Escape Dead Island Launch Trailer

The third game in the Dead Island series is due to launch next week, and Deep Silver & Fatshark have released the launch trailer for the game that will build the story up to the eagerly anticipated Dead Island 2 coming next year. Taking a different approach to the previous two games, Escape Dead Island moves to a third person viewpoint and a cell shaded graphical style, reminding us a little of Borderlands and XIII, minus the FPS element.

The game promises to not just be a zombie hack-and-slash (though we’re good with that!), and it’ll explore the origins of the zombie virus that caused the original outbreak, as well as struggle with maintaining your own sanity. Playing the part of Cliff Calo, you’ll be taking part in a survival-mystery game set on the island of Narapela after the events of Dead Island. Stealth and combat are the key features that will decide whether you stay alive or become lunch, which will you choose?

Despite the changes it does still tick all the boxes for the series feel – Tropical location? Check. Hordes of zombies? Check. Melee combat? Check. This could be an interesting and refreshing interim title, and one that doesn’t come with all the unnecessary controversy that followed Dead Island: Riptide and possibly harmed the sales. We enjoyed the drop in/drop out co-op fun of the original, bugs and all, and can’t wait for the new generation installment, so Escape Dead Island might be just the thing to tide us over until 2015.

Alongside the launch trailer there’s #TheCrateEscape running that challenges people to escape from a shipping container in under 30 minutes. Based at MCM in London, the Dead Island team have been locking people up and threatening to zombify them if they don’t work together… sounds like a relaxing day out, doesn’t it? Check out the hashtag on Twitter, the video below, or head to the YouTube channel for updates.

Escape Dead Island will be released on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC on 18th November for the US, and 21st November for the UK.