Summary
- Dead Island 2 stands out for reinvigorating the franchise after a decade, sparking interest with new characters and gory mechanics.
- Despite success, the sequel faced criticism for its inclusion of dreaded sewer levels, hindering the overall experience for players.
- Fans hope Dead Island 3 will learn from past mistakes and improve upon the franchise, avoiding the pitfalls of sewer levels for a better game.
Dead Island 2 brought the franchise back from the ashes, and although it's not a perfect game, it's a surprising success story. After a decade in development hell, Dead Island 2 launched last year to solid reviews from critics and players. From the game's wonderfully over-the-top gore-centric mechanics to a new cast of characters, the sequel reignited interest in the franchise.
Now, over a year after the game's initial release, there are many wondering if Dead Island 2 will receive a follow-up in order to grow the franchise further. The game has received two different DLCs with Haus and SoLA Festival, and developer Dambuster Studios confirmed that more content for Dead Island 2 is on the horizon. After such development woes, it would be exciting to see a long-running franchise finally blossom, but a third entry in the series needs to do away with the worst part of both games: the sewer levels.
Dead Island 3 Needs to Flush Away the Sewers
Dead Island's Sewer Levels Have Become Notorious
The Dead Island franchise has its fair share of notable features that help create the tone of the game. Fun weapons, interesting characters, and an island setting, both literal and metaphorical, make up the fabric of the series. Despite the list of great features that reside in Dead Island and Dead Island 2, one thing is clear. The sewers are a bad time. If the next Dead Island wants to really be a satisfying experience, foregoing the dreaded sewer levels is the key to crafting a better game.
Since this type of level is found in both games, it is unfortunately building the foundations of a trend that is better to be avoided than embraced. It's possible that Dambuster Studios added a sewer level as an attempt to give Dead Island 2's predecessor a fun nod, but it unfortunately falls flat. Dead Island 2's take on sewers is at least an improvement compared to the first game, but it just would have been better if the level was scrapped in general.
Ultimately, the main reason why Dead Island 2's sewer level is better than Dead Island is because it's shorter. Getting to be done with a level quicker than its original incarnation isn't a compliment. Although there hasn't been any official confirmation of another game, there are certain expectations for Dead Island 3 to improve upon the not-so-great features that kept Dead Island 2 from being a great game and simply a good game.
The Dreaded Sewers Continue to Show Up
It's not just a Dead Island problem. Sewer levels have been the bane of many gamers. Even when a game excels at its level and environmental design, it's still incredibly hard to pull off a sewer level well. Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is a recent example of this, as the sewers really throw a wrench into the overall experience. Sewer levels have quickly become notorious through the years, and although they sometimes serve an important purpose, even the best sewer level can oftentimes still feel like a chore.
Dead Island 2 made some bold decisions. Featuring an overrun Los Angeles as a metaphorical island and not continuing the first game's story were a few of the biggest changes, but the sequel should have started with the sewers. As of now, there is no telling what Dead Island 3 will hold, but Dambuster Studios made it clear that it can make a solid zombie romp. The developer is off to a strong start, but if it really wants to make Dead Island 3 come out swinging, ditching the sewer level is the right call.
Dead Island 2
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 75 /100 Critics Rec: 57%
- Released
- April 21, 2023
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Drugs
- Developer(s)
- Dambuster Studios
- Publisher(s)
- Deep Silver
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 4
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer, Online Co-Op
- Franchise
- Dead Island
WHERE TO PLAY
- Number of Players
- 1-3
- Platform(s)
- PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
- How Long To Beat
- 15 Hours
- PS Plus Availability
- Extra & Premium
- File Size Xbox Series
- 61 GB (February 2024)
