I’ve been patiently sitting here, twiddling my thumbs in anticipation of Dead Island 2’s first story DLC for the past six-and-a-bit months now, just itching for another excuse to grab my baseball bat and go on another zombie thwacking spree. Now that November 2nd has come and gone, and I’ve had plenty of time to sift through the grisly innards of Haus, my stance on the overall experience is mostly positive. I enjoyed my trip back to Hell-A, although that’s not to say there weren’t a few issues (some more serious than others) clawing at my ankles the further into this depraved, blood-soaked nightmare I ventured.

The story set-up for Haus isn’t the most detailed or fleshed out you’ll see in your average piece of downloadable content – in fact, it barely exists at all. After interacting with the conspicuously placed invitation just outside Emma’s mansion in Bel-Air, your slayer inexplicably finds themself teleported to the outskirts of a rather ominous-looking property somewhere in Malibu.



Do you dare make your way to the entrance and explore this hell-house’s fiendish contents? Of course you do. For your courage and curiosity, you’ll be greeted with the remnants of a cult hideout, stained crimson with the horrors of its past, and helmed by its all-powerful leader, Konstantin. I really wish I could say more here regarding what to expect from the plot, as you uncover the true nature of the group, as well as its goals and horrific practices, but due to the incredibly short runtime of Haus, (2-3 hours long!) going any further would place me in big spoiler territory.

Everything you’ve come to either love or hate about Dead Island 2 is still on full display. Melee combat is just as immensely satisfying as I remember it being, gunplay is still fun. These two mechanics have not been touched, obviously. I will say, though, that Haus does comedy a hell of a lot better than the core game did, in my opinion. Sure, there were plenty of hilarious moments and memories from my romp through the original storyline, but there’s just something about the delivery this time around that tickled my funny bone something fierce.

I will say, though, that Haus does comedy a hell of a lot better than the core game did.

It feels as if the quality of the writing, in general, has been tightened up significantly. Your mileage may vary based on who exactly you’re playing as, of course. I can confirm with confidence that stuntman Jacob’s dialogue is absolutely fantastic, for the most part. Hearing him playfully tease the cult members about their bizarre taste in interior decoration, or his amusing self-directed comments related to the trials ahead gave me a good laugh.



We’ve also got a fresh batch of collectible audio logs and journals ripe for the gathering, some giving away the big “twist” near the ending, interestingly. Eight new skill cards for your slayer are likewise obtainable, as are a few new weapons – including the plot-related “K-rossbow” crossbow. Wonderful naming choice. You’ll be using this sucker, or any of the more powerful crossbows you’ll inevitably loot at some point, to open up blocked pathways obstructed by Dark Brains. These juicy-looking clumps of grey matter need to be popped by a carefully aimed crossbow bolt to reach previously inaccessible areas and can usually be found by following the thick flesh roots creeping out of a nearby body. Or what’s left of it, at least.

There are a few scripted moments after obtaining the crossbow where you’re forced to deal with several fully armoured enemies, save for the exposed head, serving as target practice sections for some of the later swarm encounters. I didn’t notice any major new undead archetypes, unfortunately, unless you count cosmetic differences as new. Which you shouldn’t. Even the singular boss encounter close to the plot’s finishing line doesn’t feature anything unique in terms of mechanics. The buildup was nicely done, though - particularly the cutscene immediately before the fight begins.



Without a doubt, the star of the show for Dead Island 2’s first additional chunk of story content is its atmosphere and setting. Haus is an absolute spectacle to behold, a fever dream wrapped in latex and filled with shards of broken glass. The structural layout of the map presents itself in a way that feels as if you’re exploring the world’s most disturbing amusement park, with around four distinct areas inviting some ill-advised exploration opportunities. Admittedly, there’s nowhere near as much room for wandering off the path as there is within the base game’s areas, but the unique aesthetic, harrowing storytelling, and heavy ambience do a good enough job of making you forget all that in the moment.

Without a doubt, the star of the show for Dead Island 2’s first additional chunk of story content is its atmosphere and setting.

From the quaint, artificially created suburban street mock-up (keep off the grass) to the fake forest path winding around to the ‘50s-inspired diner, every single area oozes its own respective charm and fear fuel. There’s an impressive level of detail and strategy employed in the arrangement of the more subtle scares as well. The digital background of the forest features a small animation of a figure darting from behind one tree to another, for example. It’s quick enough for you to totally miss it if you’re not taking your time, but when you do catch it out of the corner of your eye, there’s a moment of internal conflict and panic as you question whether you actually saw something move or not.



The large, almost inhuman “shadows” that adorn some of the walls within the suburban area I mentioned earlier are another great instance of fantastic positioning. The way you approach these markings makes a huge impact on how startling they appear. One may be placed in such a way that the optimal viewing angle arises from leaving the room, appearing almost unnoticeable upon initially entering. Add some impressively intimidating lighting to the mix, and you’ve got the recipe for some of the best-looking and unnerving areas in the entire game, smaller though they may be.

The same amount of praise cannot be thrown at the plot progression and conclusion, sadly. Despite a very promising first half, by the time I’d finished up with the last couple of filthy hallways and pit-filled depths of Haus, I couldn’t help but feel like the plot was building up to something largely more substantial than what we got. Again, to avoid spoilers, I won’t mention precisely what transpires in the final moments of the DLC, but I will caution that you will almost certainly be underwhelmed by the ending. Even if there were two or three more areas to fight your way through, any effort to increase the playtime at all, it would still leave the feeling of dissatisfaction intact.



Thankfully, the technical performance fared quite well, with some small bugs popping up here and there. I got stuck on a flight of stairs at one point early on, which was easily fixed by a quick trip to the main menu. The usual slight corpse jitter is still present when enemies land in a particular manner, and a thrown weapon of mine got stuck in the middle of a room during a rather intense altercation with some of the residents before rapidly vibrating back and forth. Aside from those instances, all was nice and stable.

Haus is, unsurprisingly, more Dead Island 2 goodness – taking place in a refreshingly unhinged and superbly crafted setting. While the journey is over far too quickly, the sights and sounds witnessed and heard along the way leave enough of an impression to stick around with you for a while after its completion, despite an objectively lacklustre ending sequence. I’d say this paints a pretty clear picture as to what we should expect from the second and final story DLC, SOLA Festival, releasing sometime next year – namely a short pop back to Hell-A for another bloody good session of zombie carnage, with a fresh coat of paint for good measure.

*Reviewed by Ryan Pretorius