Some may have thought that a single cinematic trailer couldn’t possibly gain the attention of nearly every gaming enthusiast at once, but Techland, the developers of last year’s Dead Island proved that it could be done. Now the team is back to work on a new follow-up game, Dead Island: Riptide, taking the zombie-infestation to a waterlogged tropical island.
There’s no need to mess with success, so a new CGI cinematic trailer for Riptide has been released to show that the team still remembers the personal drama and tragedy that people reacted to so strongly. It may not be as surprising or poetic as Dead Island’s announcement trailer, but it’s certainly worth a look.
While the initial announcement of Dead Island: Riptide caused a bit of confusion due to it’s lower $49.99 price tag, and the presumed sequel expected to follow the usual video game logic of bearing the name Dead World. Publisher Deep Silver explained that the lower price tag was a reaction to the fact that the current console generation is coming to a close. That may sound like a simple marketing spin, since those behind the game are obviously intent on giving extra motivation to those who picked up a copy of the previous title.
Dead Island was certainly a success, with over a million copies sold, and rights to a feature film adaptation now sold to Lionsgate. Yet there are still many who feel that the actual game’s weapon-crafting and zombie-slicing fell painfully short of the artistic and emotional nuance of the announcement trailer (which has since earned awards of higher esteem than the game ever hoped to). Now that the gaming world actually knows what Dead Island is actually about as a video game, those who found the property promising can now look forward to Riptide, which looks to tread similar - but notably different - ground, according to the official synopsis:
The monsoons which lead to the decimated environments of the game certainly explain how the trailer’s starring couple end up in a wrecked sailboat inland, even if the zombies attempting to kill them don’t seem that interested. Boats will be an added element of gameplay to the tropical island of Palanai, as the flooded regions will force players to use boats if they hope of traversing beyond shore. Since the game follows the same group of survivors that escaped the original game’s resort on Banoi, it’s nice to see that some mechanics have been added.
“Furious monsoon rainstorms have laid waste to the island of Palanai in the Banoi archipelago, waters have risen and caused a flood disaster – because of this and the raging zombie invasion, a rescue mission for the survivors seems to be without prospect of success. All hope seems to have been lost for the surviving humans…”
The difference between a car and a boat may turn out to be minimal, but the addition should help quiet those who viewed the reduced price as a sign that Techland was just giving more of the same Dead Island, not a true sequel. It may be surprising to hear that Dead Island is already considered a “franchise,” but the wording used by both developer and publisher implies that their plans for the series extends beyond this console generation.
It might not be in the team’s best interest to once again release a heartfelt, tragic cinematic trailer that the game may bear no resemblance to, but that’s not our call. Who knows, maybe this game’s plot will be much more personal and emotional (when not slicing and dicing zombies, obviously).
What do you think of the new trailer? Should Dead Island focus on bearing stronger ties to their cinematic trailers, or just focus on doing what they do best? Leave us your reactions in the comments.
Dead Island: Riptide is currently in development for a 2013 release.
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