Escape Dead Island

Released

Release Date: November 18, 2014

Adventure, TPP, Stealth, Zombie, Survival, TPS, Action Adventure, PS Plus Premium, Singleplayer

A spin-off to the series of action games with RPG elements, originally developed by Polish studio Techland. As the owner of the title, Deep Silver chose the Swedish Fatshark studio as the developer for the spin-off. They are known for multiplayer-oriented games such as War of the Roses and War of the Viking.

4.4

OpenCritic

6.2

Steam

4.7

Users

Rate It!

Ratings

 Videos: 3 

Images: 14 

Plot
Gameplay
Technical aspects

Escape Dead Island published on PC, PS3 and X360 is one of the two spin-offs to the first-person cRPG action series – Dead Island by Techland studio. Deep Silver, the owners of the franchise, hired other studios to create more games in the series’ universe. This time, we are presented with a third-person perspective adventure survival horror developed by Swedish Fatshark – known for multiplayer action games set in historical realities: War of the Roses and War of the Vikings.

From the chronological point of view, Escape Dead Island forms a bridge between the first Dead Island from 2011 and the second part published in 2015. Serving as an introduction to Dead Island 2, the game will explain the genesis of the mysterious virus that changes people into zombies.

Plot

Cliff Calo, the main hero, is a spoiled son of a media baron. Being very ambitious, the protagonist wants to create his magnum opus – a documentary revealing the truth about the virus from Banoi island. He gathers some friends, steals a yacht, and sails towards the overran-by-zombies archipelago, or more precisely – to a top-secret base under quarantine. The facility is on an island near the place where the action of the first instalment took place. Cliff hasn’t a faintest clue of the danger waiting for him and his friends, so the journey quickly turns out to be a dramatic fight for survival.

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Gameplay

In Escape Dead Island for PC, PS3 and X360 you fight zombies in a different way than in the base-versions of the series – the main hero is not immune to the virus, so close contact with the undead usually ends up in Cliff’s death. Therefore, even though the game offers a wide range of weapons – particularly melee – like firefighter’s axe or a katana – the gameplay emphasises stealth actions and low-profile elimination. The game features a lot of skills and adventure sequences with the main ingredient still being the world exploration. The hero’s mental health also plays an important role in the story. More and more traumatic experiences Cliff gets on Narapela make him go mad – after having numerous psychedelic visions he loses his grip on reality and cannot tell the difference between reality and make-believe.

Technical aspects

This somehow contrasts with the visuals that are colourful, lively, and vibrant, which draws a rather pleasant picture. The use of cel-shading makes the game look even more enjoyable. However, the graphics themselves are not of the highest quality, even for the seventh generation platforms. The game concentrates on the story, so there is no multiplayer.

Platforms:

PC Windows

Xbox 360

PlayStation 3

Developer: Fatshark

Publisher: Deep Silver / Plaion

Similar Games:

Tomb Raider

Prototype

I Am Alive

Game Series

11GAMES

Dead Island Game Series

A series of first-person perspective (FPP) action games, combining zombie-slasher and RPG elements. The series was started by the Polish studio Techland, and then its development was handled by other teams, working on behalf of the publisher and owner of the rights to the brand - Deep Silver.

Dead Island Game Series

Features

Downloads

Top downloads for Escape Dead Island Video Game:

trainer Escape Dead Island - v1.0 +3 TRAINER - January 31, 2017

All Downloads

System Requirements

System Requirements for Escape Dead Island Video Game:

PC / Windows

Recommended System Requirements:
Core i5 2.5 GHz, 4 GB RAM, graphic card 1 GB (GeForce GTX 460 or better), 5 GB HDD, Windows Vista(SP1)/7(SP1)/8.

Ratings

Game Ratings for Escape Dead Island Video Game.

4.4

OpenCritic Rating

Game is Recomended by 3% of Critics. There are 20 Critic Reviews.

OpenCritic

GameWatcher: 5 / 10 by Chris Capel

All in all though I can't think of a single reason you'd want to play Escape Dead Island over a thousand similar, better games on Steam. Most of them have zombies in them anyway.

Full Review

Attack of the Fanboy: 1.5 / 5

Escape Dead Island never manages to create anything impressive, with very little in terms of redeeming qualities. It tries to stand out from the other installments in several ways by taking on a new direction, but it ends up providing a frustrating and bland experience that is easy to recommend skipping.

Full Review

GameSpot: 5 / 10 by Miguel Concepcion

Escape Dead Island is a competent yet unremarkable side story with remarkably shallow action.

Full Review

62%

STEAM Score

All Reviews: Mixed (1,653)

STEAM

User Reviews Summary generated by AI

The main pros of the game

Art Style: The cel-shaded, comic-book aesthetic is frequently praised for its uniqueness and visual appeal, setting it apart from other games in the Dead Island franchise.
Story Potential: Some players found the premise intriguing, appreciating its psychological horror elements and the narrative focus on the character's descent into madness.
Entertainment Value: Despite its flaws, several users reported having fun with the game, particularly in the early stages, and enjoyed the collectibles and achievements.
Atmosphere: The game attempts to create a sense of unease and tension through its visuals and storytelling, with some moments being described as memorable or engaging.

The main cons of the game

Gameplay Mechanics: Many users criticized the clunky and unsatisfying combat, including poor weapon-switching mechanics and unresponsive controls. The stealth mechanics were also deemed ineffective.
Repetitive Gameplay: Players noted that the gameplay can become monotonous, with limited enemy variety and a lack of engaging combat scenarios.
Story Execution: While the story had potential, many reviews pointed out that it became confusing, poorly written, and inconsistent, leading to a lack of investment in the characters and plot.
Technical Issues: Frequent bugs, performance problems, and unskippable cutscenes after dying were common complaints, detracting from the overall experience.

The features or elements that are missing from the game according to users

Manual Saving: The absence of a manual save feature was a significant point of frustration, leading to repetitive gameplay after deaths.
Co-op Mode: Many fans of the Dead Island series were disappointed by the lack of multiplayer or cooperative gameplay, which is a hallmark of the franchise.
Depth in Gameplay: Users expressed a desire for more depth in gameplay mechanics, such as a more complex inventory system, power-ups, and a less linear design.
Character Development: Reviewers felt that the characters were shallow and underdeveloped, missing the depth that could have made the story more engaging.

Summary

Overall, Escape Dead Island seems to be a divisive title, with some players finding enjoyment in its unique approach while others are frustrated by its execution and lack of essential features.

Summary generated on: October 29, 2025

4.7

USERS Score

Average score from votes.

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