After almost 10 years in development Hell-A, Dambuster somehow pull it out the bag with a skull smashing fun fest
Developer: Dambuster Studios Publisher: Deep Silver
Platforms: Xbox Series X /S, PS5, Windows
They couldn't could they? After the best part of a decade getting passed around like a bop-it at Christmas, could Dambuster actually bring this long awaited sequel back from the dead? Hell-A yes!
Now, like its predecessor, Dead Island 2 is far from perfect. But, it gets one crucial thing correct that will always make these kinds of titles sink or swim. Smashing a zombie to smithereens with your own take on Lucile the bat has never felt or looked better. That is the secret.
If the game spent eight years in development, 7.5 of those (minimum) must have gone into their revolutionary gore mechanics. One well timed blow to the head sees a zombie pop like a watermelon, eye literally hanging on by its socket. One slice from a toothed samurai sword will send their legs flying as they crawl towards their next human happy meal. Every hit triggers a glorious gore show, with each new weapon and upgrade more outrageous than the last. Fed up with weapons ? Why not just punch a hole in the zombie's face with acid dipped brass knuckles? or just turn them to stew with FLAMING WOLVERINE CLAWS. The fun is never ending when it comes to the combat , while not quite as fluent as in the trip to Hanoi, melee combat is so satisfying you basically ignore guns.
Speaking of Hanoi, this game is notably not set on an island yet somehow still feels familiar to the tropical island where the outbreak began. You'll struggle to find a prettier backdrop as you cause absolute mayhem: Bel Air, Beverley Hills, Venice beach, movie studios, A-List hotels. All explorable hubs rather than the more common open world approach, a welcome change of pace with no radio towers to scale to help de-fog your map. It's just straight into the action, whether you are painting an influencer house red or terrorising a strongman contest on the beach, the real life setting keeps you immersed.
Now, while all this is great, a game this long in the making was never going to be perfect and loving zombie mauling as I do, this was no different.
The story, much like the original sees you choosing from five playable characters each with varying attributes and all of them more forgettable than the last. I picked Ryan, for obvious reasons and what seemed like a fireman turned out to be a male stripper yet somehow going by other playthroughs, he seems like one of the less annoying options.
The five of you survive a plane crash as the outbreak that grips LA makes it onto your flight, the plane comes down and you are plunged straight into the action. Now, while I don't expect games like this to have Naughty Dog level narratives, the main story shows clear signs of a title that has been passed around over the years. While there are some cool ideas (SAM B IS BACK), the story feels very stop start before just abruptly ending with more questions than answers. This likely explains why the side quests felt like a breath of fresh air as you can tell writers were urged to spread their wings, coming up with cooky characters that fit the setting perfectly: retired actors, washed up rockstars, YouTube sensations and dithery lifeguards. All characters that fit the glamorous setting like a glove. They fit Hell-A so well, Dambuster would perhaps be better served having any DLC follow one or all of their stories, rather than whatever the main story tried to be.
Music also feels a little under-utilized, while it picks up as fights get more intense and gets creepy when exploring dark corridors, there were one or two occasions it felt as though set pieces could have benefited from a licensed track but given the rush to ship the game, the oversight is understandable.
Given the things this game overcame during its creation, it's safe to say most of us were expecting a dumpster fire. While the story is at least a fire hazard, the scarily satisfying combat, sick side quests and return of online co-op all wrapped up in the familiar setting of L.A made this non stop fun from start to finish. It's not for everyone but if your looking for mindless, gory, zombie-bashing fun, this is a must.
RM RECOMMENDS
+Best Gore system ever - Hit and miss story
+ Satisfying combat - Annoying playable characters
+ Nuts side characters - Gunplay is average
+ Amazing setting
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