Dead Island: Riptide dev talks 'darker' plot, 5th character & new setting

Dead Island: Riptide is heading to PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 and while it's not the seismic shift in tone that comes with most sequels, publisher Deep Silver has confirmed to VG247 that the plot will be much darker this time round, and that the island of Palanai is more savage than Banoi.

As part of a VG247 interview, Deep Silver's creative
producer Sebastian Reichert acknowledged that Dead Island: Riptide doesn't feature a drastically different setting, but that it was a question of development time crossed with fan demand.

"Of course this is a very important question that we also asked ourselves," Reichert explained, "But the request from the fans after the success of Dead Island was very clear - they want more and they want it now! However, creating a whole new setting will take a lot of time."

"So the question shifted to 'do we have enough ideas in the same setting to offer another great experience, or do we have to shift the setting to deliver a full experience?' Dead Island: Riptide is the answer to that. We changed the setting partially, built in new features fitting to this different environment and now we make sure the experience rocks again."

We asked Reichert if he could respond to fan concerns that the island setting of Palanai appears too similar to Banoi in the original game, "No worries guys, with the flooded jungle the whole experience of this game will feel really different. The additional defensive gameplay, the boat, and the advanced character development will make sure that you are diving into a different experience."

"For example, in Dead Island, the beauty of the island was often created by man - the Beach Resort, Hotel, etc - and the terror was created by the zombies. This main design theme has changed. Palanai is an island full of natural beauty, for example, wonderful waterfalls, contrasted by natural destruction caused by storms, monsoons and rain. And of course the zombies."

When quizzed on the plot, Reichert responded by saying, "Plot-wise, 'darker' is good description of where we’re heading, but of course we stay bright and beautiful on the outside. We are taking a very special step in this instalment and we are looking forward to see how the fans react to it."

"There will be a new character, and yes we have a lot of ideas as mentioned before. There will be whole lot more to do. One small example would be that the game now tracks which weapons you use and mirrors that in your proficiency with those weapons."

What do you make of Dead Island: Riptide? Does it appear too similar, or are you game for some more tropical zombie slaughter? Let us know below.