Dead Island 2's all-new skill deck is the "most exciting addition to the game"

Dambuster Studios has opened up on one of the "most exciting" new features coming to Dead Island 2: the skill deck.

Talking to Game Informer (thanks, NME), creative director James Worrall and lead narrative designer Khan confirmed that the long-awaited - and often postponed - sequel will take place in Los Angeles a full decade after the original game.

The team said that LA will almost be a character itself due to "the amazing eccentrics and self-confidence of the city", and believes that the skill tree will be "one of - if not the most - exciting addition to the game".

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The admission came when Khan was asked if there was a skill tree and instead replied with: "There's a skill deck… which is even better.

"The art is amazing, and they're fun to look at and all of that, but they're just really fun to play with. [You can] change skills mid-air; you can take off, change a skill, and land with a different loadout, and that's just amazing."

"And you can take some real risks with your loadout as well," Worrall added. "It really pays off… and sometimes, goes horribly wrong."

"[The development team] could not be drawn to talk much about the missing years or other studios [b]ut, from what I've played of Dead Island 2, the work seems to have paid off. My brief time smacking undead on the beach suggested a stylish and surprisingly fun zombie apocalypse. One that's more a comedy adventure than the grim 'is man is the real monster?' stuff we've had recently. Which, after a real pandemic and just the general state of the world right now, is probably what we need."

We found out late last year that Dead Island 2 had once again been delayed and will now release 12 weeks later than planned on April 28, 2023.