Dead Island 2 players pick up on a subtle yet "really cool" detail rarely seen in games

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"This is very much a 'when you do something right, people shouldn't notice you've done anything at all' moment"

Dead Island 2 screenshot
(Image credit: Deep Silver)

Players have spotted a subtle yet "really cool" detail in Dead Island 2 that puts other games to shame.

After years in development hell, Dead Island 2 finally launched last week, and while players were expecting oodles of gore-fuelled zombie slaying action, they were also pleasantly surprised by the effort that went into the game's less obvious aspects.

The below contains spoilers for Dead Island 2, so if you've yet to make the trip to Hell-A, you might want to look away.

On Twitter, streamer Lance McDonald posted footage of a cutscene from the game, which sees a gun pass between multiple characters as they nervously argue over what to do after discovering one of them has been bitten. As the user points out, the object moves between the characters in a very fluid and realistic way instead "snapping" between them.

"This is very much a 'when you do something right, people shouldn't notice you've done anything at all' moment," McDonald says. "So many games do that thing where an NPC will hand an item to another NPC and the item will just blink out of existence for a moment while it 'swaps' between models."

Other players have been equally impressed by developer Dambuster Studios' efforts. One Twitter user commented, "that was one of the most elegant uses of animation constraints I've ever seen." Another wrote, "no clipping either. This is beautiful," and a third said it was "crazy" that a game with such a troubled development could be "this well polished."

It's certainly an understated inclusion but one that the developer clearly put a lot of work into getting right, and it should give itself a pat on the back for a job well done.

In our Dead Island 2 review, we described the game as "zombie hacking at its purest," adding, "Dead Island 2 takes some simple ideas and works them to perfection in a well-made and fun game. It's a one note thrill, but does well to make that note absolutely sing."

Struggling to survive Hell-A? Our Dead Island 2 tips will help you to avoid joining the zombie hordes.

Anne-Marie Ostler
Anne-Marie Ostler
Freelance Writer

Originally from Ireland, I moved to the UK in 2014 to pursue a Games Journalism and PR degree at Staffordshire University. Following that, I've freelanced for GamesMaster, Games TM, Official PlayStation Magazine and, more recently, Play and GamesRadar+. My love of gaming sprang from successfully defeating that first Goomba in Super Mario Bros on the NES. These days, PlayStation is my jam. When not gaming or writing, I can usually be found scouring the internet for anything Tomb Raider related to add to my out of control memorabilia collection.