Turtle Rock Studios has recently released the beta for their upcoming game Back 4 Blood. As the original creators of Left 4 Dead, Turtle Rock has endeavored to recapture the magic of those games and reimagine it for modern audiences. Many of the familiar trappings of Left 4 Dead can be found in their newest game.
Like Left 4 Dead, the new title offers a four survivor co-op shooting experience set in a zombie apoclaypse, complete with special infected possessing dangerous abilities. However, Back 4 Blood is not a reskin. The developers have put in a lot of effort to make it distinct, so that it can stand on its own two feet.
8 Card System
Back 4 Blood's card system is probably the biggest difference between the two games Essentially, the player can construct a deck of cards that represent perks. Over the course of a campaign, the player will draw more cards from their deck, making the stronger. Therefore, these decks allow for specialized builds.
On the other hand, the game director AI, the one controlling the pace of the campaign, will draw random cards from their own deck that will empower the infected. Combined, these features help make each run unique.
7 Less Environmental Storytelling
Many players of the Beta felt underwhelmed by many of the differences found in the game. One of the biggest complaints was a lack of environmental storytelling. Games like Dark Souls or Prey tell a lot of their story through the world. Instead of conventional means of storytelling, players can experience the story and worldbuilding as long as they are willing to explore.
Compared to Left 4 Dead, Back 4 Blood was lacking in that department. The game features more dialogue and other typical methods of worldbuilding, which can drag down the feel of the game.
6 Better Graphics
Left 4 Dead 2 was released back in 2009. For a game that is now 12 years old, it still looks incredibly good. That being said, graphics technology has come a long way since then. With the help of the Unreal 4 engine, Back 4 Blood has been able to showcase a whole different level of graphics that the orginal team could only dream of.
It's not just about higher quality textures either. The game also boasts superior lighting, more color, and just an overall improvement over the original series.
5 Smaller Levels
Another thing that makes Back 4 Blood different is its level design. Left 4 Dead would often have linear, yet surprisingly spread out areas that allowed players room to maneuver and explore. Back 4 Blood, however, tries to keep its levels smaller and more focused.
The game's few arena-like sections are reserved for bigger encounters, which maintains the more claustrophobic feel. However, the lack of a versus mode does hurt these campaigns. Some have criticized this change, while others don't seem to mind; regardless it can't be denied that it does have a drastic effect on how this game is played over the other. Luckily, it will be on Game Pass to sway the hesitant.
4 Modernized Shooting
Shooters have come a long way in the past 12 years. Not only do guns feel better than ever, but the player character themself has more freedom of movement than ever before. Back 4 Blood implements these changes perfectly. The player can now sprint, vault over low cover, and generally be more maneuverable. It is even possible to aim down sights, angle the gun, and add or remove any attachments. It feels better overall but some people have pointed out that the melee in particular probably didn't need the same treatment. Now the melee is more focused on killing a single opponent over maintaining crowd control.
3 Safe House Vendors
A polarizing decision, Back 4 Blood allows for the purhasing of equipment at vendors at safe houses. The game's currency, copper, can be collected throughout a campaign to be used at these vendors. If a player is in desperate need of a particular item, they can spend that copper to receive it.
This is very different from the free top-ups of Left 4 Dead. However, it does come in handy if a player is in need of a particular item. Additionally, it creates some tension, as players must decide which items they want to prioritize over the others.
2 The Special Infected
There is nothing more iconic about the Left 4 Dead games than their special infected. Luckily, Back 4 Blood has their own fair share of ghoulies that will keep the player on their toes. Some special infected are an amalgamation of the previous game's special infected, like the Hockers or Retches. Others try to be more distinct, like the Ogres.
Their job is the same as it ever was: beat the player's team into the dirt. One change is that the special infected no longer have distinct audio cues, making them much sneakier and possibly more deadly.
1 Characters
Both Left 4 Dead games had a group of four to face off against the apoclaypse. Each player could control one of these characters, but they mostly amounted to a different player skin. Back 4 Blood elects to have a whole cast of playable characters to choose from.
Not only are these characters visually different, but they also possess unique passive buffs that both aid the team at large and also help them to specialize alongside their perk deck. Now team variation and playing to that character's strengths can be a part of the meta.