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Back 4 Blood

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Back 4 Blood
Developer(s)Turtle Rock Studios
Publisher(s)Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Director(s)Phil Robb
Designer(s)Chris Ashton
Composer(s)
EngineUnreal Engine 4[1]
Platform(s)
ReleaseOctober 12, 2021
Genre(s)First-person shooter, survival horror
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Back 4 Blood was an online multiplayer first-person shooter game developed by Turtle Rock Studios and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. It was released on October 12, 2021, for Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S.

The game has been considered the spiritual successor to Left 4 Dead, as it was developed by the creators of the original game, and features largely identical gameplay.[2] The game was announced at The Game Awards 2020, and came nearly a decade after Turtle Rock Studios split from Valve (who published both Left 4 Dead titles and still owns the rights to the franchise) and re-established itself as an independent studio.[3] Upon release, the game received favorable reviews.

Gameplay

The gameplay of Back 4 Blood is largely similar to Left 4 Dead; both are 4 player cooperative games and 8 players in a PvP mode with a focus on multiplayer and replayability.[2] A new feature of Back 4 Blood is cards. At the start of each level, players need to build their deck with cards that adjust various elements of gameplay, such as modifying the player's health, damage, and stamina. Along with player cards, the AI Director will also use Corruption cards against the player to hinder their progress. The AI can spawn extra enemies, activate a fog effect, and increase the size of the horde.[4]

Plot

Overview

A parasite called "the Devil Worm" (implied to be of extraterrestrial origin) infects most of humanity, turning them into vicious undead mutants called the "Ridden". One year after the beginning of the outbreak, pockets of humanity attempt to survive in the post-apocalyptic world. A group of veteran survivors called the "Cleaners" fight the Ridden and defend Fort Hope, a settlement within fictional Finleyville, Pennsylvania,[5] United States.

Characters

In the primary game modes, the player can control one of 8 Cleaners: Walker, an Army Ranger veteran and de facto leader of the Cleaners; Chris, the eldest Cleaner nicknamed "Mom" because of her maternal attitude; Holly, a brash fighter who wields a baseball bat named Dotty; Evangelo, an optimistic new recruit; Hoffman, a socially awkward survivalist and conspiracy theorist; Doc, the group's medic and scientific expert; Jim, an experienced hunter and marksman; and Karlee, a cynical lone wolf.

Each character has unique perks and attributes which can favor certain strategies and roles within a four-person team. For example, Doc can restore more health when healing herself or other players, and gives the team a passive bonus against damage, while Karlee automatically highlights mutants in her immediate proximity, and can use or activate environmental features faster.

During a mission, characters in a party will comment on their immediate situation and banter with one another, revealing insights into their backstory and personality.

Story

The game's campaign begins with Walker, "Mom", Evangelo, and Holly, arriving at a settlement in Evansburg to trade supplies. A horde of mutated Ridden suddenly swarm and overrun Evansberg. As the team retreat to Fort Hope, their commander, General Phillips, has them demolish the Washington Crossing Bridge to delay the Riddens' advance.

At Fort Hope, the team find more Ridden attacking their stronghold, and overrunning the town outside its walls. With the help of Hoffman, Karlee, Doc, and Jim, they successfully defend the fort and rescue survivors. The Cleaners are sent to a mine where the Ridden hordes have been emerging from. After sealing the mine, the Cleaners raid a police station and crashed military cargo plane to secure more armaments.

Phillips sends the Cleaners to another location to extract Doctor Rogers, a scientist who has developed a chemical weapon called T-5 that is significantly effective against the Ridden. After successfully extracting Rogers and his research materials, the Cleaners travel to an abandoned research and quarantine center to collect materials to produce T-5. There, the Cleaners discover a mass grave, which has become a breeding ground for the Ridden and their new mutant variants.

After securing the T-5 compounds, the Cleaners fly back to Fort Hope in a Black Hawk helicopter piloted by Rogers, and see Fort Hope being attacked by a massive burrowing Ridden called "the Abomination". The Cleaners weaken the Abomination with a T-5 payload before their helicopter crashes, killing Rogers. On the ground, the Cleaners neutralize the Abomination together. With Fort Hope saved, Walker rallies the Cleaners to hunt down more Abominations and turn the tide against the Ridden.

Development

The game is developed by Turtle Rock Studios, who were the creators of the first Left 4 Dead game. According to the development team, the game features a more expanded story than the Left 4 Dead games,[2] and has a more uplifting tone than other zombie games in the market. Phil Robb, the game's creative director, added that the Cleaners are more confident and capable, unlike the everymen from Left 4 Dead. He added that the players are not merely surviving and finding safe places. They are fighting zombies to create safe spaces. This is reflected in the dialogue between the Cleaners, who no longer sound like they were afraid of their enemies.[6] The team included the card systems in the game because they felt that it can keep the game dynamic and challenging for veteran players, though Turtle Rock also added a Classic mode, a more accessible experience that removes all the cards, for new players.[7]

The game was officially announced in March 2019 by Turtle Rock and publisher Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.[8] The game was officially unveiled during The Game Awards 2020, with the closed alpha releasing December 17, 2020.[9] Initially set to be released on June 22, 2021, the game was delayed to October 12, 2021 for Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X and Series S. An open beta was released in mid-August of 2021.[10] The first phase began with an early access from August 5 to August 9 for players who have pre-ordered the game. The second phase began and was available for all players from August 12 to August 16.

Reception

Back 4 Blood received "generally favorable" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic.[11][12][13]

Neil Bolt, writing for horror magazine Bloody Disgusting, said that "the game still often plods along casually for periods before unleashing far too much confusion and chaos at once", adding that "given the game this is trying to build upon, seemingly random encounters make sense, but there needs to be a level of puppeteering behind the scenes to ensure its not a mess in play", with his conclusion being that the game is "almost unpleasant to play at times" but that it was a "decent" game.[29]

As of October 26th, 2021, the game has had over 6 million players since its launch.[30][31]

References

  1. ^ "WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT AND TURTLE ROCK STUDIOS ANNOUNCE "BACK 4 BLOOD"". March 14, 2019. Retrieved September 1, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c Lahti, Evan (December 17, 2020). "I can't stress enough that Back 4 Blood is Left 4 Dead 3". PC Gamer. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  3. ^ Cutter, Jack (December 12, 2020). "Why Back 4 Blood Isn't Called Left 4 Dead 3". Retrieved December 22, 2020.
  4. ^ Saltzman, Mitchell (December 18, 2020). "Back 4 Blood - Hands On Preview - IGN". IGN. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  5. ^ Gatica, Elliott (October 16, 2021). "Where Does Back 4 Blood Take Place?". Attack of the Fanboy. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  6. ^ McWhertor, Michael (December 17, 2020). "Back 4 Blood adds new complexity, bravado to the Left 4 Dead formula". Polygon. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  7. ^ Hornshaw, Phil (December 17, 2020). "Back 4 Blood Wants To Be Left 4 Dead With Better Teamwork". GameSpot. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  8. ^ Fingas, Joe (March 14, 2019). "'Left 4 Dead' studio Turtle Rock returns with 'Back 4 Blood'". Engadget. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  9. ^ Boudreau, Ian (December 17, 2020). "Back 4 Blood's closed alpha starts today, and here's how to register". PCGamesN. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  10. ^ Bankhurst, Adam (March 26, 2021). "Back 4 Blood Delayed to October 2021". IGN. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
  11. ^ a b "Back 4 Blood for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Red Ventures. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
  12. ^ a b "Back 4 Blood for PlayStation 5 Reviews". Metacritic. Red Ventures. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  13. ^ a b "Back 4 Blood for Xbox Series X Reviews". Metacritic. Red Ventures. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
  14. ^ Van Allen, Eric (October 19, 2021). "Review: Back 4 Blood". Destructoid. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  15. ^ Huber, Michael (October 18, 2021). "Review: Back 4 Blood". Easy Allies. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
  16. ^ Harmon, Josh (October 15, 2021). "Back 4 Blood review". Electronic Gaming Monthly. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
  17. ^ Stadnik, Alex (October 12, 2021). "Back 4 Blood Review - A Familiar Fright". Game Informer. Retrieved October 12, 2021.
  18. ^ Faulkner, Jason (October 18, 2021). "Back 4 Blood Review: 'A worth Left 4 Dead successor'". Game Revolution. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
  19. ^ Wakeling, Richard (October 14, 2021). "Back 4 Blood Review - Reanimated". GameSpot. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
  20. ^ Loveridge, Sam (October 14, 2021). "Back 4 Blood review: "An utter Game Pass boon"". GamesRadar. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
  21. ^ Dunsmore, Kevin (October 13, 2021). "Review: Back 4 Blood". Hardcore Gamer. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
  22. ^ Campbell, Kyle (October 15, 2021). "Back 4 Blood Review". IGN. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
  23. ^ Park, Morgan (October 16, 2021). "Back 4 Blood review". PC Gamer. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
  24. ^ Forward, Jordan (October 13, 2021). "Back 4 Blood review – the dead don't die". PCGamesN. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
  25. ^ Gipp, Stuart (October 16, 2021). "Back 4 Blood Review (PS5)". Push Square. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
  26. ^ Jarrard, Chris (October 15, 2021). "Back 4 Blood review: Settling 4 less". Shacknews. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
  27. ^ Saed, Sherif (October 15, 2021). "Back 4 Blood review - modern co-op done right". VG247. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
  28. ^ Wise, Josh (October 19, 2021). "Back 4 Blood review". VideoGamer.com. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  29. ^ Bolt, Neil (October 13, 2021). "[Review] 'Back 4 Blood' is an Uneven Zombie Co-Op Shooter Experience, But It's Still Dead Entertaining". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
  30. ^ Yin-Poole, Wesley (October 26, 2021). "Back 4 Blood has seen over 6 million players". Eurogamer. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  31. ^ Peppiatt, Dom (October 27, 2021). "Back 4 Blood has attracted over 6 million players". VG247. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
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