Back 4 Blood's October 12 release date is drawing nearer, and an upcoming open beta will let more players get a feel for its gameplay. The game has been touted as a spiritual successor to Left 4 Dead and is even being created by some of the developers who worked on the influential series when Turtle Rock Studios was still under the purview of Valve. The developer already held a closed alpha late last year, and now the open beta for Back 4 Blood in August will let more players try out a decent range of its content.
Just like its spiritual predecessor, Back 4 Blood is all about fighting off hordes of zombies - known here as Ridden - in four-player co-op gameplay. The open beta will let players try out five of the eight known Cleaners, Back 4 Blood's zombie apocalypse survivors: Evangelo, Holly, Walker, Hoffman, and Mom. Each Cleaner has their own special traits that can give the whole team various buffs.
Back 4 Blood's open beta will let players team up for PvE co-op against hordes of AI Ridden or enter a 4v4 Swarm PvP match, where opposing players control some of the zombies. There will be six Ridden variants available in the open beta's Swarm mode: Bruiser, Retch, Hocker, Exploder, Crusher, and Stinger. Similar to the Cleaners, each Ridden variant has its own special moves to attack enemy players.
A total of four maps will be playable in the Back 4 Blood open beta. There will be two co-op maps for PvE and another two for the PvP Swarm mode. Outside of the expected zombie shooter gameplay, players can also check out a communal hub called Fort Hope. It isn't entirely clear what Fort Hope involves, but it appears to be a sort of home base for the Cleaners in the game's world.
The open beta will also feature a variety of weapons and cards for Back 4 Blood's deck system. The game uses an AI Director to play a set of cards that modify gameplay, from mundane Ridden buffs to special challenges. Players then use their own decks to counterbalance the director's actions changes. The final highlight of the Back 4 Blood open beta is the inclusion of crossplay and cross-gen support. Cleaners on all eligible platforms (Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, PS5, and PC) will be able to team up to take on the Ridden. Here's a breakdown of everything included:
- Two PvE co-op maps
- Two 4v4 PvP Swarm maps
- Five playable human Cleaners
- Six playable zombie Riven (Swarm only)
- Fort Hope communal hub
- Weapons, deck system cards
- Crossplay, cross-gen support
While originally planned to release in June 2021, Back 4 Blood was delayed to October. Still, the Back 4 Blood open beta on August 5 will likely help ease the anticipation of eager players.
Back 4 Blood comes to Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, PS5, and PC on October 12, 2021.
https://ift.tt/3zQQCnT
July 29, 2021 at 12:09AM
