While some video game villains want nothing more than to destroy the hero and take over the world, there are a select few that are often misunderstood victims of their own circumstance. Take for example Ryder White, the big bad from Techland’s Dead Island, a military official who wanted nothing more than to cure the zombie outbreak that was occurring on Banoi Island. We never really knew what drove White to the brink of insanity, or how he survived on the Island, all we really know is what our characters experienced in the main campaign.

However, thanks to a new piece of DLC for Dead Island, players will be given that rare chance to see a game’s events from a new perspective, that of its villain. In this DLC, named simply 'Ryder White', players will take on the role of the crazed Commander as he too fights to survive. Though it wasn’t until late in the game’s campaign that players came face to face with White, his presence was felt early on, and it is within that time frame that players will experience White’s story while on Banoi Island.

While it’s hard to imagine that players will find much sympathy with White, getting a new perspective on the game’s villain should paint the plot in a new light. And, with White being a self-proclaimed member of the Banoi Island Defense Force, one has to imagine he’ll be better suited for battle than the unlikely protagonists of the game’s main campaign.

To help illuminate that point, Techland have included a few new weapon blueprints with this DLC, but unfortunately have not gone into any detail explaining them. All we really know at this point is that the Ryder White DLC will set gamers back $9.99.

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Dead Island might not have lived up to the tremendous potential that was held in that initial teaser trailer, but it did end up delivering a compelling blend of RPG and survival horror with some deep weapon customization. Ryder White’s DLC campaign should hopefully deliver another chance to jump back into those elements with, of course, some more variation and opportunities for creative zombie killing thrown in for good measure.

Are you ready to return to the world of Dead Island in the Ryder White DLC campaign? What other ideas would you like to see Techland explore in future DLC?

Dead Island’s 'Ryder White' DLC campaign is heading to the PSN on January  31st and Xbox Live and the Steam Marketplace on February 1st.