It would theoretically work incredibly well with the F.L.E.S.H. This optional control method let players control melee swings with the analog stick, allowing for a level of precision a button press can’t have. However, Dead Island 2, while exponentially more technically savvy than its buggy predecessors, doesn’t have the one of Dead Island or Dead Island: Riptide’s more beloved features: the analog combat system. So if you were, for example, to turn the HUD completely off and just keep hammering away at the zombie, you’d see the damage and understand how much health damage you were doing.” We really wanted to give players that immediate feedback. We wanted the gore to reflect the damage that the player had done to the zombie. “You want that instant feedback, that feel, that connection, so then when you do sever the arm, it sort of reflects anywhere up there,” said Duckett. He fondly recalled the early design meetings for the game and how it all came together in the end. Sadly, the RPG systems might limit this since, as annoying as it is in other games, there’s some level gating that can arbitrarily make some zombies extremely hard to kill for no reason other than the number above their head.ĭesign Director Adam Duckett had nothing but good things to say about the dynamic F.L.E.S.H. Clipping a Crusher’s arms means it can do a big ground pound, while slicing off a Runner’s legs means it can’t live up to its colloquial namesake. Seeing a zombie take damage that’s localized to where it was struck is more rewarding than just seeing a health bar go down since it is much more nuanced than the canned damaged models seen in other games.Īnd this nuance has gameplay ramifications since a crippled zombie won’t have access to their full suite of attacks. This procedural system is disgusting since viscera and bones are constantly spilling out with every other blow, and it’s an incredible sight not only because of how excessive it is, but also because of how organic it feels. If they stab a zombie in the belly, their stomach could fall out of that newly created hole. If players bludgeon a zombie’s chin with a giant hammer, their jaw might dangle off their head. This forced but functional acronym stands for Fully Locational Evisceration Simulator for Humanoids and means that a zombie’s body will react to where they’ve been damaged, tearing through skin, muscles, bones, and organs along the way.

The combat is the most intriguing part of the package since it has many layers, which, in a literal sense, applies to its F.L.E.S.H.

Dead island riptide 2 is coming out