Escape Dead Island

Lore & Background

Escape Dead Island is set six months after the zombie outbreak on Banoi. Aspiring journalist Cliff Calo, son of a broadcasting executive, travels to Narapela with friends Linda Waterson and Devan Mavropani to document the rumored events. The game opens with a prologue two days before the outbreak, where a covert operative named Kilo Two infiltrates a Geopharm facility on Narapela to assassinate a mole, but is attacked by a massive creature after hiding a data drive. Geopharm is depicted as a pharmaceutical company with questionable practices, but the claim that it created the zombie virus as part of a global conspiracy called the Palm Garden Order is not supported by the main Dead Island games' canon.

Reader's Guide

Escape Dead Island received mixed to negative reviews, with Metacritic scores ranging from 32/100 (Xbox 360) to 52/100 (PC). Critics noted its cel-shaded graphics and third-person perspective, but the game lacks the RPG elements of the main Dead Island titles, such as player levels and customizable weapons. Gameplay emphasizes stealth and melee combat, with limited gunplay and a camera for documenting objects. The player character's deteriorating mental state causes hallucinations, including buildings falling from the sky and sudden location shifts. The plot involves a time loop and ambiguous ending, suggesting the entire game may be a hallucination. Eric L. Patterson of Electronic Gaming Monthly gave it a 7.5/10, praising its visual style and ideas.

Did You Know?

• The game uses a cel-shaded graphics style.
• The player character Cliff Calo carries a camera to take pictures of significant objects, prompting commentary.
• The game lacks RPG elements like player levels and customizable weapons, with weapons collected at fixed story points.