Dead Island 2 Gameplay Reveals Creative Zombie Dismemberment Techniques

Electrocute, melt, or crush -- the options are endless.

Fans of zombie content are in for a treat when Dead Island 2 releases on April 21, 2023. Recently, developers Deep Silver revealed around 15 minutes of gameplay that showcases the new game’s mechanics.

When the original Dead Island was released back on September 6, 2011, it was instantly hailed as one of the best open-world zombie games ever created. With up to 4-player co-op, players were thrust into a world of first-person zombie-slaying carnage and had to utilize different weapons and meet eccentric characters to reach the end. 

The sneak peek of gameplay footage that just dropped today shows how much game development has come over the past decade while still retaining that same Dead Island feel that fans fell in love with over ten years ago. 

Dead Island 2 New Gameplay

In the new Dead Island 2 extended gameplay reveal, players get a 4K look into what the game world will be like, including the brand-new dismemberment mechanics aptly called FLESH that players will gain access to when the game releases. 

With a whole new unique cast of characters, combustible batteries, and specific areas of impact, Dead Island 2 takes everything that made the first game good and seemingly improves upon it. The gameplay itself is age-restricted, but you can watch it on YouTube.

Dead Island 2 Gameplay Screenshot

RELATED: Dead Island 2: Characters and Abilities

Clip It

One thing we noticed is just how varied your zombie kills can get. Game engines are much more advanced than they were a decade ago. While the first game was built in Chrome Engine 5, Dead Island 2 will be utilizing the Unreal Engine. 

The new FLESH mechanic means that impacts on specific limbs and body parts have the intended effect, localizing the damage you dish out on specific parts of the zombie’s body. Dismembering, decapitating, and crushing the skulls of the undead hordes will be more fun and realistic than ever. This is especially handy with the game’s new “boss” zombies, who will all have weak spots that survivors must target to take out. 

This creative variety will lend itself really well to video, as there are probably infinite ways to take out the dead heads. You can rest assured we’ll have gameplay clips on our YouTube channel when the game launches on April 21, 2023. 

For more updates on upcoming games, see our News Section