Dead Island 2 developer Dambuster Studios recently spoke on how the studio intend for the weapon durability system to be a tool to guide players to have more fun with the game's systems. Talking to GameInformer, the developer stated that it believed that the system is an "instrument" to guide players into more experimentation.
Dead Island 2 is the long-anticipated sequel to Techland's original zombie-slaying title. Taking place in Los Angeles, or as it has been referred to in the recent trailers "HelL-A", the player chooses from one of six playable survivors to turn this city of the dead into a zombie killer's paradise. It's no secret that the game has seen its struggles as Dambuster is the third studio to helm the project after Techland moved to Dying Light.
The game was initially slated for 2015, but after switching studios twice more the game went into a long hiatus. The game was re-revealed in 2022 sporting sharp visuals, a slightly comedic tone, and lots of gore. After eight years of delays, the game will finally land in players' hands on April 28.
One of the returning features of the original Dead Island is the weapon durability system, which is a rather contentious design aspect in games. Weapon durability is a system where weapons in-game break over time during use. This feature was in the first Dead Island as well as the Dying Light series and, perhaps most controversially, Breath of the Wild. While some find weapon durability frustrating or limiting the developers at Dambuster see it as a way to encourage players to branch out.
Game director David Stenton said: "With the durability, we're not super harsh about it. We're not trying to be a survivor simulator or a survivor horror game. It's there as an instrument so that we can encourage players to go back to a workbench, and rather than repair your weapon or level match your weapon, maybe I'm level 10, and that favorite weapon that...was my favorite a few hours ago is still level 5". Stenton also stressed that he wanted players to weigh their choices so that it feels like every decision they make feels important, which includes factoring in the durability and level of weapons.
According to Wesley LeBlanc of Game Informer, the weapon durability did not impair his ability to enjoy combat as he had a large arsenal of weapons and the durability wasn't fragile. He notes that he, of course, had favorite weapons but even if those broke he always had a backup. Time will only tell if Dambuster can strike the fine balance necessary for this system to work.