Dead Island 2 will be solely focused on the gameplay, rather than muddying things with a strong, emotional storyline according to developer Yager.
The development team, well-known for Spec Ops: The Line, has just picked up the franchise under publisher Deep Silver. Previous Dead Island games were developed by Techland.
Most gaming fans will be very aware of the first trailer for the original Dead Island, which the game could never live up to. It was riddled with ludonarrative dissonance, where the actual gameplay conflicted with the emotional storyline.
"There is a lot of pressure [picking up where Techland left off]. But for me as a developer – I mean it’s a bit different for me because I'm fearless as far as that is concerned – but for me it was kind of the dream opportunity," said Dead Island 2 Game Director, Bernd Diemer. "I liked the first game a lot as a player, but I was similar to most people... There was this trailer, and I still think it’s one of the best game trailers (I can say that because I didn’t work on it). But, when I bought the game and started playing it, I was confused.”
“We like playing [the original Dead Island] on our lunch breaks at Yager, but the things we talk about are never about the story or the girl. It’s always like ‘Did you see that zombie fly up there’? That’s what it felt the game should be about."
That's going to be the biggest change for Dead Island 2, Diemer promised TrustedReviews during an interview at GamesCom.
"We have a bunch of rules in the studio for development. The number one, top, most important rule is never doing anything that stops people playing together. That’s not what we want.”
The idea is to have fast-paced gameplay that seamlessly blends multiplayer into your standard single player experience.
Of course, that's not to say that Dead Island 2 won't have a storyline whatsoever. Dead Island 2 sees a group of immune gathered together by a clapped-out van driving man called Max and his cat Rick Furry, who guides you through the zombie filled California giving you some adventures along the way.
But rather than playing on the deep emotion storyline a la Spec Ops: The Line, you'll see Dead Island 2 being much more surface level in terms of storyline.
"Think Zombieland. It’s not a comedy, so it’s not like ‘Ha Ha’ funny. But what we’re shooting for is it to have surreal, funny elements of you being in an apocalypse. Zombieland is our role model. It is not played as a comedy, the people are serious in the movie. But it’s still funny if you watch it. Dead Island 2 has super funny elements in it – an absurd comedy, which I think works well with the zombies."
Dead Island 2 launches for PS4, Xbox One and PC in Spring 2015.
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