As promised, Dambuster Studios and Deep Silver have finally released over 14 minutes of new Dead Island 2 gameplay, following the melee-focused Slayer Dani as she navigates through the zombie-infested Beverly Hills region to reach the fictional Halperin Hotel evacuation centre. Dani proves more than a match for the undead horde with her devastating melee weapons, customizable abilities, and the “Fury Mode” that lets players tap into the all-consuming aggression buried in their Corrupted DNA.

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Watch the gameplay video below:

New Dead Island 2 Dani Gameplay – Combat, Weapon Mods, Skill Customization, Fury Mode & More:

Though Dead Island 2’s playable character roster is only six-strong, the game is filled to the brim with weapon variety and customization options that allow players to completely re-spec at will and take on anything the zombies have to throw at them. Slayers can swap out their active abilities through the Skill Card menu to comfortably adapt to any combat situation. Though Dani’s kit encourages melee combat with her heavy-attack explosion and health regen ability, she has access to pistols, revolvers, rifles, and a host of other ranged weapons for those who prefer to keep their hands clean.

Each weapon can be modded at workshops with a vast selection of abilities, infusions, and stat upgrades. Particularly interesting is a set of Wolverine-like claws infused with electricity, with which Dani cleaves through shocked enemies. Environmental objects provide yet another combat approach, with players able to chain reactive elements (through blowing up transformers, lighting fuel on fire etc.) to damage and disable several enemies at once. “Curveballs” allow players to manipulate the weaknesses of the undead through

Though the undead population may seem fairly easy to curb-stomp, players will also encounter Apex-class mutant zombies that are uniquely empowered and pose a heightened level of challenge to the overzealous, such as a mutant zombie that is immune to fire. Slayers are themselves empowered with “Fury Mode,” in which the Slayers’ latent Corrupted DNA temporarily takes over (duration replenished in combat) and grants them increased damage, health, and movement speed.

HELL-A isn’t all about combat, however. Besides the main story, the world of Dead Island 2 is populated with a host of side quests and collectibles, and a quest in the style of the phone booth contracts in the Grand Theft Auto series is also shown in the gameplay video.

Dead Island 2 goes live on PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox One on April 21, 2023.