Back 4 Blood has big shoes to fill with its relation to the co-op zombie cult classic Left 4 Dead. However, the developers have gone in a different direction for the new game. But, does it work?
Back 4 Blood
Back 4 Blood
Rating: 4.5/5
Developer: Turtle Rock Studios
Publisher: Warner Bros
Platform: PC, XBO, PS4, PS5, XBS
Price: PC – Rs 2,999;
Consoles – Rs 3,999
Left 4 Dead is one of those cult classic games that never seemed to have left. The team behind that game has now created Back 4 Blood. While it is also a co-op first-person zombie game, it is very different from Left 4 Dead offering an entirely new experience.
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The game starts with a group of zombie-slaying veterans called Cleaners. You can choose which Cleaner you want to be and it comes with some perks and a special ability. There is no option to design your character. Once you select the character, you are thrown into the heat of battle with zombies coming at you from every direction. The Cleaner’s experience comes into play and your team configuration matters in a lot of situations during the game.
Your characters can also have their skills upgraded using a card system. Each character has a 15-card deck to load out. These cards can be found in the levels by scavenging around and going through every part of the stage. This has a downside because the longer you wait to search for cards, the higher the chance of another horde headed your way. The cards, however, are worth it. You can heavily customise the skill set of your character and have different load-outs for different situations. It is a lot of fun to configure the deck and even search for these cards.
Back 4 Blood also has many weapons and there is a shop at the start of every stage and you can refill or swap out weapons there. The weapons and skillset together determine your overall success in the mission. In the easiest mode, Back 4 Blood plunges players into difficult but not impossible situations. The AI is fairly capable of assisting you but they are no match when it comes to real players. There is enough variety in gameplay and monsters to keep you coming back for more. The campaign is also fairly large with approximately 30 levels. Increasing the difficulty by just one level, exponentially increases the difficulty level. Even the AI bots don’t offer adequate support, again emphasising the need for real players to co-op with.
Playing as a single player, the game has a fairly linear story. There are plenty of touch and go situations that will have you at the edge of your seat particularly towards the end where the missions get tough even in the easiest mode. This constant pressure of the hordes and the AI cleaners made the experience of playing this game both stressful and fun.
The game has pretty standard graphics. It’s good but not brilliant. There is plenty of blood and gore, but they do get repetitive after a while. What Back 4 Blood does well is level design. The maps are just brilliant, there are several nooks and crannies to explore and discover. It also offers ample opportunity to introduce jump scares, though this game is more about the pressure than the scary element.
Back 4 Blood is no Left 4 Dead, but it holds out pretty well on its own. The game is fun, the card deck skill system is superb and the game will have you coming back for more. I wish there were more varieties in the zombies instead of ever-increasing hordes but it is a very minor complaint. For now, the game doesn’t have any mods, but considering how active the Left 4 Dead community is, there is a good chance we will see some mods for it in the future. If you are looking to mod your game, go in for the PC version. If not, any other version will do. Back 4 Blood is a great co-op shooter, so if you have friends to play with, this game can be a fun. Single players can also play the game, but it isn’t the same experience. So, consider that before getting the game.
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