Great Story-driven Continuation of a Zombie Runner

Into the Dead 2 consists of several chapters, each divided into segments. You were driving a truck but had a “little accident”, so you’re now on foot to get to your destination. You communicate using a walky-talky talking to your sister, Helen, claiming you’ll be fine and she should take care of the child, your daughter, Maggie.

After each segment, your protagonists, James, will hear from Helen about the struggles and the situation they’re in. Helen is portraying real emotions about fear and uncertainty, while James tries to calm her down and does not seem to be too emotionally affected by what is happening to his family. Like (spoiler!) when Helen tells him, that she had to kill their father because he turned into a zombie. Helen being very emotional about it, while James himself is telling her to calm down and continue, but doesn’t show any real emotions towards the news, that his dad died.

Gameplay

You have three different ways to control this game, my favourite is to have the thumbstick on the left side of the screen and shooting on the right.

The core mechanic itself is the same for each run. You try to avoid zombies by dodging them left and right, or you shoot them down with your weapon. What makes it interesting is the story element build into it as well as the different difficulties. Not every run will be similar.

Each segment is at a different location, some are easy to manoeuvre around and others are harder. They have buildings, cars or other obstacles in the way and can put you in dangerous situations. A run ends when you reached the destination. In the top left corner, you see how much is left.

In the middle top, you see your weapon and their ammo. Be sure to be always loaded. What’s new in Into the Dead 2 is, that you now always start out with weapons and you collect only the ammo of the weapons you have with yourself. The crates scattered along the track do not give you random weapons now. Although there are specific runs where you can mount a big machine gun to kill a big group of zombies.

In the case of a zombie getting to you, you now have a back-up knife to protect yourself. Be sure to have enough! You can also only use one for each run.

Dog Companion

Early in the game, you will meet your very first dog companion. He will accompany you where you go and kill random zombies. To take your partner with you, you need to feed him with dog food, which you can either buy in the store and collect through daily missions and quests.

You’ll notice when playing this game you’re collecting different dog treats. They’re there to level your buddy up and to unlock new dogs. Every dog is unique and has special abilities, acting differently. Fighting more, or helping you survive.

Into the Dead 2 has even more to offer

Besides the main storyline, you can also explore other regions of the game. It offers special events as well as daily runs. They can be interesting and be more exciting. While you’re trying to dodge the zombies and not use all of your ammo in the main story, on a daily run you try to kill as many as you can while trying to stay alive. But with new and special weapons! The more you kill, the more you unlock from the goals and gaining bonuses, like currency.

Graphics and Music

The graphics in this game are amazing. They have built different levels with different locations, each of them unique and not the same. You now don’t start off in the same world anymore and have to see the same things over and over. Now you’re able to discover new locations, with new obstacles and different crowded zombies. Some areas are built like a tunnel, so it’s important for you to avoid them perfectly or kill them. Other areas are wider, so it is easier for the player to dodge.

The animation of the zombies as well as reloading the weapon was fantastically done. They put a lot of effort to make it work and pleasing to the viewer. But it doesn’t stop with the 3D, it continues with UI as well!

The UI also got a new overhaul and is looking sleeker than ever. The buttons are red with fingerprints on it, making it look like a bloody finger has pressed it before. They also work with the parallax effect, like in the store. The weapons and dogs also turn while you’re moving from left to right. Making everything just a smooth experience for the player.

And the sound design is amazing as well. From small things, like changing tabs within the menu, to bigger things. Like reloading your weapon and killing a zombie. When you’re close to your goal, the music gets more intense, giving you a clue that you’re almost there.And the theme music is well done as well. Go check out the official soundtrack on their YouTube channel or on Spotify.

Monetisation

This game uses different things to earn money through this game. You get the chance to watch ads and videos on certain menus. Like when you want an additional run for the Daily Run.The game also has various pop-ups throughout the game to invite you to buy items, dog treats, or other useful things. And if you’re not careful enough, you might click it by accident, like in this situation where you’re reacting fast…

Final Thoughts on Into the Dead 2

Overall this is a good game and I highly recommend playing it and experiencing it yourself. If you played Into the Dead and did not enjoy it that much, do give Into the Dead 2 a try. It is a big improvement and it’s a lot of fun to play.