Dead Island: Retro Revenge is a side-scrolling beat-em-up game from Empty Clip Studios released on August 1, 2016, as part of the Dead Island Definitive Collection. It is also available as a standalone game for the price of $4.99 USD. The game is a side scrolling 16 bit beat-em-up game that uses a points system to record score, with leaderboards to compare scores from players around the world.
Main Plot[]
Max is living in his trailer with his pet cat, Rick Furry, playing on his game console. However, while Max is distracted playing the console, a couple of bandits come and steal Rick from the trailer. Upon noticing Rick being missing, Max looks out the window to see Rick staring at him out the rear window of the RV he's been kidnapped in. Angry, Max grabs a weapon from his trailer and bursts outside, determined to follow the RV and get his cat back. However, California is filled with zombies as well as gangs of bandits and to reach Rick, Max has to battle his way through them all. Eventually, Max catches up with the RV and after fighting through the gang, saves his cat and they return to his trailer.
Gameplay[]
- The game is a side scroller that scrolls automatically. The only movement options are moving either up or down the screen to either attack or dodge enemies, projectiles and obstacles in one of three lanes.
- There is no crafting of any kind, nor are there any survivors to help or quests to take, as the game is instead progressed by completing a total of 24 seamless back-to-back levels.
- These levels are arranged into 3 'worlds' comprised of 8 levels each, given the simple title formula of 'world-level'. E.g. playing the first level is 1-1, while playing the 5th level of the 2nd world is level 2-5. The game also features a marathon and Survivor Mode.
- Fighting is primarily done with the playable character's fists and legs.
- More weapons are obtained by completing levels, rather than quests. Weapons are also hard to come by, either being dropped by "POW" crates or being achieved through a power bar that is built up by killing special enemy lines, and only available for a limited time amount, much like a power-up.
- Custom weapons are obtained by killing special shining enemies, and do not require mod parts or cash to build.
- There's no XP so there's no levelling up. There's also no skill trees or skills of any kind.
- Points are used to keep track of the player's score and give a good rating at the end of the stage, up a maximum of 5 starts per stage.
- Enemies will usually come from the right hand of the screen while the player character is always on the left, enemies will occasionally run from the left side of the screen, behind the player.
- The longer the player remains undamaged and kills enemies, they can build up a bigger score multiplier which is represented by a string of hands making the rock symbol commonly seen at concerts.
- Magic is a power-up useable to clear the screen. If in danger due an overwhelming number of enemies to deal with, for example, the magic power can be used which plays a short animation before killing anything and everything on the screen.
- Magic may be replenished by destroying the Airdrop crate while at maximum health.
Trivia[]
- The game is based in California and so therefore Max could be the same Max seen in the Dead Island 2 (2014) trailer.
- Because of this, Rick Furry could have possibly appeared in the cancelled Dead Island 2, though nothing about him was mentioned.
- Retro Revenge was originally planned to be an exclusive pre-order bonus for the cancelled Dead Island 2. The game was planned to be called "Dude where's my cat?".
- This name was likely to be a reference to the 2002 stoner comedy film Dude, Where's My Car?[1]
- In the options menu there's an option to change the screen between full HD fullscreen and a CRT TV display which shows the edges of a sunk in old CRT TV to give the game a feel like it's playing on a 16 bit console on an old TV.
- Many fans have joked about Max's likeness to Jack Black, in both stature and attitude, even having a voice much like Jack Black's. Indeed, the voice actor hired was a Jack Black impersonator.
External links[]
- Dead Island Retro Revenge at Steam