display of the damage inflicted or even the chocolate bars and other energy drinks to recover to regain health.
Planned to be playable up to 3 players in cooperation, we can’t wait to be able to extend the experience and confirm the good impression that this demo left us. Answer on February 3, 2023.