Dead Island 2 will see weapon durability mechanics return when the game launches on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One in April, but Dambuster Studios says it’s not being “super harsh about it.”
Love it or hate it, the weapon durability mechanic found in previous series entries will return in Dead Island 2, but Dambuster Studios is using it as a way to encourage players to experiment with the myriad of other weapons you can find strewn around ‘Hell-A’ — as long as breakages remain on weapons and not the Dead Island 2 achievements, we’ll be happy.
Dead Island 2 trailer
Weapon durability mechanics are a contentious subject, with some players loving the realism provided by an overused item finally giving up on life, while others say it draws the player away from a game’s core focus. Some of the best Xbox zombie games employ the mechanic, which when used right, can be used to enhance a player’s experience with a game. Speaking with GameInformer, Dambuster Studios’ game director David Stenton says, “it’s about giving the player options and encouraging them to go back to a workbench and try something new.”
According to Stenton, Dead Island 2 isn’t “super harsh about it,” though, as the game isn’t a survival game. The aim is for players to use a variety of tools to rid Hell-A of the undead, instead of using the same weapons by repairing or ‘level-matching.’ Stenton elaborated on this, adding, “Maybe I’m level ten, and that favourite weapon that… was my favourite a few hours ago is still level five. Do I really want to pay the cost of level matching that weapon, or actually maybe I’ll spend the money at a vendor and buy a new pre-modded weapon. Or maybe I’ll spend the money applying this new mod and some of the ingredients I’ve got.”
We had a short 20-minute Dead Island 2 hands-on last year, and really enjoyed using a myriad of weapons to destroy the shambling corpses found on Santa Monica Beach, so we’re looking forward to seeing the game launch on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One on April 28th.
What do you think about weapon durability in games? Drop a comment below and let us know!
