Back 4 Blood Reviews
Whether I’m laughing out loud over a brilliant strategy gone awry or just barely getting onto an escape vehicle with Ridden right on my heels, Back 4 Blood has the right formula for a good few weekends of co-op fun. If it gets even more support and updates down the line, I could see this taking up a spot as a go-to social game for quite a while to come. Really, it just feels good to have this sort of game back again.
Overall the game is a great experience providing excellent game modes and strong performance. The card system added a unique element to the genre, and the gameplay was very well designed. Back 4 Blood is a perfect successor for Left 4 Dead with old ideas mixed with new innovation.
Back 4 Blood isn't perfect and doesn't revolutionize zombie-themed co-op FPS, but it effectively demonstrates that, thirteen years later, the right ideas can revitalize superb but dusty gameplay.
Review in Italian | Read full review
In the end, I really enjoy playing Back 4 Blood’s campaigns. They’re just different enough from the Left 4 Dead formula and it offers a pretty satisfying challenge. The Swarm and solo modes could be a bit more rewarding, so hopefully Turtle Rock Studios addresses these soon. Overall, if you’re looking for a new co-op experience with some friends, you’ll likely have a good time with Back 4 Blood.
Back 4 Blood is a great evolution of the genre.
There are plenty of reasons why Back 4 Blood could be around for years as Turtle Rock adds additional content to the game, but I hope they start by tweaking what's here. The difficulty, for this type of game, feels wrong. Back 4 Blood is meant to be fun with friends, and although I'm all for the challenge and reliance on communication with your teammates, the higher difficulties are sadistic.
Playing Back 4 Blood, I felt that the developers did not disappoint by providing gameplay that not only resembles Left 4 Dead, but at the same time the team took care of new and well-thought-out systems. Not in every aspect we can talk about "great success", but I know that I will often return to B4B servers.
Review in Polish | Read full review
The biggest question about this game is whether the player base will stay strong or not. Left 4 Dead still gets a steady stream over a decade later, but it’s still up in the air whether Back 4 Blood will inspire the same loyalty. Fortunately, it’s on Xbox Game Pass for console and PC, so there’s little to no risk in giving it a try.
Back 4 Blood isn't a repeat of Turtle Rock Studios' Evolve but doesn't live up to the expectations many were hoping for.
With a bloody comeback, Turtle Rock Studio was able to turn Back 4 Blood into a decisive and viable replacement for Left 4 Dead, which despite the problems in the Solo and PvP sections, is still commendable work and brings you breathtaking and exciting moments. And it brings your friends.
Review in Persian | Read full review
Back 4 Blood doesn't nail all the twists it attempts, but a creative card-based progression system, fantastic campaign, and lighthearted tone make it a fun spin on a familiar genre.
As a cooperative shooter, Back 4 Blood is not bad. But as it is, bland maps, awkward progression and controversial design decisions make it a game for only a couple of evenings.
Review in Russian | Read full review
Having spent a lot of time with Back 4 Blood, we think it's well worth your time and, crucially, your money. It's just a lot of fun blowing Ridden heads off or smashing them with a baseball bat like a watermelon in an anime beach episode. It doesn't really deliver a compelling experience solo – the bots are just a touch too stupid for that – but Back 4 Blood ought to become a multiplayer fixture for the rest of the generation to come. Unless they bring out Back 4 Blood 2 in, like, a year.
Back 4 Blood has good potential to be something really special and the Left 4 Dead 3 game people wanted. Sadly, however, it is not the Left 4 Dead 3 I wanted due to the fact that Turtle Rock Studios decided to make some good ideas but implement them in rather bizarre design choices and limitations.
Back 4 Blood features the hectic first-person combat and brilliant co-op camaraderie that made Left 4 Dead so popular. It’s no wonder that Turtle Rock wanted to emulate that success, and while there are a few compromises – the terrible bots if you can’t round up some mates, and the extreme jump in difficulty if you want to eke out some more playtime – this spiritual successor falls into the “worthy” category.
More than a decade after Left 4 Dead 2, Turtle Rock is back to reclaim the throne. Back 4 Blood is not a revolution in itself, but rather an evolution of the developer's already excellent setup. Of course, we would have liked less of the small errors we find here and there, but that doesn't stop the game from being a really entertaining and addictive action party. With human co-players, that is.
Review in Swedish | Read full review
Back 4 Blood provides fantastic action with some of the best shooting offered this year. The card system provides long-term value by allowing players to experiment with the 8 characters to choose from, offering a variety of ways to go about the game. In its current state, the difficulty is a mixed bag, proving to be very inconsistent and impossible at times, especially if you mostly play with randoms. Team play with friends is highly encouraged because Back 4 Blood puts a premium on synergy and communication, which may be hard to come depending on your habits.
Back 4 Blood is indeed the Left 4 Dead 3 that we were all waiting for, even if it would be clearly reductive to limit ourselves to this simple comparison as the Turtle Rock studio has made great efforts to expand and modernize a recipe of which he is still the father. The result is a tasty soft in cooperation, jubilant and surprisingly demanding as soon as you increase the difficulty. Its build card system, the complete arsenal and the many small tools next to it, offer a lot of depth to the gameplay.
Review in French | Read full review
Back 4 Blood is an excellent co-op zombie shooter, with a card-based perk system and wonderfully satisfying gunplay building upon the fantastic foundations of the Left 4 Dead series. But if you’re planning on playing solo you may want to stay clear, with a design clearly optimised for multiplayer.