There are some new screens out for Deep SIlver's almost sequel, "Dead Island: Riptide," made available courtesy of VG247. The majority of them are filled with good 'ol zombie bashing, but look closely at a couple, and you'll spot some intriguing details.
Let's take a journey...
Ah, the scenic town of Henderson, on the island paradise of Palanai, not far from "Dead Island's" island resort on Banoi. See where this is going?
This is what Henderson has been reduced to. Whatever was causing the zombies to rise from the dead has made it's way from Banoi over to Palanai. With all of the inhabitants either dead or hungry for brains, Henderson is well on the path to being reclaimed by mother nature. Heavily flooded, much of the environment poses as much danger to survivors as the zombies themselves.
At the center, we have the barricade, a staple for any zombie invasion. Only in "Riptide's" world, it's a "defense hub." As "Riptide's" creative producer Anthony Cardahi tells Official Playstation Magazine, "They introduce something that is a classic zombie trope that you see in a lot of movies where survivors fortify a location and try to hold on as long as they can. It's something that makes complete sense in the world of Dead Island."
At bottom left, we have newcomer John Morgan, former navy cook who probably wishes he was in a Michael Bay movie than a George Romero movie.
Here we have what looks to be the new zombie type, the Grenadier. It definitely fits Cardahi's description of "a lumbering monstrosity who has cancerous growths all over his body and he flings parts of his body at you." The grenadier is the first zombie with a ranged attack, which should help freshen things up a bit.
And while we're on the subject of new zombies...
Just look at this ham fisted monstrosity. What is this thing? I have no idea. What I do know is I want to get as far away from it as possible.
"Riptide" is part of Deep Silver's line-up at this year's PAX East. We should have more information by the end of the month.