A playable prototype ofTurtle Rock Studios' cult classicLeft 4 Deadhas surfaced online. Named Zombie_City, the original map is found among the map sources folder and offers a glimpse into the first-ever concepts of the iconic Left 4 Dead series. While there is no word on who released the leak, the modder who made it available states that they implemented a series of fixes, and shares the files on a modding website.
RELATED:The Best Franchises That Started On Xbox
The modder who now offers the mod files for the Zombie_City mod also states that the map is probably created byValveor Turtle Rock Studios. “It is likely the starting point of Left 4 Dead, and for those of you who have heard the name ‘Terror-Strike’ before, you will love to get the chance to play this prototype level,” reads the description on the mod page. The modder who made the leak a playable experience has polished out some of the problematic aspects of the concept as well. “My upload fixes a texture by adding new material for it. I have also created an overview texture, generated a nav mesh, and added a level description,” says the modder.
Those who are curious about the origins of Left 4 Dead will not have any difficulty getting their hands on the mod. While we can not share a link for obvious reasons, you should be able to get the mod up and running in a few minutes to see what Turtle Rock envisioned before they released Left 4 Dead in 2008. The gameplay video for Terror-Strike shows zombie counter-terrorists running at the player with knives in their hands. Of course, as the map was a part of a work in progress, most of the textures are missing, and other than the “Zombie” prefix in their names, the counter-terrorists seem completely the same.
The formula of putting players on a map where they have to stand against hordes of enemies without weaponry had been one of the ideas of Turtle Rock Studios. We do know that much from a Left 4 Dead developer interview featuring Michael Booth, the founder of Turtle Rock Studios. In a commentary, Booth said they realized shooting hordes of enemies running at them with knives “was a ton of fun.” And the recent leak offers a glimpse into the first drafts of the studio’s proven formula, “co-op vs. the horde,” which is a genre that hasyielded many successful examplesin the past.
NEXT:Redfall Is More Like Far Cry Than Left 4 Dead, Director Says
