The fictional island Banoi, located near Papua New Guinea in Oceania, is a lush environment with beaches, jungle, mountains, and contemporary resort structures. After a night of excessive drinking and partying, the protagonist has a nightmare. The island has been overrun by zombies, steadily converting more humans to their side. However, the protagonist appears to have some immunity to this. The dispersed remaining survivors on the island have retreated to various outposts where they attempt to hold the fort. The protagonist’s primary objective is to stay alive, aid in defending the island’s inhabitants against the zombie invasion, and eventually find a way to escape the island.
Dead Island is a horror-themed first-person action game with robust RPG elements. The game features extensive free-roaming gameplay. The expansive island can typically be explored in any direction, with a few exceptions where the player is warned that they are about to leave the playable area. The gameplay and progression are primarily quest-based. Survivors offer rewards for locating missing family members and scavenging items and simple duties like returning a teddy bear. There are chapter-based main missions that advance the overall plot and numerous optional sidequests. The island can be discovered on foot or by automobile. The gameplay is aggressive and action-oriented. Although outrunning ghouls can avoid many encounters, the player is always encouraged to engage the enemy.
Four unique characters are available for selection: Purna, Logan, Sam B, and Xian. They have distinct initial parameters and specializations, such as blunt weapons, sharp weapons, firearms, and hurling spears. By accomplishing quests and defeating zombies, one gains experience points. These are used in a level-up system similar to RPGs in which players can expend skill points on three distinct ability trees. These include combat and survival talents and a unique Fury category – a character-specific ability. Fury is typically a special attack that can be used after filling a gauge by defeating foes. As most of the environment is freely explorable, a system similar to The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is employed. When the player’s character gains a level, the player’s enemies and any new weapons located or purchased have the same level. This makes the game’s difficulty constant, as there are no areas to backtrack and vanquish weaker foes. Additionally, areas are never permanently cleared; adversaries and items typically reappear when revisiting a section.
Baseball bats, wrenches, firearms, knives, crowbars, and Molotov cocktails are among the many weapons that can be purchased or found in the environment. Weapons, however, degrade rapidly, and if the player wishes to keep them, they must be routinely repaired at a workbench for cash. Additionally, armaments can be upgraded at that location. By discovering blueprints, special weapon modifications are enabled. It is possible, for instance, to add nails to a baseball bat or electrify and fire at weapons. You can also use regular fists or a kick to drive the zombies back or knock them down. Targeting specific areas, such as the neck, increases damage, and severing distinct appendages slows down or immobilizes opponents. Attacking and running depletes stamina, which is gradually restored over time, as opposed to health, which requires energy drinks and medical supplies. Exploration of the environment and structures for loot is encouraged. This provides cash and specific items that can be sold or required for weapon modification. Precise timing is needed to strike attacks and avoid incoming blows with melee weapons. When a player character is defeated, they respawn nearby with a cash penalty and, in some cases, a lost weapon. There are shops where products can be purchased and sold. The game also contains rare, distinctive, and legendary weapons. It is possible to pick up and hurl or fire objects into the environment to cause explosions or fires.
The majority of navigation is accomplished with the aid of a map containing quest objectives, significant locations, and a path. Additionally, it is possible to travel quickly between centers once they are discovered. The majority of characters can be spoken to. The game offers offline and online cooperative play for up to four players.
