Back 4 Blood

Hands-on and safety off with the zombie horde shooter.

“IT’S INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT THAT THE STANDARD FLAVOUR OF ZOMBIE IS DONE WELL.”

We can almost (but, thankfully, not quite) smell this game. Getting some more hands-on time before the impending release, we rarely go more than a minute or so without walking past a pile of rotting bodies… or wishing we could scavenge vrph#ghrgrudqw#+ru#dw#ohdvw#d#ľdqqho,1

The undead here are referred to as the Ridden (and not, as we insist on calling them for our own amusement, the Riddled). As you’d expect, most of the Ridden that we come across in our time with the game are the bog-standard brain chasers. As such, it’s incredibly important that the vwdqgdug#ľdyrxu#ri#}rpelh#lv# done well, and here they are done excellently.

The golden rule with }rpelhv#lq#jhqhudo#lv#wkdw#rqh# on its own is little trouble, but a horde of the things is ghdgo|1#Wkdwġv#yhu|#pxfk#wkh# case here, and something wkdw#zh#ohduq#yhu|#txlfno|1#

Despite the fact that they sprint towards you when they jhw#d#zklļ#ri#eudlq/#rqh#ru# two can be despatched in seconds. Call that a monster? Sdk$#Zkhq#|rx#kdyh#gr}hqv#ri#wkhp# kxuwolqj#wrzdugv#|rx/#krzhyhu/#lw#pljkw# not only be blood staining your clothes.

Hordes appear at scripted and signposted moments in the story… or zkhq#dq#hqylurqphqwdo#kd}dug#lv# triggered. We feel a horrendous mix of embarrassment and frustration when zh#zdqghu#wrr#forvh#wr#d#ľrfn#ri#elugv#rq# the ground, startling them and causing a huge number of Ridden to descend upon our team almost immediately. Zkhqhyhu#vrphwklqj#olnh#wklv#kdsshqv/# the game insists on gleefully throwing up an on-screen message shaming the fxosulw1#Orrn/#lw#zdv#dq#dfflghqw/#rnd|$B

UNDEAD HEAT

D#vlqjoh#}rpelh#pd|#eh#qr#gdqjhu/#exw# the speed and numbers of a horde ghpdqg#suhflvlrq#dqg#whdpzrun/#hyhq# before the more powerful special types pdnh#dq#dsshdudqfh1#Zkhq#zh#sod|#rq# kljkhu#glĿfxowlhv/#zkhuh#hqhplhv#duh# wrxjkhu#dqg#iulhqgo|#Ľuh#ghdov#pdmru# gdpdjh/#zh#Ľqg#wkdw# creeping around is often the best way forward. Disturbing d#krugh#fdq#frvw#gr}hqv#ri# bullets that none of us can dļrug#wr#orvh1

Headshots instantly result lq#dq#hyhu0vdwlvi|lqj#vsud|#ri# eorrg/#pdnlqj#hyhq#wkh#orzo|# slvwro#d#yldeoh#rswlrq#+prvw# of the time). We can only carry two weapons at once, vr#zh#slfn#zkdw#zh#vfdyhqjh# or purchase in safe rooms fduhixoo|1#Zh#idyrxu#d# machine gun and pistol combo, though there’s much to be said for the classic shotgun plus pdfkhwh1#Fduylqj#wkurxjk#hqhplhv#zlwk# such a short-range setup is great fun, but also a bit of a gamble.

The card system can tip things in your idyrxu#d#olwwoh1#Gudzlqj#fdugv#iurp#d# ghfn#+suhpdgh#ru#rqh#ri#rxu#rzq,# between safe rooms, we tend to go for

the ones that increase stamina, health, and ammunition for ourself or, preferably, the whole team. Any edge is a welcome one in a game where literally hyhu|wklqj#lv#wu|lqj#wr#nloo#|rx1

As well as getting a taste of the campaign in our hands-on, we also try rxw#wkh#yhuvxv#prgh1#Lq#wklv#7y7#vhwxs/# whdpv#wdnh#wxuqv#wr#vxuylyh#iru#dv#orqj#dv# srvvleoh#djdlqvw#zdyhv#ri#}rpelhv/# including human-controlled specials +lqihfwhg/#wkdw#lv/#qrw#wkh#vnd#vruw,/#zkloh# the play area gradually becomes smaller dqg#vpdoohu1#Lwġv#dq#lqwhuhvwlqj#lghd# wkdwġv#yhu|#glļhuhqw#iurp#wkh#pdlq# story-based mode.

RIDDEN ME THIS

While members of the human team get wr#gudz#iurp#wkhlu#exļ0ehvwrzlqj# ghfnv/#wkrvh#rq#wkh#Ulgghq#vlgh#hduq# vxssolhv#zklfk#fdq#eh#vshqw#rq#d#ydulhw|# of upgrades. This includes upgrading wklqjv#olnh#gdpdjh#dqg#ghihqfh#iru#|rxu# chosen monster type, but upgrades can also be purchased for the CPU hordes. Lwġv#qrw#srvvleoh#wr#xqorfn#hyhu|wklqj/#vr# ex|hu#glvfuhwlrq#lv#dgylvhg1

Our best match comes when our team vshqgv#rxu#yluwxdo#shqqlhv#wrjhwkhu# during the Ridden rounds. We increase the hordes in number and power until wkh|#hyhqwxdoo|#ehfrph#vr#gdqjhurxv/# the enemy team is sometimes slow to qrwlfh#xv#fuhhslqj#xs#Ğ#pdnlqj#wkhp# hdv|#suh|#iru/#vd|/#xv#dv#d#Krfnhu#wr#krog# a puny human in place while a teammate, playing as a Crusher, deals some serious damage.

Great as the idea is, it currently feels as though the Ridden team is at a vljqlĽfdqw#glvdgydqwdjh#li#wkh#kxpdq# whdp#lghqwlĽhv#wkhlu#ehvw#rswlrq1#Irxu# human characters, correctly positioned vr#dv#wr#dyrlg#hqhp|#sod|huv#vsdzqlqj# behind them and staying close together, fdq#vxuylyh#iru#vhyhudo#plqxwhv1#Zhġyh# |hw#wr#wu|#rxw#doo#ri#wkh#Ulgghq#ydulhwlhv# dqg#doo#ri#wkh#pdsv/#krzhyhu/#vr#wklqjv# pd|#edodqfh#rxw#lq#wkh#Ľqdo#uhohdvh1#

Wkh#vwdqgdug#}rpelh#lv#shuihfwo|# mxgjhg/#dqg#wkh#vshfldo#w|shv#duh#wrxjk# exw#idlu1#Wkh#fdug#v|vwhp#suryhv#d#juhdw# Ľw/#dqg#doo#wkh#lqjuhglhqwv#iru#d# sohdvlqjo|#kruulĽf#h{shulhqfh#duh#wkhuh1# Zhġoo#eh#edfn#7#wkh#Ľqdo#yhuvlrq#wr#ohw# |rx#nqrz#krz#lw#doo#frphv#wrjhwkhu1

IMPRESSIONS

Could be a monster hit, if the netcode can deal with the sudden influx of players release day will bring. A small bite has left us eager to see how the whole gaming brain tastes.

“THERE’S MUCH TO BE SAID FOR THE CLASSIC SHOTGUN PLUS MACHETE.”

Make too much noise and you’ll draw the attention of the undead – and that’s not a clever idea, trust us.

1 You could do with a bit of moisturiser, mate. (We won’t laugh so much when a bunch of his mates show up.) 2 Got to love a double-barrelled shotgun, though in using it you might have to get closer to the Ridden than you’d like. 3 Take a breather and choose your game mode in the hub. 4 You can build and save a variety of decks for campaign and versus. Pulling the right card can make all the difference to your chances.

Playing as the Ridden in versus mode makes a nice change. No need to worry about the horde.