Dead Island is a 2011 developed by and published by for , , , , and . Centered on the challenge of surviving a zombie-infested with a major emphasis on . The plot focuses on 4 playable survivors trying to survive and escape off the fictional island of Banoi.
The game was announced at the 2006 , but delayed until 2011. The game's cinematic was met with controversy over its depiction of a dead child. However reception was nonetheless positive, with praise going towards the emotional impact, animation, and story, with the trailer being held as one of the best in any medium. The game was released in 2011. September for North America/Europe and in October for Japan. Despite the pre-release acclaim, the game received generally lukewarm reviews. While praised for its atmosphere, gameplay and playable characters, it was also criticized for large technical difficulties and in-game glitches, graphics, and most notably being hampered for lacking the emotional themes presented in the trailer.
A stand-alone DLC expansion, was released in 2013. The spin-off, was released on 18 November 2014. And a sequel, was set to be released in 2017, but has been delayed indefinitely. A remastered version of the game was released for Microsoft Windows, , and on 31 May 2016. Under the title Dead Island: Definitive Collection; it bundles the game with Riptide, all DLC, and a game called .
Dead Island features an apparent roaming, divided by relatively large areas, and played from a perspective. Most of the gameplay is built around combat (mainly melee weapons) and completing . Dead Island is an and uses . The player earns XP by completing tasks and killing enemies. Upon leveling up, the player gains health and can invest one skill point into a and level up one of their skills.
Combat is carried out through either physical attacks or through the use of melee weapons and firearms. Melee weapons are emphasised to the point that firearms are not available for the first half of the game, and consist of blunt and bladed weapons. Melee weapons can also be thrown at targets at any point in the game. Weapons are randomly generated and positioned in predetermined locations as well as found on some enemies; they have unique stats that are generally based on the player's current level. Each weapon can be upgraded three times to increase its stats, and most weapons can be "modded" – customized based on a blueprint to add special features, such as nails or electrified blades, and poison. These weapons will wear out from constant usage and require repairs and careful use, especially because once a weapon becomes damaged beyond a certain point it becomes much more expensive to repair.