It’s been difficult not to compareBack 4 BloodtoLeft 4 Dead. Beyond similar naming schemes, they’re both co-op zombie shooters with multiple similarities. Even watchingBack 4 Blood’sgameplay reveal from this past Game Awards showmakes it easy to draw comparisons. However,in a new videodeveloper Turtle Rock explains its vision forBack 4 Bloodand how the title will advance the zombie shooter genre.
WhileBack 4 Bloodwill still have players fill the shoes of one of four survivors, they aren’t as rag-tag asLeft 4 Dead’s. Instead of looking like they came from all walks of life, this group is seasoned when it comes to blowing zombies to bits. They’ve lived in the infected world for a year, and are either tough enough to not fear the undead or are immune to their virus. In terms of gameplay, this experience manifests in stronger player characters armed with better weapons.
To balance that out though,Back 4 Bloodalso has stronger enemies. The game mimic’sLeft 4 Dead’s zombie system, including both common and mutated special zombies. However, there’s a wider variety of undead inBack 4 Blood. Besides boomer, hunter, and charger clones, the game also has a massive mutated zombie called the Ogre. While this special enemy may seem like a clone ofLeft 4 Dead’s tank, this enemy seems much more threatening. It towers above crowds of undead, and can rip apart the environment in its pursuit of players.
But the last big gameplay change that Turtle Rock is using to push forward the zombie-killing experience has to do with replayability. The game has what’s called a “game director” that monitors players over the course of a campaign. By looking at players' health, ammo, and weapons, it then choreographs new encounters. With this technique,Back 4 Bloodsupposedly guarantees that there won’t be a slow moment over the course of a campaign.
You can read all about our experiences with theBack 4 BloodAlpha here.
