The co-op shooter Back 4 Blood was touted as a spiritual successor to the Left 4 Dead series, but it sadly wasn't able to meet the high-quality bar of its predecessors. Although it was developed by the same studio behind L4D, Turtle Rock Games, Back 4 Blood was met with somewhat mixed reviews upon its release. The game did have its highlights, but it was criticized by many for its map design, difficulty scaling, limited content, and perceived lack of innovation. Despite its divisive critical reception, Back 4 Blood was still able to attract a sizable audience. Only two weeks after its October 2021 launch, it garnered a total of 6 million players across all platforms, which was quite impressive.
Back 4 Blood's success, however, was ultimately short-lived. In early 2023, Turtle Rock Games announced that it would no longer be releasing new content for B4B, since it didn't have enough employees to support the game post-launch for an extended period of time. Most of the developers at the studio, it said, had moved on to a new project. While Turtle Rock hasn't revealed what its next game will be, recent rumors seem to suggest that the company is working on a follow-up to Back 4 Blood. That may come as a surprise to some, since many gamers viewed the 2021 co-op shooter as a disappointment, but Turtle Rock may have the opportunity to improve on certain aspects of the original B4B in a hypothetical follow-up.
Back 4 Blood 2’s Rumored Setting Could Be Retreading Old Ground
The rumored Back 4 Blood 2 appears to have a very likely major setting, which may suffer from how often the location has already been explored.
Back 4 Blood 2 Should Build Upon the Foundation of Its Predecessor
A Follow-Up to Back 4 Blood is Apparently in the Works, According to New Rumors
The rumors about a potential Back 4 Blood sequel first began popping up last year. In July 2023, Turtle Rock Games started to recruit employees for its next AAA project. In many of the job listings posted on its website, the company stated that it was searching for developers who were fans of co-op, FPS, and multiplayer games, and had experience with first-person games that featured shooting or melee combat. While they didn't explicitly allude to anything, the requirements mentioned for these jobs led many to speculate that Turtle Rock was working on Back 4 Blood 2 or, at least, another Left 4 Dead-style co-op game.
This speculation was further compounded by a leak from earlier this year. The news outlet MP1ST recently reported that the resume of a stuntman by the name of Jesse Hutch seemingly confirmed that a Back 4 Blood sequel was in development. Hutch, who was involved with the original B4B, was apparently a lead performer in an upcoming Turtle Rock game that's tentatively titled Gobi 2. For those who don't know, Gobi was the codename that Turtle Rock used for the first Back 4 Blood. Putting two and two together, it seems reasonable to conclude that Gobi 2 is the codename for a B4B sequel.
Unlike The Original B4B, Back 4 Blood 2 Needs to Have Solo Offline Support on Day-One
If Back 4 Blood 2 really does exist, then Turtle Rock should take it upon itself to ensure that the game launches in a feature-complete state, unlike its predecessor. When the original Back 4 Blood was released, it lacked an offline mode, which was a staple of the Left 4 Dead games. For many players who tried it out on day one, it was a big disappointment that the game couldn’t be played solo without a persistent internet connection. To Turtle Rock's credit, an offline mode was added to B4B in a post-launch update, but in some gamers' eyes, it was too little, too late.
Multiplayer shooters are all the rage these days, but many gamers still prefer to play games by themselves. That's why, if B4B 2 is ever released, it needs to give players the option to play with A.I. Teammates instead of other people. A solo mode in a hypothetical Back 4 Blood sequel should also have proper progression systems on day one so that gamers can still have an offline experience that's at least somewhat comparable to playing with friends.
Back 4 Blood
-
OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 76 /100 Critics Rec: 71%
- Released
- October 12, 2021
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Drug Reference, Intense Violence, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- Turtle Rock Studios
- Publisher(s)
- Warner Bros. Games
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 4
- Multiplayer
- Online Co-Op
- Cross-Platform Play
- PC, PS5 & Xbox Series X|S and PS4 & Xbox One
WHERE TO PLAY
Back 4 Blood is a thrilling cooperative first-person shooter from the creators of the critically acclaimed Left 4 Dead franchise. You are at the center of a war against the Ridden. These once-human hosts of a deadly parasite have turned into terrifying creatures bent on devouring what remains of civilization. With humanity's extinction on the line, it's up to you and your friends to take the fight to the enemy, eradicate the Ridden, and reclaim the world.
Cooperative Campaign: Fight your way through a dynamic, perilous world in a 4-player co-op story campaign where you must work together to survive increasingly challenging missions. Play with up to 3 of your friends online or go solo and lead your team in battle.
Choose from 8 customizable Cleaners, one of the immune survivors, and a range of lethal weapons and items. Strategise against an ever-evolving enemy bent on your total destruction.
Competitive Multiplayer: Play with or against friends in PVP. Switch between playing as a Cleaner with special perks and the horrific Ridden. Both sides come with unique weapons, abilities, and specialties.
Extreme Replayability: A new "rogue-lite" Card System creates different experiences each and every time, putting you in control to craft custom decks, roll different builds and undertake more demanding fights.
The Game Director is constantly adjusting to player actions, ensuring exciting fights, extreme gameplay diversity, and tougher legions of Ridden - including mutated boss types up to 20 feet tall.
