Cool projects in the style of the cult game from Valve and Turtle Rock studio
On October 12, Back 4 Blood is released – a new online shooter from the authors of Left 4 Dead , and in fact – an unofficial continuation of the famous game. The return of L4D in a new guise is an important event, but not as much as it might seem. The fact is that over the years Left 4 Dead has acquired a decent number of quality clones and imitators, some of which even managed to outshine it in many ways. Therefore, the release of Back 4 Blood is perceived rather not as the return of the king, but only as the appearance of another contender for the throne, who will have oh how hard it is in the competition with other similar games. In this post, we’ll highlight some of the best Left 4 Dead-style co-op games to date that will give Back 4 Blood a head start.
Deep rock galactic
This co-op shooter about the adventures of four dwarfs in space is one of the most highly rated games on Steam and resembles both L4D and Minecraft at the same time. So, in Deep Rock Galactic it is necessary not only to destroy hordes of enemies, but also to explore the planet Hawkes-4, looking for its valuable resources. In other words, you need to work with a pickaxe here as much as you need to shoot.
DRC boasts impressive replayability for several reasons. First, the developers have come up with a decent number of different types of missions: they range from the usual gathering of minerals to, for example, hunting bosses and oil extraction, when players lay and protect pipes and wells that pump out black gold. Second, a comprehensive procedural level generation system ensures that no location is alike. And thirdly, Deep Rock Galactic is full of content for grinding, as a result of which gamers never get bored, but always try to discover something, be it one of hundreds of customization items for their favorite gnome, a perk for a character or weapon, or new game modes that become available after certain conditions are met.
And Deep Rock Galactic is simply distinguished by its exemplary balance: there is a use for every barrel or gadget. In addition, one cannot say that one of the four playable classes is better than the other: all gnomes are useful in their own way and work harmoniously in tandem. For example, an engineer capable of building turrets will be indispensable when defending against waves of monsters. The scout will come in handy in order to get to hard-to-reach places with the help of a cat-hook, where something of value is probably hidden, and the driller will be able to dig a way to the next room in a matter of seconds. Well, we must not forget about the gunsmith with his large-caliber cannons and power shield: he will find a way out of a seemingly lost situation if something goes wrong during the battle.
Finally, Deep Rock Galactic has an incredibly close-knit community, with veterans willing to play alongside newbies, which is rarely seen in multiplayer games.
Warhammer: Vermintide 2
Of all the games on this list, Vermintide 2 most resembles Left 4 Dead’s structure, mechanics, and overall gameplay. Here, for example, there is also an AI director who dynamically adjusts to how well the players are moving forward, and, based on this, intrigues them or lends a helping hand. Moreover, even some of the special enemies attacking the heroes of Vermintide 2 are an obvious tracing of the special zombies from the Valve project.
Nevertheless, despite all the similarities, V2 is perceived as a distinctive game, and in many ways more thoughtful, varied and interesting than its ideological predecessor. For example, in Vermintide 2, it’s much more fun to do the most important activity in action games – to fight opponents. The V2 focuses more on melee rather than ranged, and it is implemented almost perfectly. All the numerous weapons differ in their techniques and combos, and they all seem satisfyingly weighty and powerful. To crush the skulls of the rat-people of the skaven with a huge hammer or to chop the minions of Chaos in half with a two-handed sword is a sheer pleasure due to the first-class visual “recoil” during the contact of cold steel with the enemy.
Well, it is important to note that against the background of L4D, Vermintide 2 has much more “meat on the bones” in terms of content: the authors of the game provided for visual customization of characters and weapons, added classes and pumping. And in a recent update, V2 received a new “Wasteland of Chaos” mode, which will be appreciated by rogue-lite fans.
Aliens: Fireteam Elite
The new Alien game is not a masterpiece, but if you’re looking for a bouncy co-op action thriller in a sci-fi setting, Fireteam Elite is exactly what the doctor ordered.
In A: FE, three Marines go through a campaign consisting of a series of levels inspired by an Alien movie. And at each location, players are expected to fight hordes of creatures. Battles can quickly turn into defeat if you do not act coherently and competently use the unique abilities and class gadgets. So, the scout can replenish the stock of ammunition partners or highlight targets using a special scanner, and the engineer is able to slow down enemies with special electrifying mines. In total, five classes are currently available in the game, which will take a couple of dozen hours to fully upgrade. Well, after that you can do the “endgame” – replaying the campaign at the highest difficulty levels for the sake of exclusive rewards.
World war z
Perhaps the easiest way to describe this co-op shooter based on the Max Brooks novel “World War Z” and its film adaptation is “Left 4 Dead on steroids.” WWZ resembles a hit Valve gameplay, but the bloody chaos that is happening on the screen, at times surpasses anything that can be seen in L4D.
World War Z regularly throws hordes of zombies at players, hundreds of infected madmen who, like a living wave, are trying to demolish everything in their path. Creatures fall from bridges and houses, and then, as if nothing had happened, continue the offensive. They climb on top of each other, forming moving mounds of bodies in order to reach the heroes who have taken a higher position. They use mortars and heavy machine guns, but even heavy weapons are almost always not enough to thin out legions of zombies. It is for the sake of such episodes of action and bacchanalia that you should pay attention to World War Z. And also for the sake of interesting and memorable levels: here you need to fight zombies in New York, Moscow, Jerusalem and Tokyo.
GTFO
Although GTFO has been in Early Access for almost two years now, that hasn’t stopped it from gathering a dedicated fan community around it. There is nothing to be surprised at: the debut shooter of the independent studio 10 Chambers, even in its raw form, boasts an excellent atmosphere (which only one soundtrack is worth!) And extremely addicting gameplay.
In GTFO, four players take on the role of prisoners forced to explore a secret underground complex for valuable artifacts. The problem is that in the depths they are waiting not only for creepy dark corridors, but also disgusting monsters, ready to tear any person to pieces, it is worth making an extra rustle.
GTFO is without a doubt the scariest and most hardcore game on this list. The creatures you have to fight here look like they’ve been carried straight out of Dead Space. Plus, they are extremely tenacious and aggressive, so you should go on a mission with at least two partners. Just be sure to coordinate every step and discuss every action with each other, otherwise end up as minor characters in any horror movie.
It doesn’t really matter if Back 4 Blood can outperform the aforementioned games or not. The main thing is that fans of Left 4 Dead and, in general, cooperative shooters in general, finally have something to choose from. Any of the games in this collection will give you dozens of hours of exciting time with your friends, and you don’t need more.
