Two of the greatest zombie films, I Walked With a Zombie, and Lucio Fulci’s Zombie, both take place on islands, and the Dead Island game evoked rather fond memories of the Fulci classic for me.
Fortunately, the undead fun isn’t over, as a new Island game is slated to hit store shelves in 2013 courtesy of the folks at Deep Silver.
“The survivors of the zombie-apocalypse on the once beautiful island resort of Banoi escaped in a helicopter to the safety of a military ship. When a furious storm hits and the virus suddenly spreads throughout the crew, the nightmare starts all over again, leaving hope drowning in the rising tides,” reads the official synopsis.
“Devastated by a monsoon, the island of Palanai is crawling with new zombie mutations. A fifth character with an all-new skillset will join the team, providing much needed support. Additional multiplayer communication features and brand new hub defense missions will test the survivors teamplay skills.”
Pitting people against zombies in extreme weather conditions is an interesting idea that hasn’t yet been fully explored, kind of like combining a horror film with a disaster film, so it sounds like this should be a very worthy follow up to the first Dead Island.
Crossing over with hardcore gore fiends, Dead Island made the cover of Rue Morgue magazine, and as they reported, the game “is just about the closest yet to actually being deposited into the middle of a zombie pandemic.”
And as the game’s writer, Hari Orkin, told Rue Morgue, “It’s about creating a fully realized world and then dropping the player into the middle of it. The contrast between the natural beauty of Banoi and the horror of what’s happening creates a great contrast and tension.”
And as Andrew Alonso, a gamer who played Dead Island extensively, told us, “The environments are rich, well designed, and allow you to really feel like you are there, especially if you have a large TV and surround sound. Hearing the creatures approaching from off screen is especially scary in the beginning. When it comes to immersion in the fantasy, I don’t know a horror game that has done it better.”
