I’ve been dying to write about this one, particularly because Dead Island is one of my favorite franchises, not because they’re amazing games (they are) but it’s also the fact that they’ve made just 2 Dead Island games, and the second one was delayed by what, 9 years? Lol.. And they both still ended up being proper bangers. I love that lmfao
Dead Island 2 has always known exactly what it is. It is loud, colorful, self-aware, and completely uninterested in taking the zombie apocalypse seriously. With the release of the Sola Festival DLC, the game doubles down on that identity while also quietly tightening its narrative threads from the first expansion, Haus. The result is a DLC that feels more confident, more playful, and surprisingly cohesive for a franchise built on B movie chaos.
If you bounced off the first DLC or skipped it entirely, Sola Festival might still win you over. If you played Haus and wondered where the story was going next, this new chapter finally gives you some answers. And if you play through it as Jacob, you are in for one of the most genuinely funny action RPG experiences Dead Island has delivered in years.
Where Sola Festival fits in…
Dead Island 2 launched in April 2023 on PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox One, and both major DLCs are available across all platforms. I already bought the game pre-release for PS5, but I recently purchased the Ultimate Edition for PC and I AM SO FKN HAPPY. I love this fuckass game.
The first story expansion, Haus, arrived in November 2023 and leaned heavily into psychological horror and cult aesthetics. The second expansion, Sola Festival, released in April 2024 and serves as the narrative and tonal counterweight.
Where Haus was claustrophobic and unsettling, Sola Festival is bright, absurd, and deliberately excessive. Think neon lights, pulsing music, and zombies getting vaporized to bass drops. But despite the tonal shift, Sola Festival directly continues ideas and lore introduced in Haus rather than ignoring them. What I really like is the fact that they over-exaggerate a lot of the stereotypes we see in the people of LA, and the worst part is that, having met them irl, they really just show you that they’re actually like that lol.
How Sola Festival connects to Haus without repeating it
Haus introduced players to a cult obsessed with transcendence, control, and the idea that the zombie outbreak might be something more than a virus. It was creepy, philosophical, and intentionally uncomfortable. Sola Festival takes those same themes and throws them into a completely different environment.
Instead of underground bunkers and sterile hallways, Sola Festival is set around a massive open-air music event on the outskirts of Los Angeles. The cult influence is still there, but now it is wrapped in festival branding, spiritual slogans, and pseudo-enlightenment rhetoric that feels ripped straight from influencer culture. Remember Amanda from the base game? Lol, that’s basically it.
Narratively, Sola Festival answers some of the questions Haus raised without fully closing the book. It reframes the cult not as an isolated group, but as part of a wider movement trying to exploit chaos for meaning and power. This makes the Dead Island 2 world feel more connected, and it gives weight to what could have been a throwaway party-themed DLC.
The smart part is that you do not need to remember every detail from Haus to follow along. Sola Festival works as a standalone story, but players who experienced the first DLC will notice callbacks, mirrored ideas, and character motivations that land harder with context.
Gameplay changes and why the DLC feels better paced
From a pure gameplay perspective, Sola Festival feels more refined than Haus. The environments are more open, the combat encounters are more varied, and the pacing is noticeably smoother. Where Haus sometimes felt like it was dragging you through ideas, Sola Festival lets you move, experiment, and cause chaos at your own rhythm.
New enemy types lean into sound-based mechanics, which fits the festival theme surprisingly well. You will find yourself reacting to audio cues, environmental hazards, and crowd control scenarios that feel distinct from the base game without reinventing the wheel.
Weapon variety remains one of Dead Island 2’s strengths, and the DLC leans hard into elemental damage, especially shock and fire. The spectacle of combat matters here, and the game wants you to enjoy every over-the-top kill animation. It’s like Doom, if it wasn’t taken seriously. Doom has crazy gore animations and kills, and Dead Island is like the younger, funnier, retarded brother.
Most importantly, Sola Festival never forgets that Dead Island is supposed to be fun first. It does not overstay its welcome, and it avoids the filler padding that often drags down DLC experiences.
Playing as Jacob turns the DLC into a comedy highlight!
Jacob has always been one of the more entertaining Slayers in Dead Island 2, but Sola Festival fully unleashes his personality. If you play through the DLC as Jacob, the tone shifts from dark satire to outright comedy in the best possible way. I fucking love Jacob so much. I could have chosen a different character for my second playthrough but I loved him sm on my PS5 playthrough that I just chose him again, no questions asked. He’s so wholesome and funny.
Jacob’s dialogue is packed with sarcastic commentary, self-awareness, and perfectly timed one-liners. He reacts to cult nonsense with disbelief, mocks the performative spirituality of the festival, and constantly undercuts dramatic moments with humor that feels natural rather than forced.
What makes it work is that the writing does not try to turn Jacob into a joke character. He still takes the situation seriously when it matters, but he processes the madness the same way most players probably would. By laughing at it.
The banter during combat, mission objectives, and even quiet exploration moments adds texture to the DLC. You are not just clearing objectives. You are experiencing the apocalypse through the lens of someone who refuses to let it crush their personality.
In a genre that often struggles with tone, Dead Island 2 nails it here. Jacob’s dialogue makes the Sola Festival DLC feel alive, reactive, and genuinely entertaining from start to finish.
Community reaction and why this DLC landed better
Community impressions around Sola Festival have been noticeably more positive than Haus. Many players appreciated the lighter tone, improved pacing, and stronger combat loops. There is also a growing consensus that playing as Jacob elevates the experience significantly.
Criticism still exists, mainly around the DLC’s length and the fact that Dead Island 2’s core structure remains unchanged. If you did not enjoy the base game, Sola Festival will not convert you. But for fans, it feels like a confident victory lap rather than a side story that exists in isolation.
Players have also praised how the DLC ties narrative threads together without over-explaining them. It trusts the audience to connect dots, which is refreshing in a genre that often spells everything out.
Final thoughts on Dead Island 2’s DLC journey
Taken as a whole, Dead Island 2 is in a surprisingly strong place right now. Between the psychological unease of Haus, the chaotic spectacle of Sola Festival, and the replayable structure of Neighborhood Watch, the game has evolved well beyond its original launch footprint. It no longer feels like a single campaign you finish and forget. It feels like a living, flexible zombie playground that adapts to how you want to play. I have yet to try the co-op stuff because I just hate playing online, and it easily pisses me off when the players are nothing but cunts.
If you are planning a return to Dead Island 2, this is the best time to do it. And if you are starting fresh, choosing Jacob as your Slayer is an easy recommendation. His humor, delivery, and constant commentary turn an already solid DLC into something memorable. Idk im kinda partial towards him.
Add Neighborhood Watch into the mix, and Dead Island 2 proves it still has legs. Whether you want narrative content, co-op chaos, or short survival sessions with friends, the game offers reasons to keep coming back. In a genre crowded with live services and disposable releases, that kind of staying power matters.
Whether you are jumping back into Hell-A for the new DLC or finally picking up Dead Island 2 for the first time, it is a great excuse to revisit one of the most entertaining zombie action games of the last few years. If you want to save some money while doing it, you can grab Dead Island 2 and its DLC at a discount over on Gamers-Outlet.net. It is an easy way to expand your library without expanding your budget.
As always, we will be back with more reviews, breakdowns, and monthly highlights, so stay tuned and happy gaming. Hehe
