Preview: Dead Island: Riptide

Here’s a question. What do you get when you put four gamers together and ask them to play Dead Island Riptide together?

Some of the most enjoyable and utterly hilarious gaming sessions you’ll ever partake in!

Last week we had the opportunity to check out a preview of Dead Island: Riptide (sequel to the hugely popular Dead Island released in 2011) With a penthouse view overlooking the city and eight screens running two co-op sessions with four players each, it was sure to be an interesting night.

I’ve always enjoyed the single player gaming experience more so than multiplayer. I’m not a supporter of the inclusion of multiplayer modes into what were once single-player franchises and I’ve never been interested in co-op either. However, this all seemed irrelevant when I was playing Riptide.

You’re first tasked with selecting your character – complete with unique backstory, skill set and weapon – before diving into the action.  For me the choice was simple, the Australian former soldier with Wolverine-esque claws. With an accent that was more stereotypically Australian than the late Steve Irwin, it was immediately clear that Dead Island: Riptide wasn’t taking itself too seriously. Herein lies the very brilliance of this game.

The story immediately follows the events of the original Dead Island with you being rescued off the coast of Palanai, after the ship you were aboard capsizes in a rough storm. The game gets right into the swing of things (pun intended) right off the bat (double pun intended), with you meeting the other survivors and fortifying the area you’re in. Shortly thereafter, you encounter your first horde of virus-infected zombies. From there on the island is essentially entirely open to you and you’re free to play how you like, whether it be the main missions, side-quests that you activate by speaking with survivors you meet along the way, or freely wandering and exploring the island.

The combat in Dead Island: Riptide is incredibly enjoyable and addictive. While in most action games, firearms are your best friend, the greatest fun in Dead Island is to be had with the huge range of melee weapons (my personal favorite being a tribal staff with a skull on the end). Playing with cooperatively creates a real sense of twisted satisfaction in taking out a zombie. Whether you’d like to kick your opponents to the ground and then beat them down as they try to get up, or   attack them front-on, the game’s simple, yet flexible enough to indulge in the play style you like. There’s also the ability to drop down on an enemy from above for a one-hit kill if you prefer a stealth approach.

Much like in the original title, you can choose to upgrade your weapons either with cash or spare parts (like barbed wire, nails, etc.) that you’ll find scattered throughout the island or from the zombies you take down. In addition, your weapon will slowly wear down from use, decreasing the amount of damage you can dish out. Tools can be either upgraded or repaired at ‘workbenches’ which can be found in huts or houses scattered throughout the island. While I couldn’t play solo at this event, I’d assume there would be an increased level of strategy for those who do. Solo players will need to ensure that they don’t just rely on one weapon, as the distance between these workbenches can be quite far, and a worn weapon won’t help when you’re faced with five or more zombies.

In the two and a half hours we played we didn’t get very far – perhaps three or so main missions and a side mission or two – but I haven’t had so much fun playing a game in a long time, especially with others. Before playing I asked why we were playing co-op and not single player and was told that “co-op just adds that magical level” and in hindsight it’s a very true statement. It’s not that Riptide introduces new game mechanics that revolutionise the genre, but when you get four people armed with sticks with skulls on the end, baseball bats with nails, and massive machetes, the game becomes unbelievably hilarious and enjoyable.

We all died many times during our playthrough (at one point we spent nearly 30 minutes just trying to get each of us onto a boat at once), but it never felt frustrating or tedious. Whether driving over zombies in vehicles, looking for things to upgrade our weapons with, fighting zombies hand to hand, or simply exploring the open world, Dead Island: Riptide seems like one hell of a game. I can’t comment on how it will when playing solo, but I can say that Dead Island: Riptide with three of your friends is one gaming experience you’ll not want to pass up.