The player can now confront larger predators head on, and use features of the environment such as tree trunks, a wall of vines that allow the player to climb, and ledges to swing, as a means of gaining the upper hand in combat, or simply progressing through the level.
When playing as King Kong, the game takes a third person perspective, and becomes more focused on combat. The environment can also be used to the player's advantage, such as setting the tips of spears on fire to burn a patch of tall grass to kill creatures lurking within (or simply impale the creature with the burning spear), smaller animals being used as bait for larger predators as a means of a distraction or to lure into a trap, or simply using stone structures as cover to hide from, evade, or sneak past the creatures. The player must survive against the creatures of the island using various methods such as guns and ammunition dropped in crates by Captain Englehorn's sea plane, spears crafted by the island's natives, and fire. While playing as Jack Driscoll, the game uses a first person perspective, with sections of Skull Island divided into separate levels (displayed as scenes on a roll of film in the main menu).
