More people are currently playing Left 4 Dead 2 on Steam than the recently released Back 4 Blood. This is curious as Back 4 Blood is a spiritual successor to the Left 4 Dead series; it was developed by the original creators and features many similar mechanics to the classic Valve co-op shooter. There have been plenty of "Left 4 Dead-likes" announced over the past year including Redfall, The Anacrusis, and Aliens: Fireteam Elite, but Back 4 Blood was perhaps the most anticipated because of the reputation behind its studio.
Thus, many have been wondering why players still seem to prefer a game from 2009 over its more modern counterpart, especially since Back 4 Blood reviewed pretty favorably. It's important to note that Back 4 Blood certainly has a fanbase and isn't being outdone by Left 4 Dead 2 by all that much, but it seems like the differences between Left 4 Dead and Back 4 Blood as a modern experience are what's setting the two apart.
Left 4 Dead's Self-Aware Style
Something that really makes the Left 4 Dead series stand out among the hordes of other zombie-shooter games is that its writing and style is self aware enough to recognize the absurdity of its concept while taking the threat of its zombies seriously. It doesn't lean too far into goofiness so that nothing is treated with weight, but it also pokes fun at a lot of zombie tropes by styling itself as a zombie movie or limited-run TV series. Bombastic, over-the-top set pieces are memorable because of how well it rides the line of absurdity and seriousness.
Back 4 Blood, on the other hand, plays things relatively straight. Its cast of Cleaners make quips from time to time, but the story itself is rather bleak, with players having to navigate through unmarked mass graves and quarantine containment zones that hit a little too close to home given the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. At the end of the day, its serious tone clashes with the bright personality of many characters, making a dissonance that doesn't do the game any favors in the charm department.
Back 4 Blood's Modern Take on Zombie Survival
Also adding to the more serious tone of Back 4 Blood is the way its game mechanics work. Turtle Rock Studios decided to ditch the run-and-gun feel of Left 4 Dead in favor of more modern shooting mechanics that involve slowing to aim down sights and prioritizing small weak points as opposed to the general bullet spray of L4D.
That isn't an inherently bad thing, but it does give the game a feel closer to that of Call of Duty, and makes it feel a lot more serious as a result. Left 4 Dead always prioritized arcade fun over realism, which added to its self-aware style. In Left 4 Dead, there wasn't such a focus on what attachments each weapon had and there wasn't as much strategizing when it came to deciding what to pick up beyond which weapons the player prefers.
None of this is to say that Back 4 Blood is bad or deserves to perform worse than Left 4 Dead, it just seems like the game doesn't have much to set it apart from the other zombie shooters that have come before it. Meanwhile Left 4 Dead still feels fresh despite being over 12 years old.
Back 4 Blood is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.