Deep Silver unveils Escape Dead Island

Dead Island publisher Deep Silver has announced a new installment in the zombie shooter franchise: Escape Dead Island.

Developed by Swedish studio Fatshark, Escape Dead Island follows Cliff Carlo as he arrives on the zombie-infested island of Banoi from the first game, weeks after the events of Dead Island, as he and his friends try and find out exactly what happened. But unlike the other Dead Island games, Escape Dead Island is not a shooter, has no RPG like elements, and, most notably, your character is not immune to the zombie virus. This means that there is a new emphasis on stealth as your character is forced to avoid the undead rather than fight them. As the game progresses, the player gains more weapons and becomes better equipped to handle the zombies, but for the most part you will have to think tactically and outsmart the zombie horde. There are also some Metroid like exponential exploration elements to the game, meaning that there are certain areas of the game that you are unable to access without specific tools.

Also a bit of a departure from the original games, Escape Dead Island is very much a story driven game, and an unhinged one at that. Cliff regularly has bizarre visions and encounters, many times waking up in the same spot he left days prior. The player is constantly blacking out and waking up in completely random parts of the island. It seems unclear whether or not these insane events are actually happening, or if your character is losing his mind or having a particularly disturbing dream.

With Dead Island 2 announced at E3, and the multiplayer battle arena, free to play Dead Island: Epidemic on it’s way, Deep Silver has their hands full expanding their star franchise beyond its comfort zone. Escape Dead Island is releasing for Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and PC for only $39.99 later this year.