Dead Island: Riptide is a direct continuation of the original Dead Island, picking up immediately after the events of the first game.

The combat remains the same. Hitting zombies with modded machetes, electrified bats, and explosive knives is still satisfying. The weight of melee weapons feels impactful and the gore system makes fights feel raw and chaotic.

The new setting on the island of Palanai shifts away from the resort-heavy feel of the original and introduces flooded villages, jungles, and swamp areas. The waterlogged environments add a slightly darker and muddier tone to the game.

There are also new base defense-style missions where you fortify areas and fight off waves of infected. While not revolutionary, these sections help break up the usual “fetch and clear” quest structure. However, many assets and mechanics feel reused. If you played the first game extensively, you’ll notice similarities immediately.


The story is serviceable but not memorable. It exists mainly to move you from one mission to the next. Characters are decent, but the narrative doesn’t offer many surprises or emotional moments.


Pros:

+ Satisfying and brutal melee combat
+ Fun weapon crafting system
+ Solid RPG progression


Cons:

- Feels more like an expansion than a true sequel
- Repetitive mission structure
- Weak and forgettable story

Final Verdict:

Dead Island: Riptide doesn’t reinvent the series. Instead, it delivers more of the same formula. For some players, that’s exactly what they want. For others, it may feel like a missed opportunity. If you enjoyed the first game and want more zombie-slaying action especially in co-op, this is worth picking up, particularly during a Steam sale.

Score: 7/10
A solid but safe continuation that plays it a little too familiar.

Y

If you're expecting anything storywise like DI1 you're sorely mistaken. The story feels full of filler and has no effect on the end game. Story wise this game is terrible, and literally is Dead Island 1 with a half baked story but even more BROKEN. The map path function doesnt work properly most of the time until you get up close to your objective, ughhhh.... it made DI1 feel so much better. This game was so bad I looked up the reviews for DI2 and I just decided to spoil it for myself, surprise surprise, another half baked game. Disappointed.