Dead Island 2 confirms a seriously divisive gameplay feature

Hold onto your hats. Dead Island 2, a sequel that has been awaited for years and years from its die-hard fans, has confirmed it is using one of the most controversial gameplay mechanics out there. That is, of course, weapon degradation.

It's a tweak to the standard formula that turned a fair few people off Breath Of The Wild - not me though. I just got bored after three hours. The intention is that it stops the player from becoming too attached to a certain style of play and feeling that the game becomes stale as a result, and sometimes broken weapons will do more damage on their final blow. See, the thing is, players get attached to that weapon for a reason and it feels a little like a "gotcha" to force them to ditch it after getting very good at using that spear or what have you. Still, weapon durability has been here for a while and it looks like it's been a source of inspiration for Dead Island 2 now.

Here's our first glimpse at gameplay for Dead Island 2 - viewer discretion advised for those with wibbly stomachs.

“I think [weapon durability] helps fit with our tone a little bit, too because this is a game that just keeps going, this is a game that’s over-the-top but we want to be grounded in reality,” said Adam Olson, art director, in an interview with VG247. “Having one foot in reality - and having weapons that break - helps us push other parts of the game into that over-the-top mentality.” Weapon degradation will be "generous," said design director Adam Duckett, so you shouldn't get yourself into sticky situations too often.

“There’s nothing better than cracking a katana, looking at the hilt in your hand, and then seeing the rest of the blade embedded in a zombie’s skull,” he joked, adding that players will "never going to be without something they can use" with melee and ranged weapons in their arsenal.