What The Critics Are Saying About Back 4 Blood
With the release of "Back 4 Blood" right around the corner, critics have begun giving their opinions on the zombie-fighting game from Turtle Rock Studios. For the most part, the game seemed to be a big hit among critics for a variety of reasons. "Back 4 Blood" was the game "Left 4 Dead" fans had been waiting for, as the two titles have many similarities, including the creators behind the project. "Back 4 Blood" takes players on an endless journey that includes hordes of zombies, various mission types, and even jukeboxes blasting out "Misirlou." According to critics, it's also got the same spirit that "Left 4 Dead," which brought people together to blast through the undead.
Sam Watanuki from TheGamer explained it by saying that it's "Left 4 Dead" but elevated on almost every level. This wasn't just Watanuki's experience, either — Morgan Park from PC Gamer mentioned that the game feels like multiple "Left 4 Dead" games in one game. That being said, "Back for Blood" breaks away from some "Left 4 Dead" tropes, for better or worse. There were a variety of things that made the game feel so great to play, and critics weren't shy about sharing them.
Back 4 Blood's pros
The gameplay of "Back 4 Blood" surprised a lot of critics because of its smoothness and innovation. Polygon's Ryan Gilliam specifically pointed out that the deck-building mechanic brought more fun to the game while also making sure the maps never felt stale. The deck-building works with Corruption Cards, which throw in random challenges for players to try and complete in order to unlock better guns or even cosmetics. When the gunplay is snappy and precise, as Park pointed out, then it's not hard to replay maps and still have a ton of fun while unlocking new things.
Watanuki explained out that the game also hits every checkmark in terms of audio — the eerie sound effects are enough to put players on edge, but it's the way that bright noises combine with deadly quiet that made the audio in the game feel genius. Plus, it appeared that the awkward audio that caused an uproar during the beta was fixed.
Another high point of the game was the variety of playable characters. Park argued that all the characters are packed with "personality" that can be seen in "situation banter," which added to the immersive feel of the game. In order for this to shine, players had to queue with other people, even if they were randoms online.
Back 4 Blood and solo players
One of the only negatives to come from critics about "Back 4 Blood" was about the solo player experience. Jordan Middler from VCG pointed out that the game didn't deliver for solo players, and that it's almost impossible to play without friends. Sure, the game had lobbies for people that needed others to play, but Middler's experience with said lobbies wasn't that great.
Even Park commented that there were a few lag issues, and although the lags weren't severe enough to dub it a negative, connection issues could be a big problem for players who would be playing in random lobbies constantly.
However, if you've got a group of friends that are ready to play "Back 4 Blood" with you, then you're in for endless entertainment. Watanuki pointed out that "Left 4 Dead" was a game that you played with friends with pizza nearby — and "Back 4 Blood" maintains those vibes perfectly.