E3 kicks off two weeks from today, but why wait until then if you can learn new facts right now about Techland‘s open world zombie masher, Dead Island? A just-released 11-minute video on GameTrailers is all gameplay, an ordered sequence of clips running through some of the upcoming multi-platform game’s key elements, with narration from publisher Deep Silver‘s Vincent Kummer.
Safe hubs appear to play a major role in how you progress through the game. Groups of human survivors clustered in these locations — anything from a fenced-in compound to a fortified lighthouse — following the zombie outbreak. From the sound of things, you’ll need to perform some kind of task before you can access the hub and receive quests from the people there. In one example shown in the video, ringing church bells must be silenced in order to stop zombies from being drawn to a survivor hiding place.
The video also showed off Dead Island‘s action, in which first-person melee combat is a focus. The zombie head is of course what you’re aiming to knock around the most, though the range of zombies don’t always make that too easy. Basic “vessels” resemble your average shamblers; they won’t run, but are capable of bursting to (un)life if they get too close. There are also powered-up versions called “thugs,” towering, musclebound zombies, capable of knocking you off your feet with a swipe of the hand. “Infected” fall closer to the fast-running hordes in 28 Days Later and then there are “special” zombies, like the straightjacketed Ram and the exploding Suicider.
In short, Dead Island looks like lots of, especially once you factor the four-player co-op into the mix. More is coming at E3, so stay tuned.
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