Escape Dead Island

 PC
Metascore
52

Mixed or average reviews - based on 23 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 14 out of 23
  3. Negative: 8 out of 23
  1. Ragequit.gr
    Nov 30, 2014
    74
    Escape Dead Island is a solid c-reel splatter movie, offering simple yet satisfying stealth and combat, along with a plethora of interesting collectibles to discover. Its main narrative and the way it presents itself is by far its greatest strength. Its cardinal sin is that it is being sold as a full price AAA title, when it is very clearly, a budget release, destined for Steam sale cult game stardom. It will entertain you, but the price needs to be right.
  2. Vandal
    Nov 18, 2014
    70
    It has its ups and downs, maybe too many, but the plot keeps you engaged and there are some moments that are very well-executed.
  3. IGN
    Nov 17, 2014
    68
    While Escape Dead Island’s workmanlike combat and ho-hum zombies fail to fully capitalize on this unoriginal but respectably executed premise, it does manage to punctuate its enjoyable filler with some genuinely spectacular moments of madness.
  5. Meristation
    Nov 18, 2014
    65
    Escape Dead Island offers an intense and imaginative story packed into a just-average gameplay mechanics. It's not a bad game but with some extra work on the gameplay department this could be a real nice and enjoyable zombie game.
  6. GameStar
    Nov 20, 2014
    61
    A thrilling mystery story wasted. A shallow action adventure with sloppy programming.
  7. CalmDownTom
    Nov 30, 2014
    60
    This is an action adventure game filled with zombies, poor punnery and a lack of feeling. I loved Escape Dead Island. It is short, with under 5 hours of playtime to complete the story, but I think it is definitely one to look out for.
  8. XGN
    Nov 26, 2014
    60
    ESCAPE Dead Island tries to deliver a different experience in comparison to other Dead Island games, but doesn't exactly fulfill that task. The game often gets repetitive and it lacks draft. Unfortunately, it's good looking graphics can't save the game.
  9. SpazioGames
    Nov 24, 2014
    55
    Escape Dead Island had several interesting things to say. Cel-shading, mix of action and stealth with third person view and an island to explore, but in the end this Dead Island spin-off is repetitive and has many bugs and graphic glitches.
  10. Eurogamer Poland
    Jan 14, 2015
    50
    The concept and story of Escape Dead Island show some interesting ideas, but fighting, locations and exploration are not very interesting.
  11. Game Over Online
    Dec 8, 2014
    50
    I really can’t recommend this game, and for someone as obsessed with horror and zombies as I am, that’s really saying something.
  12. GameWatcher
    Nov 28, 2014
    50
    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.
  13. Eurogamer Germany
    Nov 27, 2014
    50
    Escape Dead Island is a perfectly functional, if flat and quite interchangeable experience.
  14. GameSpot
    Nov 19, 2014
    50
    Despite my profound apathy regarding making sense of Cliff's hallucinations and dreams, there was at least some satisfaction in silently assassinating the undead.
  15. The Jimquisition
    Nov 17, 2014
    50
    It’s just so completely, exhaustingly boring. There’s nothing to it. It plods along, doing very little to ever annoy its audience, but doing precisely diddly-squat to ever entertain it, either. It’s just… there. From beginning to end, Escape Dead Island is a game that’s simply… there.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
3.6

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 87 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 87
  2. Mixed: 20 out of 87
  3. Negative: 52 out of 87
  1. runner
    Dec 5, 2015
    6
    Above all, this game taught me one important lesson: If it's not fun, stop playing!

    The 10-points review here says that the game isn't as    Above all, this game taught me one important lesson: If it's not fun, stop playing!

    The 10-points review here says that the game isn't as bad as the reviews make it seem. It is right to say this, but, the game is still bad. While not being 100% disastrous it is also not too far from that point. Truth has to be said. I would have given this game 410 and I believe that is what it deserves. I would give it a 6 just to balance thing a little, because I see many zeroes here.
    God help my sense of video-gaming justice.

    And no, I didn't fall into the trap of expecting it to be like Dead Island or Riptide. I knew, or at least thought I knew, what I was getting into. I knew that it is mainly an 'action' title, with a small map, short length, etc..
    Personally I have no problem with this. But..

    This game is simply not all that fun, and,sometimes it does so in a cruel way.
    Gameplay-wise, you would mainly run around some other zombie-infested island - a mostly linear experience - advancing with the story and smashing zombies along the way.

    Somehow the developers arranged the game in a way that makes you BACKTRACK A WHOLE LOT. I Hate backtracking. And playing through the game, you'd find yourself walking through the same areas, threading the same caves, climbing the same ladders, using the same ropes, crounching under the same foliage, over, and over, and over, again.

    Oh yes, but you won't JUMP over anything.
    Our hero is capable of sending zombies to their ultimate deaths but cannot jump.
    This may sound like a minor detail, but doing all this backtracking just to run around some annoying not-too-giant obstacles just makes you think WHY CAN'T YOU JUMP CLIFF?

    The combat, which is a big part of the game, won't save things either, for the simple reasons of it being repetitive and monotonous, but above all, way too laggy! The controls would always respond in delay, the combat mechanics feel flawed and clunky.
    Also, our hero would die SO FAST. No matter how much medkits you'd collect along the way, (these would tell yo that you've raised your max health!), you'll just keep dying quickly, without even realizing what's happening!
    At first the buggy mechanics are bearable, but later in the game on the parts which are meant to be more challanging, it becomes a pain.
    Switching weapons is also not too quick, and the result is a combat which is not flowing , and you'd pray to end it as quickly as possible.
    Yes, you will pray. Or just quit. Or just break your computer, as I almost did.

    There are also MANY collectibles throughout the island. usually these are logsrecordingsetc you'd have lying around and well hidden, there are also snapshots which you can take with your camera. I actually found this aspect nice and enjoyable, but it grew tired soon enough, and didn't make up for the rest of the game.

    The one thing which really kept me from leaving this game mid-way to rot in hell was the story. And as much as it hurts to say, it wasn't too good or worth it, as well.
    It is very twisted, which is actually a good thing in my opinion. It is very bland at some points, though, and leads you to a very weak finale.
    I guess the concept was alright and a somewhat original, but still, the story is not getting too clear throughout the game. For many of the events, you'll never figure out if they ACTUALLY happened or are simply a fruit of our hero's limited imagination.
    The ending doesn't properly close the game, there are many holes and questions unanswered, and it is simply not justifying the time spent on.
    No need to say the chatacters have no depth or any development (storywise).

    So, there it is, with a heavy heart I would definitely NOT recommend this game, even though it doesn't deserve a round zero.
    There are some bright sides which are worth mentioning, although they fail to save the game from being what it is.

    The graphics are actually pretty good, not too fancy but has a cool comic-style which is very refreshing to the series and I always like to see in video games.

    The soundtrack is splendid! Feels like a waste for this game, but, it really keeps the atmosphere in a good place, very dramatic and tense, very fitting, very epic, simply great!

    Unfortunately, these make the game look like a nice package while the inside is an utter mess.

    The Underwater Labs is also worth mentioning, for being a free DLC, it is quiet good and mostly enjoyable. While it doesn't have much connection to the main story, it would take you aside to an hour or two of something...else. It is probably the only portion of the game which was actually creepy for me. There was a special emphasis on sneaking around instead of storming your enemies, it was bizzare and twisted, tense, and, well, good. Until the game mechanics ruined it and it's final section almost made me quit the game for good.

    Maybe I should have.    … Full Review »
  2. joshan2
    May 17, 2015
    0
    Worst game ever. Worst game ever. Worst game ever. Worst game ever. Worst game ever. Worst game ever. Worst game ever. Worst game ever.Worst game ever. Worst game ever. Worst game ever. Worst game ever. Worst game ever. Worst game ever. Worst game ever. Worst game ever. Worst game ever. Worst game ever. Worst game ever. Worst game ever. Worst game ever. Worst game ever. Worst game ever. Worst game ever. Worst game ever. Worst game ever. Worst game ever. Worst game ever. Worst game ever. Worst game ever. Worst game ever. Worst game ever. Worst game ever. Worst game ever. Worst game ever. Worst game ever. Worst game ever. Worst game ever. Worst game ever. Worst game ever. Worst game ever. Worst game ever. Worst game ever. Worst game ever.… Full Review »
  3. 21-5-73
    Jan 11, 2015
    0
    Much worse than the review make it be. I expected playing some crap and quitting after 15min based on reviews, and I ended up uninstalling itMuch worse than the review make it be. I expected playing some crap and quitting after 15min based on reviews, and I ended up uninstalling it and having a laugh doing so. Story is uninteresting, there are more dead moments than dead enemies, it always keep going south and adding new useless boring stuff and **** up events. Gameplay is brain dead. Level design are ****

    Not worth a 0, but I'm balancing for that alone foster child.    … Full Review »
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