As October draws ever closer, the wait forBack 4 Bloodsteadily begins to diminish and fans couldn’t be more excited. The title has been one of 2021’s most anticipated releases ever since its first look was shown at the 2020 Game Awards. Each subsequent trailer and developer update has given fans more to look forward to and the game is starting to really shape up into something worthy of being aspiritual successor to theLeft 4 Deadseries.
Comparisons betweenLeft 4 DeadandBack 4 Bloodmake a lot of sense as much of the team that worked on the Valve series is working onBack 4 Blood. It’s because of the shared team and the many extended trailers rife with developer commentary that many fans feel like they know what to expect from the game, both good and bad. One thing thatLeft 4 DeadandLeft 4 Dead 2got very right back in the day were the excellent, memorable casts of characters that players controlled while attempting to survive the zombie apocalypse. While there have been plenty ofBack 4 Bloodtrailers highlighting the many zombie variants in the game, it’s likely that the real star of the show will be its cast.
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If movies and video games are to be trusted, the zombie apocalypse brings together even the most mismatched crews of people. The two casts that populatedLeft 4 DeadandLeft 4 Dead 2’s saferoomsare some of the most memorable elements of those games and for good reason: each character was vastly different than the next, but each was believable in their own right. Because of how diverse the two casts were, most players were able to find at least one character that they connected with. The banter between survivors was well written, but each crew didn’t talk so much that they overstayed their welcome making each interaction an interesting look into the crazy situation that they found themselves in.
IfBack 4Blood’s castcan capture a similar feeling asLeft 4 Dead’s then the game will already be leagues ahead of the many upcoming co-op zombie shooters that have been announced for the rest of 2021 and 2022. There are eight different “cleaners” that players can choose from inBack 4 Blood, four more than each crew inLeft 4Dead,so hopefully, the game will be able to balance that many survivors. Part ofL4D’s charm was that each character seemed to really know the rest of their crew by the end of each game’s campaign, so if the cast rotates depending on who each player chooses, those dynamics might be something of a hurdle. That said, if any studio is up to the task of creating likable groups of characters in the face of overwhelming odds, it’s Turtle Rock.
The Zombies and Characters of Back 4 Blood
A lot of special attention has been paid to the many different special zombie classes and their sub-classes leading up toBack 4 Blood’s release. While they do sound interesting in their own regards, at this point,plenty of zombie gameshave tried their hand at making interesting special zombie variants, so ifBack 4 Bloodcan’t steal the show with interesting zombies, the game will hopefully leave an impact with its cast of cleaners. As mentioned above,Back 4 Bloodhas some big shoes to fill as a successor toLeft 4 Dead, but Turtle Rock Studios is competent in making believable characters work when put together.
The zombie variants will certainly be an interesting part of the game, but ifBack 4 Bloodcan really nail its characterswith their interactions and dialogue, then it’s likely to be remembered in the same high regard as theLeft 4 Deadseries. If the game can do that, then it’s likely to have a strong player base for many years to come.
Back 4 Bloodreleases on June 04, 2025, for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S
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