Techland has provided GWN with an exclusive interview on their upcoming project, Dead Island.

Techland has recently took time away from their hectic development schedule to answer a few questions we had about Dead Island. Dead Island was recently unveiled in August, so let’s take an in-depth look at the title.

Hello, and thanks for granting us this interview. Please tell us a little about yourself, your role at Techland, and your work on Dead Island.
Hello. My name is Adrian Ciszewski and I am the producer of Dead Island.

Could you tell us a little about Dead Island and how it came about as a project?
Dead Island is a zombie based survival horror. That project was in our minds since we have finished Chrome and now is the right time to do this. Basically we all are huge zombies fans, and from this fascination come the great ideas for the game.

I think that zombie genre gives an opportunity to show many interesting things apart from lots of gore. Human behavior and their relations during the fight for survival. It’s the same thing with Dead Island. We have survivors who are trying to stay alive, no matter what the cost is. That brings all kinds of situations which occur in a post apocalyptic world.

an you give us an impression of the story and where it will take us in Dead Island?
A newlywed couple is heading to holidays. Then a sudden plane crash rips things apart. The main character wakes up on the beach and finds that there is no plane around and his wife is missing. After a while he finds that the island is overrun with multitudes of zombies. In the midst of this, he must save himself and his missing wife. On his harrowing quest he meets other survivors fighting for they lives. He can join them or at least cooperate with them for mutual advantages. He has one main objective: Survive.

Have you derived any inspiration from classic zombie films or filmmakers like George Romero?
No doubt about it. We all love George Romero’s movies, they are true inspiration for us. I would like to mention Lucio Fulci’s “Zombie” which is an outstanding zombie movie. We are also inspired by modern movies like Zack Snyder’s “Dawn of the Dead” remake and Danny Boyle’s “28 Days Later”. Those filmmakers gave some fresh breath to the zombie genre which is great. I’m sure that Romero’s and Boyle’s fans will be pleased with what they see in Dead Island.

What elevates Dead Island above standard first-person shooter fare? Are there stealth elements, A.I. teammates, role-playing mechanics added in?
Dead Island is a non-linear FPP survival horror but there is another term that defines it – FPM – First Person Melee. We assume that you will fight with everything you find and what you can handle to carry. All locations offer wide ranges of weapons which can be used. For example when you are in the jungle you can find a branch or rock, in the hotel kitchen you can pick up a frying pan or meat cleaver and so on. We are focused on melee fighting rather then shooting but of course you’ll find guns across the island.

The combat system also gives you a chance to take advantage over the opponents by using environment. Places like pools filled with water, electric fences etc. gives great chance to use it as a trap or as a cover from zombies. You can also combine those elements. Water and electricity, gas and fire and so on. There will be a lot of it in the game. That element brings all the fun when playing. We also apply RPG elements to Dead Island like dialogues, interactions with NPCs, side quests. It’s a very strong feature in addition to all the fights with zombies.

Non-linear gameplay which means that player will have lot of choices to make, different tasks to accept, some of them will help or harm. Every completed quest will have it’s effect on the surrounding world. The main character will gain friends or foes. Player will also have a chance to back track previous locations and pick a task that he didn’t get earlier. Those elements put Dead Island far above a standard FPS.

Other than throwing waves of dangerous enemies at the player, how does Dead Island offer a more organic challenge when switching to the more difficult settings?
Zombies aren’t the only threat on the island. I think that island itself is the most dangerous place, which holds creepiest mysteries and nightmares. There are also armed factions, but their goals and motives are unknown in the beginning. They can be hostile, it all depends on player’s actions. There will be a few kinds of zombies with different abilities and of course some spectacular boss fights.

So what can you tell us about the various levels in the game? What can we expect to see?
The open vast world of the island will be divided into zones. As I mentioned before there is an option to back track previous locations. This gives you a chance to complete quests that you passed before. The island is a big tropical tourist resort with all its features. Hotel complex, city, villages and some other areas which I cannot speak of right now because of spoilers. All I can tell you is that there will be a lot of different environment settings, interiors and outdoors.

How extreme will the violence end up? Is this a lock for a U.S. mature rating?
Extreme violence but with zombies. I think that we can only have a problem with publishing it in Germany. It’s the same with titles like Dead Rising which was banned in Germany. Rated M for mature. Blood and gore, intense violence, language and partial nudity. That’s it.

On the development side, what has been the biggest challenge in development so far?
In Dead Island damage system is the main dish. Inflicted injuries are varied and depend on the weapon held by the player and the part of the body he hits. If you fight with machete you can cut zombie’s head off. If you fight with club after a hit you will see true deformation of the opponent’s body.

Visualization of injuries is very realistic thanks to the multi layer body model which shows skin, muscles and bones. For example you can shoot off zombies limbs and watch them crawling. This feature will expand survival horror genre to a totally new level of realism and this is the biggest challenge.

Are there any advantages working with the Xbox 360 over the PC that the development team has encountered so far?
While there are millions of PC configurations there is only one Xbox 360. It makes developing a game for that platform a lot easier. We can apply almost every idea that comes to our mind not worrying about smooth running game. It’s the biggest advantage over the PC.

From a design standpoint, what would you say is the most impressive achievement you’ve managed so far?
We managed to design a huge, realistically looking tropical island. Tourist resort with roads, pool bars, marinas, hotels and many tiny details that make it look real. On the one side you have a beautiful island where you want to spend your holiday and on the other side it’s a place full of brain hungry zombies.

Are there currently any post-game release plans for Dead Island such as Xbox Live Marketplace or content for PC users?
There are lot of ideas and we will definitely pick some. At the moment it’s too early to say what exactly.

With Dead Island recently receiving a lot of attention at GC, has there been any interest expressed by publishers?
After showing our titles to the largest publishers, the negotiations phase begins. This process needs time so we can’t comment on anything right now.

Any plans on including future development on the Nintendo Wii or Playstation 3?
No plans at the moment but we don’t say no. Potential of these platforms is huge. If we speak about developing Dead Island, Wii is definitely too weak, PS3 has got the power but it all depends on the publisher.

Finally is there anything else you wish to say about Dead Island?
Please visit our community website www.deadislandgame.com where you can find some fresh news and exclusive content. There is also a forum where you can share your opinions and ideas about Dead Island. Thanks for the interview and stay tuned for more Dead Island details.

Originally from GWN