One month has passed since Horzine Biotech accidentally caused an outbreak of genetically mutated creatures that have since overrun Europe. But when all seems lost, a group of survivors band together to combat the “Zeds” and manage to get a foot-hold against the hordes of mutants. However, the Zeds have a few new tricks up their sleeves.
Tripwire Interactive’s follow-up to their wildly successful first-person horde mode shooter Killing Floor is well on its way to surpassing everything that made its predecessor great. Killing Floor 2 is looking to do everything the original Killing Floor did, but do it better and add much more to it. The game sports brand new weapons and an overhauled perk system that amplifies and encourages different play styles. As a result, progression feels more meaningful.
However, not only is the perk system improved, the melee system of Killing Floor 2 has undergone some changes as well. Players now have the option to specify the kinds of melee attacks they want to use; you could perform vertical or horizontal strikes on command for example. These tweaks to the melee combat feel particularly satisfying as you start racking up the body count, especially since the gore is much more prevalent.
Playing with up to five other players, Killing Floor 2 emphasizes players to work as a team to survive wave after wave of Zeds until they are confronted by the boss character at the end of each game. Originally, there was only one boss to look forward to, the Patriarch, but this time around there are a handful of bosses. And, unfortunately, they are randomly spawned at the end of each game, so players will never know who to expect when they reach the end of a game.
In my time with the game, I didn’t even get close to seeing what boss character I was going to have to go up against (I was demolished by a fleshpound). I did, however, get a chance to take a look at some of the new weapons that were available from the vendor and I can’t wait to get my hands on them in-game. Speaking of which, Killing Floor 2 has a mix of military assault rifles, improvised makeshift weapons, historical guns, and apparently “Mad Scientist” weapons.
Killing Floor 2 supports up to 6 players per game, but you could play by yourself if you really wanted to. Although, it’s not necessarily recommended as the game is fairly difficult on your own. I learned this the hard way during my PSX demo. I picked the “Berserker” perk and was promptly massacred during the third wave. I was informed shortly there after by Tripwire Interactive’s president, John Gibson, that starting off with the “Berserker” class was probably the most difficult thing I could’ve possibly have chosen. But I had fun regardless.
Killing Floor 2 is shooting for Spring of 2016 release.