Once upon a time, I remember seeing the trailer for the first Dead Island game. “They banned this trailer because it was so scary,” my cousin would whisper. “You’re way too young to watch it.” I puffed up my 15-year-old chest and prepared for the worst. “I’m not scared.” I was, in fact, scared. Years later, when Dead Island 2 was announced, I wasn’t as frightened of its overt gore and chaotic action, but for me those blood-tinged childhood memories have always meant that the series was always one of my favorites, up there with Dying Light and Left 4 Dead. If you’ve skipped out on Dambuster’s sequel, it’s well worth a go, and it’s free right now on the Epic Games Store.
This is LA, but not as you know it. While the sun still shines and the neon still glows, the undead have infested the streets, earning it the catchy moniker of Hell-A. Cast as one of the zombie game‘s six Slayers, your evacuation flight has been shot down and you’re stranded in the middle of the chaos. From the onset, it’s pretty clear that Dead Island 2 doesn’t take any prisoners.
The action proceeds as expected: you grab weapons, or craft them using whatever’s nearby, and slay your way through the streets of Hell-A. Fancy wielding a flaming katana? What about electrified Wolverine-esque claws? Dead Island 2’s got you covered. Much like Dead Rising’s chainsaw paddle, if you can imagine it and swing it hard enough, then you can probably beat up your enemies with it.
And you’ll need all the help you can get to fend off the tides of undead. Different zombies have their own unique traits; some can move at speed, while others are heavy, tank-like bruisers that pack a hell of a punch. Patch 6 added the Neighbourhood Watch mode, too, which sees you and your pals fend off hordes of zombies in defense of a mangled old frat house.
While not included in the free version of the game (but you can upgrade to the deluxe edition on Epic), Dead Island 2’s DLCs – Haus and SoLA – are both worth playing, too. Danielle claims that Haus – which sees you whisked away to a bizarre, isolationist millionaire’s cult-like mansion refuge – even trumps Cyberpunk 2077’s Phantom Liberty, while SoLA sees you take to the bloodied stage of a Coachella-esque music festival in search of ‘The Beat.’ Both are absolute carnage, and are absolutely worth playing.
Dead Island 2 is currently free on the Epic Games Store, but you’ll have to grab it before May 22 at 8am PST / 11am EST / 4pm BST / 5pm CEST. Just click right here, then add the game to your library.
It’s accompanied by the comparatively tame Happy Game, which revolves a young boy who has fallen into a deep, nightmarish sleep. You’ll have to wake him before it’s too late, and fight through three different hellscapes to do so.
If you’re looking for some similarly gory adventures, check out our list of the best horror games. Alternatively, if you’re looking for some more bargains, keep up to date with the current roster of free Epic games using our guide, or peruse our list of the best free PC games.
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