Mark your calendars, people – Dead Island: Riptide has been kanabo-slapped with a release date, set to resurrect the perils and horror of the first game in a New! Improved! Now with more braaaaaaains! format.

Dead Island: Riptide will rise from the ground on 23 April 2013 in the US, and the rest of the world will get their flesh-eating fix on 26 April 2013 on 360, PS3 and PC.

The game will also arrive in two versions, which are already available for pre-order:

• Pre-order Edition: This version of Dead Island Riptide will include an exclusive pack of weapon mods that allows even more, manifold ways to dispose of the ghastly zombie hordes on Palanai island.
• Special Retailers Edition: In addition to the weapon mods this version will contain an alternate character skin not obtainable anywhere else! The Special Edition of Dead Island Riptide will only be available at selected retail partners. Details about the retail partners per territory offering the Special Edition will be announced soon. The Special Retailers Edition will also feature an alternative packshot.

The sequel, which will also be developed by Techland, promises to add a significant amount of content over its predecessor.

The game features the same protagonists from the original (and you’ll be able to import your characters if you’ve played it), as well as an as yet unidentified fifth person. And everything is about to go from really, really, really bad to so much worse – the whole place has been hit by a monsoon, and everything is now covered in zombies and water. Worst holiday ever.

The first Dead Island became a best-selling game within the genre, and although it did well critically, there were some complaints regarding the “technical issues, repetitive combat and a general lack of credible physics”, as Alex Hempel mentioned in his MyGaming review.

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