Dead Island 2: SoLA

The Dead Island 2 SoLa DLC is a much better expansion than the previous one, featuring the same enticing blend of wacky characters and explosive zombie slaying action of the base game. The new additions, however, don't expand the core gameplay significantly, making the expansion a worthy purchase only for the most die-hard fans of Dambuster Studios' rendition of zombie-infested Los Angeles.

Dead Island 2 is back in the spotlight thanks to SoLA, the second DLC that expands the original experience by inviting us to take the stage of a massive zombie festival. the experience ends up feeling somewhat bittersweet. On the one hand, it maintains the level of excellence with which Dead Island 2 surprised us at the time. On the other hand, it is disappointing that this new DLC denies us again the possibility of being able to give closure to the main story. Despite this, it is a chapter that is fun thanks to allowing us to break zombie heads and make our way through hordes of undead.

2023’s Dead Island 2 was gaming junk food in the best possible way. It was dumb fun surrounded by smart humor and satire. In SoLa, none of that has really changed. Melee combat is still visceral — literally — and bloody good fun. The game’s visuals remain sharp, detailed, and full of humorous touches. The new DLC is an improvement over Haus, but there are more and more moments where things feel a bit stale, too. Come to SoLa with realistic expectations for more of the same, and it’ll be a pretty good time. Let’s hope that the planned third DLC shakes things up.

With "SoLA", "Dead Island 2" gets another DLC that fits seamlessly into the overall experience. The new area is extremely atmospheric and varied, and the new weapons are powerful. The latter provide a high gore factor, and the two new enemy types require fresh tactics. The expansion doesn't even begin to make "Dead Island 2" a new game, but cleverly builds on elements that make it a very good title anyway.

At the end of the day, Dead Island 2 is comfort food, and so is the SoLA expansion. If you loved the base game to just let loose and bash in some zombie skulls, then this is just more of it, for better or for worse. It’s just good old dumb fun at the end of the day.

Dead Island 2: SoLA takes us to a music festival in HEL-LA where a mysterious rhythm is creating new types of infected. An excuse like any other to return to the proposal of Dambuster and destroy zombies in a new location full of new weapons and types of enemies.