The recently releasedDead Island 2has been welcomed very positively by many fans, both new and old. After such a long wait, fans were eager to experience everything the new title has to offer, with the game doing well to reward long-awaiting players with a huge breadth of fresh content to enjoy.
One of the main new factors ofDead Island 2that endeared itself to fans the most is the new FLESH system designed specifically for the game. This particular system is the lifeblood behind the release’s combat gore, being equally impressive as it is disturbing. A system such as this is a fantastic compliment toDead Island 2’score gameplay, and many are already pointing out its benefits over other contemporary and comparable systems, such as the dismemberment mechanics found withinThe Callisto Protocol.
RELATED:Dead Island 2 DLC Following in The Callisto Protocol’s Footsteps Can Make it a Complete Game Like Dead Space
The Callisto Protocol’s Dismemberment Mechanics
The Callisto Protocolwas released in December 2022 to great anticipation, much like the more recentDead Island 2. The release is considered aspiritual successor to the iconicDead Spacefranchise, which is thought by many to have produced some of the best survival horror gaming experiences of the past two decades.
Due to this, it is no wonder thatThe Callisto Protocolmaintains many of the same core mechanics and motifs as theDead Spacefranchise, both in its tense survival gameplay and in the gruesome and horrific ways in which the player can perish or inflict damage upon enemies. WithDead Spacebeing so synonymous with its visceral gore,The Callisto Protocolhaving a dedicated dismemberment systemis a sensible choice to maintain and build upon these mechanics.
Working in Unreal Engine,the team behindCallisto Protocoldeveloped its own system that layered the likes of flesh, muscle, and skin over enemy skeletons, creating realistic and dynamic wounds that alter how enemies react to damage and be immobilized. The system was ultimately well-received by players, but a similar system recently developed forDead Island 2has pippedCallisto’s dismemberment system in the eyes of many.
Like the aforementioned dismemberment system ofThe Callisto Protocol,the FLESH system ofDead Island 2was designed specifically for the release, speaking to the importance and presence of combat interactivity and gore in the survival genre. FLESH stands for Fully Locational Evisceration System for Humanoids, and the team behindDead Island 2prided the game on this particular system in the run-up to its launch.
LikeCallisto’sdismemberment, the FLESH system sees the manyzombies ofDead Island 2react dynamically and realistically to the many different ways players can inflict damage on them. The FLESH system works procedurally in a much more granular way than the dismemberment system, with clumps of skin, muscle, and bone being ripped from enemies even from the slightest wing of a bullet or melee weapon.
As well as this, the main way in which FLESH thrives over the dismemberment system is the much larger frequency of enemies that are present at one time withinDead Island 2when compared toCallisto. The greater presence of enemies leads to the FLESH system being used constantly, allowing fans to see the full breadth of variety that the system possesses. While the dismemberment system ofThe Callisto Protocoland the FLESH system ofDead Island 2are both fantastic additions to their respective titles, the greater variety of the FLESH system and its more consistent usage puts it a cut above itsCallistocounterpart.
Dead Island 2is now available for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
MORE:As Battlefield Lags Behind Call of Duty, Dead Island 2 Catches Up to Dying Light 2
