Despite spending the last nine years in development hell, Dead Island 2 is releasing this April. After jumping from studio to studio, the final developer, Dambuster Studios, is amping up the pre-release buzz. The team have just released a 14-minute trailer showcasing a lot of the new features found in Dead Island 2. Here’s a look at what players can expect from this hotly anticipated sequel.

What’s New Coming to Dead Island 2

This lengthy new video is jam-packed full of content for players to chew on while the game releases later in April. The 14-minute trailer showcases a lot of information that separates it from its predecessor. If you want to check out the latest digs for yourself, feel free to watch the video, which we’ve embedded below.

For starters, the game now has six playable characters to choose from, compared to the original’s four. While the game was originally going to have eight-player co-op, the developers have since scaled it back to three players. The character in the trailer is Dani, an Irish rocker who tends to get into fights. According to the video, each character has their strengths over the others.

The video also showcases how players can dodge their way around attacks, landing grapple hits for increased damage. This is a feature that wasn’t found in the original game.

The game’s skills system has also been changed. This time, no matter how you play, you can alter your character’s stats to match what you want. Dead Island 2‘s new F.L.E.S.H. system is also key to gameplay as well. With it, your attacks to legs or arms will change how the zombie reacts in a fight.

Another change that affects the way players take on enemies is the weapons workbench. Found throughout the world, workbenches allow the player to make insane customizable weapons, ala something like Dead Rising 2. Elemental weapons will also play into how zombies will take damage, further increasing combat strategies.

Cards are another element that Dead Island 2 has over its previous entry. These allow you to take on new abilities with perks, compared to the plain skill trees of old.

However, the most glaring change from the original is the introduction of Fury Mode. Since your character has been infected, but won’t succumb, you can go into a rage mode. This allows you to harness the powers of the undead to deal massive damage.

There’s plenty more to learn from the video, so by all means, dive right in. Otherwise, there’s only little over a month until Dead Island 2 releases on April 21, 2023.