It has been over a decade since theDead Islandseries began in 2011. There was the first game and then the expansion,Riptide, which became its own standalone package in 2013. These were both from the PS3 and Xbox 360 era of games, meaning that a lot has changed in the industry.
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Dead Island 2missed a complete generation of consoles with the PS4 and Xbox One in their prime. Even though this new entry does appear on those consoles now, the PS5 and Xbox Series X are the stars of the show. So, in this decade-plus hiatus, what has changed specifically between the first game andDead Island 2?
8New Characters And Locations
The most obvious change inDead Island 2is that it is set in a new location. In the original game, the name of the series made sense since players were trapped on an island with a bunch of zombies. L.A. is not an island, but it is a paradise to some which is a weird workaround to make the sequel fit.
Players will traverse all over the greater L.A. landscape and can choose between six characters including Jacob, Bruno, Ryan, Carla, Dani, and Amy. Be prepared to invest countless hours into anotherbig semi-open-world adventure.
7Dynamic Body Changes
The graphics inDead Island 2may not be as groundbreaking as something akin toGod of War Ragnarok, but it does excel in one area: gore. Zombies will tear apart in too many ways to count. They receive realistic damage in some of the grossest ways possible.
Limbs will fly off, the flesh will melt, eyeballs will pop out, and so on. It’s so over the top that players will probably laugh at how ridiculous it is. The original game looks like aKirbyadventure compared toDead Island 2.
6Skill Cards
Both of theDead Islandgames areaction RPGsat their cores. Players can kill zombies, or go on side quests to gain experience points and level up. In the first game, players would receive skill points that they could then spend on a skill tree.
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InDead Island 2, this skill tree is replaced by skill cards. These cards will unlock through leveling up and through story progression automatically. The nice thing about cards is that players can equip and switch them around at will, giving room for more experimentation.
5Multiplayer Changes
Not every change in the sequel is a positive one. The first game allowed up to four people to simultaneously play a co-op session together through the campaign. This made a lot of sense because there were only four characters to choose from.
InDead Island 2, players can only play in teams of three. It’s not a huge downgrade in numbers, but it is sad for those that lovefour-player co-op games. On the plus side, it’s easier now than it was back in 2011 to connect to a game as the infrastructure has been revamped.
4Exploring In The Day And At Night
There was no day/night cycle in the first game. The sky would change, but it depended on where players were in the game. That is also true forDead Island 2, albeit with a minor change. Once an area is unlocked, players can fast-travel between areas.
When players are setting up their warp location, they can also choose whether to play that area in either the day or night. However, whether players invest their time in the day or night doesn’t matter too much. Playing at night can help players immerse themselves in amore horror-like setting, which is a positive for some.
3New Weapons
If there is one thingDead Island 2has plenty of, it is weapons. Many of the older weapons have been retooled for various reasons. For example, the Claws have been replaced with the Bear Claws. The former were one-handed weapons in the first game, whereas the sequel’s claws equip to each hand in this new sequel. There are new weapons as well such as shurikens if players wish to pretend theyare a ninjaslaying zombies in L.A.
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The modding system for melee weapons and guns has been revamped too, allowing players to equip more on each weapon to make some truly killer combos. From adding electricity to knives to creating a thunderous impact with a mace, there’s a lot more to experiment with in the sequel.
2Stamina And Fury
The stamina and Fury gauge work differently in the sequel. In the original game, every action from running to swinging an axe used up stamina. Stamina returns inDead Island 2, but it only decreases when players charge up their attacks. This lessens the need to stand around and wait which is not something fansof action RPGswant to do.
As for the Fury meter, it can be unlocked almost right away in the first game via the aforementioned skill tree. InDead Island 2, it won’t get unlocked until about a third of the way through the game.
1The Doors
This may seem like a minor change to some, but it is huge for fans of the first game. InDead Island, doors could be opened and closed. Also, some doors had to be smashed open which included a small quick-time event.
InDead Island 2, once doors are opened, that’s it and there are no quick-time events involved. This change is not the greatest as it eliminates ways for players to block zombies from chasing them.
Dead Island 2was released on June 27, 2025, and is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
