If “The Crazies,” “Right At Your Door,” “Resident Evil” and a large portion of the zombie media available have taught us anything, it’s that wherever a catastrophic, infectious plague or zombie apocalypse springs up, some kind of conspiracy isn’t far behind. The survivors of the original “Dead Island” find themselves dropped back into another paradise-turned-purgatory teeming with the living dead in “Riptide,” picking up right where the original left off.

Somehow, the virus responsible for turning the population of holiday hotspot Banoi into flesh-eating mutants has followed the first game’s survivors to equally tropical Panai. Crash landing on its shores, the crew finds itself faced with a number of difficult decisions in their quest to escape. Twist: They’re not only outrunning the living dead, but trying to get off of Palanai before a nuke comes and atomizes any trace of the infection.

Players assume the role of one of five survivors, with four familiar faces — rapper Sam B, ex-football player Logan Carter, spy Xian Mei or hardened cop Purna — and newcomer John Morgan, a former member of the U.S. Navy. Each character has a slant toward a specific role in group play, with differences in weapon preference and defensive capabilities, but each maintains viability in a solo role. Drop-in, drop-out multiplayer blends the single- and multi-player experiences seamlessly, with different players being able to take on different members of the team.

“Riptide” wastes no time shoving players headlong into its sprawling world. With the main plot progression always available to them, players can explore the island complex in search of resources and challenges. The island is covered in settlements ancient and new, teeming with foes and gear aplenty.

The open-world nature of the game is much more palpable than in its predecessor, with exploration more heavily rewarded earlier in “Riptide.” Achievements and challenges further incentivize curious players to delve into the tons of available optional quests and locales.

Minimizing the fetch-quest tedium of the original, “Riptide” delivers heavily on the fun front. The simplicity of combat and the frantic pace necessary to keep up with the horde sustains players’ apprehension of every new corner and hallway. Characters hack, smash and shoot their way through hordes of varied enemies depending on what they scavenge, and obtainable weapon modifications can turn that rusty kitchen knife into an electrified undead-zapper Zeus would be proud of.

No slouch in the production department either, the bright and colorful island environments are extremely detailed. Weapons look worn with use and vehicles degenerate based on how many of the walking dead players have turned into gory speedbumps; handy reminders of how much carnage has been inflicted.

“Dead Island: Riptide” manages to blend open-world, action role-playing game elements with a gripping first-person survival-horror experience. It’s a must-have for anyone looking to blow off steam with the 21st century equivalent of a drive-in horror movie: a zombie-massacring, adrenaline-pumping game you can — and should — play with friends.