Look At What Dying Light Got Right
This game’s only serious competition is Dying Light, which happens to have come from the studio that first came up with the Dead Island formula. Yager has already had a few months to study up on what the game did right, and why almost everyone is in love with the game — including me.
Traversal plays a pivotal role in Dying Light, where getting around has been made easy and, most importantly, enjoyable. Finding the fastest route through the city is a game in itself, complete with its own rewards. A rewarding freerunning system makes evading the hordes just as satisfying as hacking your way through them, and as the players abilities evolve, so do the environments.
The verticality to the environments, specifically in regards to the second half of the game, went a long way in keeping exploration interesting. I’m not sure how Dead Island 2 will be able to match this, but it will need to.