Preview: 'Dead Island'

We've all seen the announcement trailer and subscribed to the feverish hype that quickly surrounded it. From the outset, Dead Island appeared to be a different kind of zombie game, focusing on the emotional impact of such an outbreak instead of the usual trigger-happy and gore-filled approaches of its peers. The trailer's shiny, computer-generated production also hints that this is very much a proof of concept that's probably years away from completion. But to our surprise at a recent press showing, the game's not that far away, with a 2011 release date in hand and a horde of interesting ideas to show for it.

As one of four playable characters trapped on a tropical island resort, Dead Island is about surviving and adapting to the bizarre, dangerous zombie apocalypse that's suddenly been unleashed upon them. An open-world, first-person co-op title with role-playing elements, the campaign sees survivors ripped from their idyllic holiday and trapped inside a beach hut surrounded by scores of the undead. The game's first moments are played through blurry eyes, where a survivor towers over you holding a baseball bat, ready to strike. In typical first-person fashion, the first action required is to move the right stick to calibrate camera preferences, but here it's also to confirm to the panicked man that you can understand what he's saying and not about to eat him for lunch, giving the game a novel and involving start.

Set to your feet, full control is handed over and you push through the survivor-packed hut to the front door. The man who saved your life is in a spot of bother outside, and since you're indebted to him, it's up to you to step out and lend a hand. Selecting a boat paddle from the floor - one of the game's many blunt objects that can be used as a rudimentary weapon - you charge outside and lay waste to the zombies sparring with your saviour. Quick and simple swings easily cause undead heads to roll and limbs to fly, sights which are a stark contrast to the sun-kissed sands, clear waters and gently swinging palm trees nearby. The tutorial ends when the zombies are dispatched, and back inside, an unknown voice over the radio assures the party that a lifeguard tower elsewhere on the island would be much more secure shelter against attack.

With the game's first quest gained, at this point players are free to explore the island at will. However, the importance of the next story means it's wise to press on to the tower first. The journey along the beach highlights the varied enemies on display. Corpses lie in the sand, seemingly dead, but spring up as you run past, while other zombies are less attentive to your presence, clawing away at locked portaloos or absent-mindedly stumbling down the beach. Each dispatched enemy yields experience that can be later used to improve abilities, with more points handed out for silent as well as stylish kills. While regular zombies can be swatted away by the swing of a blunt instrument, those on fire require you to throw a hammer or wrench at a distance to reduce burn damage, while faster, 28 Days Later-style zombies will sprint out from bushes or huts, requiring speedier reactions and more accurate swings to dispel. Further on, Left 4 Dead-style mutations will also greet the player, such as a towering 'Thug' that can cause serious damage, and a growth-ridden 'Suicider' that shuffles towards the player before exploding.

Sandwiched between story missions are optional sidequests. One such example is encountered on the way to the tower, as a parked car on the beach is being rocked side-to-side by a pack of zombies. Once shooed away, the person inside leads you into a hut, containing collectable med-packs and a fixed workbench. Similar to Dead Rising, you can repair existing weapons and craft stronger ones with the items you find to inflict more damage, such as a nail-bat from a standard baseball bat and a box of nails. Doing so is especially important since firearms, traditionally the bread-and-butter of zombie games, are few and far between. After all, who goes to a tropical paradise with a handgun in their luggage? Any pistols found, such as those on the bodies of police officers, will include ammo in short supply, so it's up to the player to be creative with the game's many collectibles in order to survive.

Moving further down the beach shows how environmental objects can become of use. With a group of prone zombies at the foot of some stairs, the player can run past them, grab a gas canister and punt it towards the group, which will then detonate and kill them all at once. As well as unique backstories and appearances, each of the four survivors will also come with individual abilities, with the current character packing a mighty Fury mode. With a meter built up and the ability triggered, the screen flashes white and highlights enemies in bright red, ready to be torn apart with powerful hand-to-hand attacks. While this arcade-style attack might seem at odds with the game's seemingly realistic approach, it's offset by a persistent stamina gauge which sees players becoming fatigued if they overuse regular melee attacks.

Once the lifeguard tower is clear of the zombie presence, the survivors relocate and establish it as a more fortified safehouse. As well as a permanent base for the player to return to and seek refuge, its floors are filled with characters offering information and sidequests, which in turn open up access to other survivors and areas. One such example is a mechanic outside seeking car parts, and when completed, allow the player to drive a vehicle to explore previously inaccessible locations. There are also hints of clashing agendas and personalities within the camp, with shady individuals inside selling medical supplies rather than handing them over to the sick and dying, a practice opposed to others elsewhere, and an issue the player can perhaps do something about.

With the demo concluded, a sneak preview showed other areas of the island, such as urban populations, underground tunnels and a dense jungle, as well as the developer's own tease of a 30-hour campaign with full drop-in drop-out co-operative play. It's pleasing to see that while most titles are revealed years before their eventual release, Dead Island appears to be approaching the tail end of its development mere weeks after its first full teaser trailer, which is a marketing approach we'd love to see more of. Although the trailer's emotional tendencies weren't really reflected in our preview session, and that certain elements felt similar to other zombie titles on the market, this doesn't stop Dead Island from appearing to be a tantalising and unique prospect - one that could prove to be a real surprise when it launches later this year.

Dead Island will be available on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC later this year.