So now Turtle Rock are returning to their roots with Back 4 Blood, a four-player co-op zombie shooter that feels like the sequel to Left 4 Dead 2 that they never made. Turtle Rock went on to kickstart another genre with their 4v1 competitive shooter Evolve, and while it ultimately flopped, some could argue that without its inquisitive look at what an asymmetrical competitive game could be, mega hits like Dead by Daylight may not have found their audiences. Ever since, the Left 4 Dead franchise has been laying dormant deep within the belly of Valve’s vault. The sequel that followed was even bolder, but after its completion the core Turtle Rock team departed Valve to reform their independence. A perfect storm of Romero-esque horror, a phenomenal AI Director procedural scenario builder, and a healthy acquisition from Valve, Left 4 Dead delivered a cooperative experience unparalleled for its time.
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This is disappointing for players who want to enjoy the game on their own.When a small company named Turtle Rock Studios announced Left 4 Dead in the Christmas issue of PC Gamer in 2006, no one expected the change that was on the horizon. But the lack of stat tracking, supply points, or even achievement unlocks kept me far away from the solo action. Back 4 Blood’s AI companions are competent and helpful when you need an extra health boost or ammo. On the flip side, solo players may have fewer reasons to be excited. Whether we were yelling orders to one another or laughing as someone shrieked after being tackled by one of the wall-hugging Sleepers, Back 4 Blood reminded me why I spent so many hours fighting the undead in the past and why I’m excited to do it all over again in 2021.
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Even after I faced the final boss, I still had plenty of cards to unlock and new reasons to return to the earlier levels.Īs with most co-op-focused games, B4B shines brightest when you have a full team shredding through the special Ridden. The more my team varied our decks and loadouts, the less we’d have to drop ammo for one another, and we became a more efficient unit. Another time, my team and I were failing to finish off a boss, only to roll over him when we all added a card that added 20 percent damage to the special Ridden’s weak spot. By Act 3, I had assembled enough cards to create a shotgun-wielding tank that could sprint into the fray, mow down dozens of zombies, and run back without losing much HP, thanks to a card that gave me health for landing hits with my boom shot. The experience started to click for me when I began to build classes that matched my situation. These range from minor 10 percent boosts to vital skills such as gaining health back from kills to an extra life if your team fails its objective.
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As players progress through the co-op campaign, they gain supply points that can be spent on upgrade cards for each Cleaner. That difficulty curve is more manageable thanks to the card system, Turtle Rock’s wrinkle on the classic formula. The game can strike the right balance, but I wish those highs and lows had been tuned to offer a more consistent experience. The Director also seems to overcorrect after zombies became too oppressive, and my squad would easily walk through the rest of a level with little more than a scratch after a big fight. There were too many times I would get through a level with minor hiccups, only to get overpowered within minutes of the next segment and vice-versa. This system tinkers with players’ experiences from level to level, throwing everything from fog to flaming infected at you, meaning two playthroughs of the same stage can be completely different.
The changes in challenge come from the Game Director.
While I loved the heated moments where victory is in question, the difficulty balance is off. Everything from crushing Ridden craniums with your nail-covered bat to mowing down zombie hordes with an LMG has the proper weight, controller-rumble, and sound effects to immerse you in an intense experience.īack 4 Blood is difficult, especially at the start, and I was surprised by its unrelenting enemy mobs.
The weapons should be familiar to anyone who’s played titles like Left 4 Dead before, but the thrilling moment-to-moment battles with the undead are satisfying. Back 4 Blood’s gunplay is a major highlight.
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