Dead Island 2 will swap out the skill tree for a skill deck

Did you know that cards are the new big thing in video games? Well, they are, and Dead Island 2 is succumbing to the trend, too.

In a recent interview with GameInformer (transcribed by NME), the lead narrative designer, Khan, and creative director, James Worrall, of Dambuster Studios had a few things to note, including how the skill tree has been transformed.

Dead Island 2 has been in development for a long while now, so it’s surreal to think that the game is just a few months away. During Dambuster’s interview, Khan shared that Dead Island 2 is actually set ten years after the original game, and will unfold in the setting of LA.

Then, James Worrall and Khan described the skill tree as, “one of, if not the most exciting addition to the game.” Rather than a branch-based skill tree, much like what we had in Dead Island, the sequel will employ a skill deck.

Worrall describes the skill deck as a, “collection of slots that represent all kinds of different abilities, and you swap the cards in and out, on the fly, however and whenever you want”. As a result, Worrall explains that players can take some real risks with their loadouts thanks to the cards, and of course, these risks will sometimes pay off, while also sometimes going “horribly wrong”.

Khan then explains just how fun the skill deck is, and how it transforms gameplay. “You can take off, change your skill mid-air, and land with a different loadout, which is amazing.” This level of customisation apparently makes the game different for each player, with gameplay differentiating depending on what you’ve equipped and how you’re using it.

We’ve seen a few games introduce a skill deck of sorts to their games. Most recently is the upcoming remake of Like a Dragon: Ishin! which just revealed it’s all new power-ups: Trooper Cards.

Dead Island 2 will release on April 28, at long last, on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC via the Epic Games Store.