Preview | Back 4 Blood (Closed Beta) - When a Door Closes a Beta Opens

A while ago (December 26th apparently), I wrote a piece for this website. It was a look into the new Turtle Rock Studios horde-based first-person, zombie survival shooter Back 4 Blood. Now, in true gamer fashion, it is twenty to one in the morning and I’m pounding energy drinks with toothache bringing you all an update after playing a limited-time beta as much as I could in the time allowed.

Recently an “open” beta (we’ll get to those sneer quotes soon) was rolled out for Back 4 Blood and since I was an alpha tester, I received free access to the beta. First of all, I would like to recap a few things in that previous piece for those who have not read it. 

RECAP

Back 4 Blood (B4B) shares many similarities to Left 4 Dead. As stated in my previous article, which makes sense, the developers of B4B and L4D are one and the same. Valve (the Left 4 Dead publishers) ultimately axed a sequel to Left 4 Dead 2 in a move that feels damn near superstitious. WhileTurtle Rock then went on to make the ill-fated Evolve in 2015 before diving down the VR rabbit hole and making some Oculus only titles for a few years.

I like to think this Riven is is waving hello and welcoming us back to the game!

Fast forward to The Game Awards 2020 and Turtle Rock come out swinging with their new IP - Back 4 Blood. Left 4 Dead comparisons are instantly drawn -for obvious reasons- and a closed alpha is announced.

The alpha comes and goes, the L4D comparisons remain and I can honestly say I enjoyed my time with it. In short, the game did some smart things to try and distance itself from its very obvious inspiration whilst staying true to the fundamentals of the genre this team helped make so popular.

“OPEN” BETA

So before we begin this little update, I’d like to take a moment to discuss the English Language. The irony is not lost on me. Now, quiet in the back!

The Oxford Dictionary describes the word open as: “allowing things or people to go through; not closed or blocked”. What this means is, if I run an open beta from August 5th to August 9th, you and anyone else should be able to join this open beta. If I also wish to run this beta from August 12th through to the 16th, it should be the same right?

So what PR-marketing-speak-dictionary are Turtle Rock Studios reading from where you need to pre-order the damn game to access that first open beta as “Early Access”? That's a closed beta!  There is literally a paywall - closing off access to the open beta! Pay £60 (or have tested the game previously) to gain access. This is a ticketed system. It’s as open as a locked door. I could go on for hours about this but that’s the bell. Class dismissed.

WHAT’S NOT CHANGED

I feel we should start with what has stayed since the alpha. Cards, Guns, Zombies & Cleaners. We also have the exact same level (or Act) to play but here’s the thing: though it is the same level, the developers actually changed some aspects. The issue is that they are -in essence- the same.

You still pick a character (cleaner) to play as at the beginning of the Act, you still pick up the same guns and attachments, it is still the same mission and you still pick up cards. Though the changes are not major, this new version of the game does change some of the fundamentals I learnt in the alpha. Allow me to explain.

I think we’re safe here.

WHAT HAS CHANGED

Guns: there is definitely more variety in the guns. There are multiple ARs with their own unique aspects, this also holds true for pistols and shotguns. To start with you have standard pistols - 1911, Glock, Tec-9 & Desert Eagle. Each with different fire rates, magazine capacities and even bullet types in one case.

Shotguns range from standard pump action to full auto where you sacrifice power for speed. Rifles range from slow and powerful to fast and pitiful with the AK-47, M4 and M16 (power, speed and burst). Even the snipers range in quality from capable of hunting deer, with an M14, to hunting tanks, with a Barret .50 cal. 

Last we spoke I told you about a “pick 3” system for cards. That's gone. In its place is a deck-building and cleaners picking system that feels much more carefully considered. Each cleaner has two perks - a team perk and a solo perk. After this you get the first card in your deck automatically then you pick from one of five cards. For every subsequent round after this, you pick one of five cards to add to your hand for the duration of the act. 

One change I found rather nice was the UI. In the alpha, B4B had a rough UI that was functional but clunky, this has now been replaced with a UI that is smaller and less intrusive. The previous UI was blocky and black. A fair chunk of the lower third of the screen was obscured by the UI and given it was blacked out it was very eye-catching. The new UI is much clearer and although it still conforms to a rectangular shape, the background is now about 50% more transparent than it had been. This makes the UI less distracting as a whole.

A hub area has also been added -unsure if this will make it to the final game or if it was just for the beta though. In this hub area, you can take on Supplies - at what amounts to a trading post. You can trade supplies for cards, to help build the deck in order to survive longer. Supplies are gained just by completing levels and objectives within the levels.

VERSUS MODE

The pinnacle of every good co-op zombie shooter is a versus mode… said literally nobody. With that being said, there is a versus mode in B4B’s multiplayer. It’s essentially a round-based horde mode with player-controlled enemies in the mix. A team of cleaners go in and try to hold out for as long as possible, as they face off against a team of players and AI-controlled  “ridden” (zombies). Once all the cleaners die the teams switch and you try to beat the other team’s time. Best of three, longest survival time wins.

This could be a problem….

On the two occasions my group played we won. The first was by sheer dumb luck but on the second attempt, we strategised. We survived four minutes and they survived forty seconds. Humblebrag aside it was rather fun and a welcome distraction as the games doesn’t force you to play any of the campaign maps but rather maps built specifically for the multiplayer itself. A very good way to stop map fatigue if you ask me.

ISSUES

My only gripe with the entire multiplayer system would be the servers. When my brother and I dared to play as a duo, we got paired with a duo from Russia. Now my experience with most multiplayer games and Russians has led me to believe that Russians don’t speak English well. This lack of region-specific servers becomes a big problem when a game is so teamwork orientated, especially when I needed something the Russians had.

Though the game has a ping system and some basic commands, more helpful and contextual barks don’t exist. Cleaners can’t yell, “Hey bro can you spare some shotgun ammo” or “Anyone got some spare copper for some ammo” for example. I feel more commands like,  “I need this specific ammo” or “need some copper” would aid gameplay. This would be especially helpful when playing with players without mics. Though you may not mean it with any malice, slowly and loudly repeating “shotgun ammo” into a mic, can leave you feeling like the bad guy.

Never mind, we got this. Just needed a helping hand.

Another problem with the lack of restriction on matchmaking is the latency. Since it’s not a competitive shooter, a 500ms ping isn't the end of the world. Yes, players may be teleporting a little but it’s not like I'm trying to kill them - I’m trying to aid them. Yet when you add that on top of a language barrier and lack of a more detailed in-game command/request system, a negative experience is created. More detailed commands is something I would like to see in the final release, as well as a ping restriction. Though a 500ms ping isn't bad in co-op, high pings can lead to connectivity issues turning a full squad into a trio.

I’ve over here recapturing the magic of L4D… By which I mean standing at the top of stairs and mowing down hordes of undead.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

Overall, Back 4 Blood is a solid game so far! Though the game was delayed, the progress made between tests shows that any delay was in aid of creating a more balanced experience and not a sign of a deeply troubled development. I cannot stress how well the game actually ran - even though my system was below the recommended requirements - the game still ran perfectly on the “High” preset.

My group had no matchmaking errors which was even better and the beta was cross-platform meaning it was easy to find a lobby.

Now, as a friendly reminder (if the game’s huge PR campaign hadn’t ingrained all this into your mind), Back 4 Blood will be releasing October 12th on PC, PS4 and PS5 as well as the Xbox One and Series S|X, it will also be available on day one on Xbox Game Pass!