Back 4 Blood Reviews
But for what it is, Back 4 Blood proves that what made Left 4 Dead good is still a lot of fun, even if this new iteration doesn't make use of every innovative convention to spring up since the series' original release. And there's something to be said for aging gracefully and not shoehorning in everything at once. As the old plastic surgery adage goes, sometimes it's best not to remake but maintain.
Back 4 Blood doesn’t just imitate the Left 4 Dead formula like these titles, it elevates it past its predecessor. Perhaps it’s the nostalgia for the 12 year old title, or maybe just poor memory, that fuels our rose-tinted retrospection and distaste for something new. Regardless, Back 4 Blood takes the concept to the next level and builds in layers of cool ideas and just plain fun gameplay.
A blistering return to zombie-slaying nirvana, Back 4 Blood is an excellent spiritual follow-up to Left 4 Dead that ticks almost all of the right boxes, except for the one labelled 'solo progression' – if you're planning on playing offline on your own, you might want to steer clear for now. Otherwise, jump right in.
Back 4 Blood edges past the competition in the packed cooperative shooter landscape by offering players a creative card system buffered by tight gameplay, just be sure to bring some friends along for the massacre as solo play features limitations.
Back 4 Blood is more than Left 4 Dead 3 with another name. It presents a strategic use of cards and a well developed progression system that guarantees a lot of fun and replayability.
Review in Italian | Read full review
A tedious, time-consuming playing card mechanic, frustrating bug crashes and a repetitive, near-endless onslaught of Ridden enemies led by an uninspired AI Director, collectively drags this spiritual sequel to Left 4 Dead down from the heights it could have reached.
Back 4 Blood is not just a new coat of paint. It tries new ideas to shake up its legendary formula, mashing together their learning to create a cohesive, insanely fun co-op experience.
Back 4 Blood manages to recapture much of the magic Turtle Rock Studios crafted more than a decade ago.
Back 4 Blood wastes no time trying to divert your attention from its obvious influences, but it doesn’t need to when it nearly lives up to the expectations its spiritual predecessors set so high.
With Back 4 Blood available on Xbox Game Pass on PC and Console there’s reason to jump in if you’re looking for something new to play with friends. The look and feel is familiar and the action is engaging and chaotic when played with a group. For a while that is. Thanks to the sameness that permeates across most levels and backdrops and the predictability of the pace, it doesn’t take long for this Left 4 Dead spiritual successor to wear a little thin.
Back 4 Blood is one of those games that you don’t have to particularly worry about grinding, which is incredibly refreshing. Between grinding for in-game currency for dungeon gear in FFXIV, and trying to level up my weapons in Dauntless, it’s nice to have a game I can jump back into with my friends at any point in time and just play. It’s fast-paced, creative, and just all-around good fun. What’s not to love? The game has been out for a while, but that just means that the developers have had more time to listen to feedback and start fixing some of those bugs that have been bothering players.
Back 4 Blood is a fun survival game that hits nostalgia points where other games like Grand Theft Auto Trilogy The Definitive Edition fails to do so. Whether you are looking for an enjoyable holiday gift or a new game to play on Xbox Game Pass, Back 4 Blood should scratch that itch. The gameplay is a bit rough at first but once you get a hang of the mechanics and card system, you are off to become a true cleaner.
Back 4 Blood has built on the great foundations that Left 4 Dead laid over a decade ago. The gameplay is brilliant, there's also that little bit more to keep the challenge fresh and to keep zombie killing fun.
Is it new Left 4 Dead or not? Are There some new improvements? Is it worth to play? Yes, Yes and Yes!
Review in Slovak | Read full review
Back 4 Blood is a fun blend of the classic Left 4 Dead template with a reasonable inclusion of modern traits. The basic zombie shooting brings forth just as many memorable and chaotic moments as the developer's original series, and the game absolutely sings in multiplayer, but the solo experience remains engaging for those who only get along with bots. The modern touches add some depth that doesn't detract from what makes this kind of game so fun in the first place. The steps to increase replayability accomplish that without feeling forced. Despite a few minor issues here and there, Back 4 Blood is a solid debut, and those who wanted some progress in the genre are going to find it in buckets here.
Is Back 4 Blood the Left 4 Dead 3 we've been waiting for? Yes! It's a worthy spiritual successor to Valve's classic zombie-slaying series of multiplayer games, and offers a well-designed Campaign mode with some impressive new features such as its strategic Card system. The difficulty perhaps needs balancing a little more, and the lack of meaningful progression when playing Solo Campaign needs addressing sharpish, but otherwise we've had a blast with Back 4 Blood so far, and we look forward to many more Campaign runs in the weeks, months and years to come.
I’ll reiterate: Back 4 Blood isn’t a bad game. But it could have been so much better. Its difficulty needs balancing, as does the amount of enemies thrown at you at any one time. Ultimately, most levels simply have too much going on to be enjoyable – and each Act would have benefitted from being substantially shorter. Get a competent group of friends together and you might have some fun, but chances are zombie fatigue is going to set in long before you reach the end of the campaign.
Back 4 Blood comes after a decade of L4D-likes and from the studio that made the timeless original, but it fails to capture the same magic even as well as some prior imitators.
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
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