

Back 4 Blood is set to launch today on PlayStation5, PlayStation4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One consoles, and PC (via Steam and Epic Games Store). The game comes from the video game development studio Turtle Rock Studios, the same creative team that helped develop classic zombie shooters Left 4 Dead (L4D) and Left 4 Dead 2.

Essentially, I trust Turtle Rock to take the feedback from the open beta and apply it to the game in the smartest, most gory way possible for its launch in October.Back 4 Blood, the 4 player co-op zombie horror FPS is going to unlock on Steam in a few hours from now. I ran into a few issues during my time with Back 4 Blood’s open beta content, but nothing that felt insurmountable at this stage of development. The protagonists of Back 4 Blood aren’t shocked and running for their lives they’re on a mission to eradicate the Ridden and create safe zones for human life to resume. Meanwhile, the dialogue among the Cleaners is cute, with references to “the new normal,” lizard people in the government and the lamestream media, to name a few joke opportunities. Shooting the Ridden is immensely satisfying with any gun, while getting snatched up or knocked down by a Special Ridden is shocking basically every time. There’s a variety of weapons and items to gather as well, and a healthy allotment of ammo drops throughout the maps, especially if you go exploring.

The card system adds a lovely layer of customization to the game, while the corruption cards make each new round just a little different, just a little more exciting. While the levels feel familiar, they’re filled with secrets and they naturally encourage dynamic play, offering various ways to approach any single encounter. One thing that stands out in Back 4 Blood is its sense of replayability. A new character, Mom, joins the roster of playable Cleaners for the first time, too. The open beta features two PvE maps for co-op runs and two maps for the Swarm PvP mode, where teams of four take turns fighting each other as the Cleaners (the main characters) and the Ridden (the infected former humans). I’m most interested in PvE, since that’s the core of my nostalgia in this case, and I ended up playing about two hours of the main co-op mode with some new friends. Left 4 Dead is a pivotal game of my past, and Back 4 Blood taps into those good feelings in a delicious way. I’m one of those fans, and I have to say, I’m enjoying the hell out of Back 4 Blood. All of this is on top of a new PvP mode and the core PvE gameplay, which has to feel like butter if it’s going to satisfy Turtle Rock’s Left 4 Dead fans. And it’s a true cross-platform game, running across console generations and PC.
#Back 4 blood release plus#
There’s also a card system that allows players to build decks of class-specific perks, plus corruption cards that apply randomized effects to every level, changing up the gameplay each time. There’s plenty to track: The game uses a Left 4 Dead-style AI director that adjusts the difficulty level in real-time as you plow through hordes of Ridden in your own special way.

Turtle Rock Studios is using the open beta to fine-tune Back 4 Blood ahead of its release on October 12th, and developers are serious about gathering as much feedback as possible. Not that you should expect it to be perfect. Those have been resolved and I’m told PvP is ready to rock for the open beta. I got a sneak peek at what the beta has to offer on PC, with an emphasis on PvE content, since there were some technical issues with PvP modes during my playtime. The Back 4 Blood open beta runs from August 5th to 9th, and again from August 12th to 16th, on PC, Xbox and PlayStation consoles.
#Back 4 blood release update#
Update your settings here, then reload the page to see it.Īfter playing a few hours of Back 4 Blood, the new co-op survival shooter from Left 4 Dead studio Turtle Rock, I was left with two questions: How is this legal? And, when can I play again? Turns out, right now. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences.
