Dead Island: Riptide

Last updated
Dead Island: Riptide
DeadIslandRiptide.jpg
Developer(s) Techland
Publisher(s) Deep Silver
Director(s) Paweł Marchewka
Producer(s)
  • Jacek Brzeziński
  • Marek Soból
Designer(s) Jacek Brzeziński
Programmer(s)
  • Krzysztof Sałek
  • Tomasz Soból
Artist(s)
  • Krzysztof Kwiatek
  • Łukasz Skurczyński
Writer(s)
  • Jan Bartkowicz
  • Tomasz Duszyński
  • Magdalena Tomkowicz
Composer(s) Paweł Błaszczak
Series Dead Island
Engine Chrome Engine 5 [1]
Platform(s)
ReleaseWindows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
  • NA: April 23, 2013
  • AU: April 23, 2013
  • EU: April 26, 2013
Definitive Edition
Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
  • WW: May 31, 2016
Linux
  • WW: June 3, 2016
Genre(s) Action role-playing
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

Dead Island: Riptide is a 2013 action role-playing game developed by Techland and published by Deep Silver. Released in April 2013 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360, Riptide serves as a continuation of the story of 2011's Dead Island , with the original four survivors, plus a new survivor, arriving on another island in the Banoi archipelago, which has also been overrun by zombies.

Contents

Dead Island: Riptide received a mixed reception from critics, who cited that the game did not fix any of its predecessor's problems, nor add anything new to the gameplay. The next mainline entry in the series, Dead Island 2 , was revealed at E3 2014. It was originally set for a 2016 release; however, the game entered development hell after the project was moved over from Yager Development to Sumo Digital in 2016. The development of Dead Island 2 changed hands again in 2019, this time to an internal studio of Deep Silver, Dambuster Studios, and was eventually released on April 21, 2023.

A remastered version of the game, titled Dead Island: Riptide Definitive Edition, was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on May 31, 2016 with a Linux version following on June 3, 2016. The remastered version was also bundled as part of the Dead Island Definitive Collection along with Dead Island Definitive Edition, all DLC and a 16-bit side-scrolling spin-off game called Dead Island: Retro Revenge.

Plot

Riptide takes place immediately after the ending of Dead Island, with the four immune survivors landing on a military ship after escaping from the prison island. They are immediately taken into custody by the Australian Defence Force Colonel Sam Hardy and Frank Serpo, a civilian VIP.

Passing out from sedatives, the player's character wakes up to find the ship overrun with zombies. Serpo flees via helicopter shortly before the ship crashes into a rock. The immune regain consciousness on the shore of the island of Palanai and are found by Harlow, a WHO researcher, who tells them the zombie infection has spread there as well. Colonel Hardy tells the immune that Serpo's organization is interested in weaponizing the Kuru strain that caused the zombie outbreak.

The survivors decide to travel to the city of Henderson, in hopes the nearby army base can offer help. With no intact bridges or working boats, the survivors instead investigate a tunnel to reach a pier. A researcher, Dr. Kessler, reveals that the zombie-creating virus mutation was created by exposure to chemical weapons which were stored in the tunnels. The immune clear the tunnels and fight their way to Henderson.

The immune find the military base and contact Serpo; he tells them that Hardy is not to be trusted, and sends a helicopter to evacuate the survivors. When Serpo's helicopter arrives, the survivors shoot it down. Serpo reveals that Harlow is a terrorist looking to seize data and a vaccine from a quarantine zone. The survivors find Harlow. She tells them the outbreaks were started deliberately to test the virus and there is no vaccine. Harlow takes the mutagen again and attacks the survivors, who kill her.

When the immune find a boat, they are greeted by Serpo again; he freely admits to orchestrating the outbreaks, but offers the immune medical help if they come with him. The immune instead leave him to the zombies and evacuate the island with the five other survivors in their party.

Marketing and release

The game was first announced in June 2012, [2] and in September 2012, the first teaser trailer was released. [3] A music video for a song called "No Room in Hell" was released in November 2012 by rapper Josef "J7" Lord (who in the song is named Sam B as the main character from Dead Island), for promotion and featured Chamillionaire. [4] A new trailer released in March 2013 titled "They Thought Wrong" showed new gameplay, characters, and enemies. [5]

In Japan, the game was published and localized by Spike Chunsoft. [6]

Mutilated torso promotion

The fiberglass statuette as a promotional item with the "Zombie Bait Edition" of the game Dead Island Riptide mutilated female torso statuette by Deep Silver.jpg
The fiberglass statuette as a promotional item with the "Zombie Bait Edition" of the game

In January 2013, Deep Silver announced that Dead Island: Riptide would be available in a "Zombie Bait Edition", which would include a statuette of the bloodily dismembered torso of a bikini-clad woman. Marketing materials described it as the game's "take on an iconic Roman marble torso sculpture" and "a striking conversation piece". [7] The American market version of the statuette has the "Stars and Stripes" patterned bikini, while the European counterpart has a Union Jack pattern. [8]

The statuette caused an overwhelmingly negative reaction from the video game press and from activists. Journalists described the statuette as "gross", as something not even a sociopath would want, [9] or as a "text book example of the most extreme ends of misogynist fantasy, a woman reduced to nothing but her tits, her wounds hideously depicted in gore, jutting bones, and of course barely a mark covering her globular breasts". [7] Within hours of the announcement, Deep Silver's UK branch issued a statement that they "apologize for any offense caused" and that they "sincerely regret this choice", reiterating "how deeply sorry we are, and that we are committed to making sure this will never happen again". [10] Deep Silver's US branch disavowed any part in the promotion. [11] In April 2013, video game media reported that the "Zombie Bait Edition" did not seem to have been withdrawn from sale, and that Deep Silver's parent company had made an "extremely limited quantity" of the mutilated torso statuettes available to retailers in Europe and Australia. [12]

Retail versions

Dead Island: Riptide has been released in a variety of different editions. Available versions include the standard version, limited edition, special edition, 'survivor' edition, 'Rigor Mortis Collector's' edition, and 'Zombie Bait' edition, with a variety of extra physical (notebooks, bobble figurines, and bottle openers) and in-game (character skins and weapons) content provided.

Reception

Dead Island: Riptide received mixed reviews, with most critics praising the gameplay and new setting, but criticizing the many unfixed issues found in the original, as well as the lack of new content. Aggregating review website Metacritic gave the PlayStation 3 version 62/100, [14] the PC version 61/100, [13] and the Xbox 360 version 57/100. [15]

IGN 's Greg Miller stated that although he found it to be 'great gory fun', it still contained bugs and glitches that were found in the first game. He also stated that 'it was tempting to simply paste the original Dead Island review on the page and call it a day'. He praised the gameplay, co-op and the ability to import your save from the original, noting that the enemies you face are at scale with your level, so that the game gives you an appropriate challenge, but criticized the storyline and overall look of the game. He went on to say that it didn't do much to improve itself from its predecessor in terms of overall performance. However, he did state that the lackluster graphics and performance could be overlooked by how much fun it is to play. Miller gave the game a 7.2 out of 10. [23]

GameSpot 's Mark Walton heavily criticized the game, saying: "Dead Island: Riptide might look like an idyllic zombie-fest, but it's little more than a frustrating mess of half-baked ideas and repetitive combat.". Walton gave the game a 4 out of 10. [19]

Related Research Articles

Resident Evil is a Japanese horror game series and media franchise created by Capcom. It consists of survival horror, third-person shooter and first-person shooter games, with players typically surviving in post-apocalyptic urban environments infested with zombies and other lethal creatures. The franchise has expanded into other media, including a live-action film series, animated films, television series, comic books, novels, audiobooks, and merchandise. Resident Evil is the highest-grossing horror franchise.

<i>The House of the Dead</i> (video game) 1996 video game

The House of the Dead is a 1997 horror-themed light gun shooter arcade game developed by Sega AM1 and released by Sega. It is the first game in the House of the Dead series. Players assume the role of agents Thomas Rogan and "G" as they combat an army of undead experiments created by Dr. Curien, a mad scientist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deep Silver</span> Austrian video game publisher

Deep Silver is an Austrian video game publisher and a division of Plaion.

<i>Left 4 Dead</i> 2008 video game

Left 4 Dead is a 2008 first-person shooter game developed by Valve South and published by Valve. It was originally released for Microsoft Windows and Xbox 360 in November 2008 and for Mac OS X in October 2010, and is the first title in the Left 4 Dead series. Set during the aftermath of a zombie outbreak on the East Coast of the United States, the game pits its four protagonists, dubbed the "Survivors", against hordes of the infected.

<i>Dead Island</i> 2011 video game

Dead Island is a 2011 action role-playing game developed by Techland and published by Deep Silver. Released for Linux, Microsoft Windows, OS X, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, the game is centered on the challenge of surviving a zombie-infested open world with an important emphasis on melee combat. The plot focuses on four playable survivors trying to survive and escape off the fictional island of Banoi.

<i>Dead Rising: Chop Till You Drop</i> 2009 video game

Dead Rising: Chop Till You Drop is an action-adventure game developed by Tose and published by Capcom for the Wii. It was released in February 2009. The game is a port of the original Xbox 360 version of Dead Rising, and is the only game of the series for a Nintendo platform. The game was created following Capcom's success with the Wii version of Resident Evil 4.

<i>Dead Rising 2</i> 2010 video game

Dead Rising 2 is a 2010 action-adventure game developed by Blue Castle Games and published by Capcom. It was released between September and October 2010 for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Microsoft Windows. It is a sequel to Dead Rising, and is the second entry in the series of the same name. The game features a number of new features and improvements to its predecessor, including multiplayer options.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Last Night on Earth (game)</span>

Last Night on Earth: The Zombie Game is a survival horror board game that was first published in 2007. Players can play on the Hero team or as the Zombies. A modular board randomly determines the layout of the town at the start of each game and there are several different scenarios to play. Seven supplements have been released.

<i>Resident Evil 6</i> 2012 video game

Resident Evil 6 is a 2012 third-person shooter video game developed and published by Capcom. A major installment in the Resident Evil series, Resident Evil 6 was released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in October 2012, and for Windows in March 2013. It was re-released with all downloadable content for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in March 2016, and for the Nintendo Switch in October 2019. Players control Leon S. Kennedy, Chris Redfield, Jake Muller and Ada Wong as they confront the force behind a worldwide bio-terrorist attack. The story is centred around their four interwoven campaigns, and every campaign features a unique style in both tone and gameplay.

<i>Left 4 Dead 2</i> 2009 video game

Left 4 Dead 2 is a 2009 first-person shooter game developed and published by Valve. The sequel to Left 4 Dead (2008) and the second game in the Left 4 Dead series, it was released for Microsoft Windows and Xbox 360 in November 2009, Mac OS X in October 2010, and Linux in July 2013.

<i>Dead Frontier</i> 2008 video game

Dead Frontier is a free-to-play, browser-based survival horror game which takes place in a post-apocalyptic, zombie-infested setting. It is operated by Creaky Corpse Ltd. Dead Frontier was released for open beta on April 21, 2008, and has over ten million registered accounts.

<i>Blacklight: Retribution</i> 2012 video game

Blacklight: Retribution is a free-to-play first-person shooter video game developed and published by Hardsuit Labs for Microsoft Windows and PlayStation 4. It was initially published by Perfect World Entertainment on April 3, 2012, with a full Steam release on July 3. A PS4 version was released as a launch title in North America on November 15, 2013, followed by Europe and Australia on December 4.

<i>State of Decay</i> (video game) 2013 video game

State of Decay is a 2013 action-adventure survival video game developed by Undead Labs and published by Microsoft Studios. The game combines elements of shooters, stealth, role-playing and strategy games and the game challenges players to survive by exploring, scavenging, and fighting the undead. It places emphasis on how the player's leaderships skills fare against an onslaught of problems, such as diminishing survival resources, group trust and morale, zombie extermination, base defenses, and people's lives.

<i>Killer Is Dead</i> 2013 video game

Killer Is Dead is a 2013 hack and slash video game developed by Grasshopper Manufacture. It is published by Kadokawa Games in Japan, Xseed Games in North America, and Deep Silver in Europe. The game was released for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in August 2013, and for Windows in May 2014.

<i>Dead Island 2</i> 2023 video game

Dead Island 2 is a 2023 action role-playing game developed by Dambuster Studios and published by Deep Silver. It is a sequel to the 2011 video game Dead Island and the third major installment in the Dead Island series. Set about 15 years after the events of Dead Island and Dead Island: Riptide, Dead Island 2 sets itself apart from its predecessors by taking place in a zombie-infested Los Angeles placed under quarantine.

<i>Dying Light</i> 2015 video game

Dying Light is a 2015 survival horror video game developed by Techland and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. The game's story follows an undercover agent named Kyle Crane who is sent to infiltrate a quarantine zone in a fictional Middle Eastern city called Harran. It features an enemy-infested, open-world city with a dynamic day–night cycle, in which zombies are slow and clumsy during daytime but become extremely aggressive at night. The gameplay is focused on weapons-based combat and parkour, allowing players to choose fight or flight when presented with dangers. The game also features an asymmetrical multiplayer mode, and a four-player co-operative multiplayer mode.

<i>Dead Rising 3</i> 2013 video game

Dead Rising 3 is a 2013 action-adventure game developed by Capcom Vancouver and published by Microsoft Studios. The game was released as a launch title for the Xbox One platform on November 22, 2013; a Microsoft Windows port published by Capcom was released on September 5, 2014.

<i>Dead Island</i> (series) Video game series

Dead Island is an action role-playing survival horror video game series published by Deep Silver for Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and mobile platforms iOS and Android. There are four installments in the series, with the latest one released on April 21, 2023. Dead Island is centered on the challenge of surviving a zombie-infested open world island with a major emphasis on melee combat.

<i>Dead Island Reveal Trailer</i> Announcement trailer for the video game Dead Island

Dead Island Reveal Trailer is an announcement trailer for the video game Dead Island, which was developed by Techland and published by Deep Silver. The story of the trailer follows a family who is attacked by a horde of zombies in a hotel. The trailer begins with the infected daughter, who has turned into a zombie, being thrown to her death from a hotel window. The trailer was produced by Glasgow-based Axis Animation, with music created by Giles Lamb.

References

  1. King, Ashley (April 19, 2013). "Dead Island: Riptide spokesperson confirms game engine works just fine on Wii U". wiiudaily. Archived from the original on 2013-06-15. Retrieved April 21, 2013.
  2. Conditt, Jessica (June 5, 2012). "Dead Island Riptide puts some spring back in zombies' steps". Archived from the original on 2013-06-15. Retrieved April 23, 2013.
  3. Cocke, Taylor (September 18, 2012). "Dead Island Riptide Trailer Brings the Drama". GameSpy. Archived from the original on 2012-09-21. Retrieved April 23, 2013.
  4. "Chamillionaire on Dead Island: Riptide". Complex.com. Archived from the original on 2013-01-07. Retrieved January 15, 2013.
  5. Butler, Brent (March 23, 2013). "Dead Island Riptide They Thought Wrong Gameplay Trailer". Archived from the original on 2013-05-12. Retrieved April 23, 2013.
  6. Inc, Aetas. "「デッドアイランド:ダブルゾンビパック」が7月24日発売。ゾンビアウトブレイクからの生き残りをかけた戦いが幕を開ける". www.4gamer.net (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2023-02-19. Retrieved 2020-08-05.{{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  7. 1 2 Walker, John (15 January 2013). "Deep Silver Promote Dead Island With Appalling Statue". Rock Paper Shotgun . Archived from the original on 2013-04-22. Retrieved 27 April 2013.
  8. "Why is the game industry still fixated on breasts?". EDGE. Archived from the original on 2013-07-05. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  9. Crecente, Brian (15 January 2013). "Dead Island Riptide's bloody torso statue sparks anger, confusion". Polygon . Archived from the original on 2013-05-02. Retrieved 27 April 2013.
  10. Nunneley, Stephany (2013-01-16). "Dead Island Riptide – Dev apologizes over CE torso". VG247. Archived from the original on 2013-05-25. Retrieved 2013-05-02.
  11. Schreier, Jason (2013-01-15). "This Game's Special Edition Comes With A Statue Of A Bikini-Clad, Severed Female Torso". Kotaku. Archived from the original on 2013-05-12. Retrieved 2013-05-02.
  12. Corriea, Alexa Ray (23 April 2013). "Dead Island: Riptide edition with severed torso statue still available in Europe, Australia". Polygon. Archived from the original on 2013-04-25. Retrieved 27 April 2013.
  13. 1 2 "Dead Island: Riptide for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 2013-05-05. Retrieved 2013-04-23.
  14. 1 2 "Dead Island: Riptide for PlayStation 3 Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 2013-05-03. Retrieved 2013-04-23.
  15. 1 2 "Dead Island: Riptide for Xbox 360 Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 2013-05-01. Retrieved 2013-04-23.
  16. "Dead Island Riptide review". Edge Online. 22 April 2013. Archived from the original on 2013-04-22. Retrieved 2013-04-22.
  17. "Dead Island Riptide review". Eurogamer. 22 April 2013. Archived from the original on 2017-10-04. Retrieved 2013-04-22.
  18. "Dead Island Riptide Zombie-Killing Bliss With Some Rough Edges". Game Informer. 2013-04-22. Archived from the original on 2013-04-25. Retrieved 2013-04-22.
  19. 1 2 "Dead Island Riptide reviews". Gamespot. 2013-04-22. Archived from the original on 2013-10-29. Retrieved 2013-04-22.
  20. "Dead Island Riptide reviews". Gamesrader. 2013-04-22. Archived from the original on 2013-05-01. Retrieved 2013-04-22.
  21. "Dead Island: Riptide - Review". Game Trailers.com. 2013-04-22. Archived from the original on 2013-04-26. Retrieved 2013-04-22.
  22. "Dead Island Riptide reviews". Giant Bomb. April 26, 2013. Archived from the original on 2013-04-26. Retrieved April 26, 2013.
  23. 1 2 Miller, Greg (22 April 2013). "Dead Island: Riptide Review". IGN . Archived from the original on 2013-04-22. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
  24. Kubba, Sinan (April 26, 2013). "Dead Island Riptide review: DNR". Archived from the original on 2013-04-28. Retrieved April 26, 2013.
  25. "Dead Island: Riptide review". PC Gamer . April 26, 2013. Archived from the original on 2013-06-30. Retrieved April 26, 2013.
  26. "Dead Island Riptide Review: A Weak Current". Polygon . April 26, 2013. Archived from the original on 2013-10-29. Retrieved April 26, 2013.