If somewhere between oodles of blood and guts, horrible grotesque monsters crawling after you with bizarre abilities, and four people desperate to survive a zombie apocalypse reminds you of a good time back in 2008, but you’re still somehow itching for it to get a bit more brutal with your zombie experience, then it might be your day.
Back 4 Blood is bringing the classic Left 4 Dead gameplay back to the modern times, brought about by the same creators that brought us the Left 4 Dead franchise.
Back 4 Blood is a cooperative first-person shooter that offers horrifying environments, disgustingly creepy zombies, and more than a few special undead that promise to throw a wrench or six into even the best-laid plans of escape. It might just be simpler to note it as Left 4 Dead, but modernized.
The closed alpha has only just begun, and already it’s the seventeenth-highest viewed title streamed on Twitch with the number of viewers seemingly increasing by the hour.
We saw the original trailer during The Game Awards, and the closed alpha has launched as of December 17; it should be noted that closed alpha access is free to sign up for, but you’ll need to be selected by one of the hundreds likely already in line. Cross your fingers and hope for a bloody Christmas.
Briefing is over. Time to get out into the Alpha and show the Ridden who's world this is. Be sure to share your stories once you've cleared your mission. #Back4Blood pic.twitter.com/pPrXZATMLk
— Back 4 Blood (@back4blood) December 17, 2020
On its first evening on Twitch, it reached the 17th most-viewed title, falling slightly behind Cyberpunk 2077 and a good bit ahead of Cold War.
It’s relatively apparent that the title is still in the alpha of development as the developers at Turtle Rock Studio are eyeing a June 22, 2021 release date; the standard zombies can appear a bit generic and melee weapons are lacking a bit of heft to their swings.
The gunplay, however, absolutely leaves Left 4 Dead and its successor in the dust; a tasty feeling of recoil accompanies every round, and brass ejecting while frantically mowing down hordes accompanied by unique monsters brings about a beautiful frenzy on comms as corpses pile everywhere.
Players become covered in blood as they need to close the distance to conserve ammunition, and there’s the always classic call-out happening every thirty seconds: ‘Reloading!’.
While only in alpha currently, it seems safe to say that this title, presuming that there are no suddenly arriving bizarre microtransactions that gate content or developer mishaps that seem to plague the industry at the moment, is going to be a massive must-play for those that are still looking to scratch that itch for violent delights.
