Finally, after leaving Valve, the creators of the critically acclaimed Left 4 Dead franchise are back and ready to take the gaming world by storm. Their new shooter, Back 4 Blood, is set to release on October 12th, with beta-playing fans already raving about the game. Back 4 Blood is described as a cooperative first-person shooter in which the player finds themselves at the center of a war against the Ridden. The Ridden, the game’s version of zombies, are deceased human hosts of a deadly parasite that has turned them into horrifying creatures hardwired to kill and devour what remains of humanity. With the end of the human race at stake, the player and their friends must destroy the Ridden and it’s up to you and save what remains of the world.
The game includes two different modes: Swarm and Campaign. In the campaign, players work together to traverse the main storyline of the game and defeat the Ridden. It is designed as a 4 player co-op, with the ability to play with friends or on one’s own. Swarm, on the other hand, takes form as a PvP mode in which players can choose to play as human or Ridden and compete to win the game. Both sides, human or Ridden, come with unique weapons, abilities, and perks in this game mode.
The game released early to pre-order buyers this past week, making way for a multitude of early reviews. Although the game remains unrated on Steam, multiple articles and reviews have cropped up, raving about the game. The guns in the game are hit-scan apparently, giving the game a more Call of Duty feel rather than a Left 4 Dead one. Additionally, players can or even must buy and/or loot upgrades to make their guns more effective, something that wasn’t a feature in its predecessor. Back 4 Blood has an economy that runs on copper that players find in the world during rounds. At the beginning of each round, and only at the beginning, players can then spend said copper on healing items, grenades, guns, attachments, and upgrades that apply to the whole team. It appears this game is all about speed, as players can’t stay in an area for too long without the AI sending out a fresh hoard to hunt them down.
Although there has certainly been a learning curve for old players entering the game expecting Left 4 Dead 3, fans appear to be enjoying the game. Fueled by nostalgia, players everywhere are booting up this game to relive the old days with their friends; Days where all they had to worry about was getting home and shooting some zombies with friends.
Back 4 Blood will launch for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC on October 12th.