Did you know poker is the new big thing in video games? Well, they are, and Dead Island 2 succumbs to this trend.
In a recent interview with GameInformer (transcribed by NME), Dambuster Studios’ lead narrative designer Khan and creative director James Worrall had a few things to note, including how skill trees have shifted.
Dead Island 2 has been in development for a long time, so it’s surreal to think the game is only a few months old. In an interview with Dambuster, Khan shared that Dead Island 2 is actually set ten years after the original, and will take place in Los Angeles.
James Worrall and Khan then describe the skill tree as “one of, if not the most exciting additions to the game”. The sequel will feature skill decks, rather than a branch-based skill tree like we had in Dead Island.
Worrall describes skill decks as “a collection of slots that represent a variety of different abilities, and you can swap out cards whenever you want.” As such, Worrall explained, thanks to the cards, players can take some real risks when loading, and of course, those risks sometimes pay off, but they also sometimes go “horribly wrong.”
Khan then explains the fun of skill decks, and how it changes gameplay. “You can take off, change your skills in mid-air, and then land with a different loadout, which is awesome.” This level of customization obviously makes the game different for each player, with gameplay changing based on your gear and using way differs.
We’ve seen some games introduce various skill decks into their gameplay. Most recently is the upcoming remake of Yakuza: One Heart! Just revealed it’s the all new power-up: Trooper Cards.
Dead Island 2 will finally release on April 28th on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC via the Epic Games Store.
