The second story DLC has been available for a few days now. SoLa for Dead Island 2 available, which finally makes it clear that a key element from the previous games will be missing – driving cars.
In Dead Island and Dead island riptide This was possible at any time, and players could extensively explore the island in vehicles. Dead Island 2 There is only a fast travel function to switch between the different locations. Dambsuter's Game Director David Stenton explains why vehicles were specifically omitted in a look back at the development of... Dead Island 2.
This one was anything but ordinary and originally started at the German studio Yager. Dambuster only gained full control in 2018. Dead Island 2 Stenton took over and completely rebuilt the game from the ground up. According to Stenton, the goal was to build upon the foundations of the original. Dead Island-to build a franchise, but also to adopt some ideas that, for example, Yager used for Dead Island 2 Vehicles were no longer included, in order to give greater priority to other aspects.
Close combat should be spectacular
These priorities included melee combat, which Dambuster significantly expanded compared to its two predecessors and which was intended to be spectacular. This encompasses not only numerous weapons but also RPG-typical elements, as well as brutal and spectacular presentations. The player is meant to have their own personal zombie slayer experience.
In an extensive Special by DX Stenton said:
"We wanted to focus on close-quarters combat and be really close to personal zombie slaying, a special zombie-killing experience, rather than spending hundreds of miles in vehicles. That was the kind of debate at the time regarding what our vision for Dead Island 2 should be."
The decision to forgo vehicles was ultimately reflected in the game world's design, which isn't divided into two large open worlds, but rather into several sandbox environments, each representing a different district of Hell-A. Extensive car excursions would be virtually impossible here, even in the separate DLC locations.
The omission of vehicles didn't hurt the game, which ultimately became one of the most fun zombie games in recent memory. Our final verdict on Dead Island 2 and the SoLA DLC adds another one read here.
