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Released on November 18, 2016 for PC, Killing Floor 2 is a first-person shooter showcasing both single-player and online team zombie wave-killing action.
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My long-time friend, Daniel, texted me the other day to ask if
I ever played
Killing Floor 2. "Demon Hunter makes a good portion of the
soundtrack for the game. It's very gratifying blowing demons' heads off with a
500 magnum while "Infected" is playing in the background." I immediately googled
the game and saw Epic had it on sale in their digital store for only
$7.99. But could I play it? My new laptop is pretty great, but can it play a
high-end (for five years ago) first-person shooter?
I booted up the game and was delighted that it ran smoothly.
I was even more delighted that the game itself is pretty awesome.
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UNLIMITED POWER!!!
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The gist for
Killing Floor 2 is simple: some kind of experiment
went very wrong, and the zombie-like test subjects called "Zeds" got out and
overran the world. The player selects from one of a large group of character
classes, whose focuses range from pistol-wielding Gunslingers, to healing-focused
Medics, to sniper-adept Sharpshooters, to melee-happy Berserkers, among many
more. The player can then customize their character to their aesthetic tastes,
and then select from a large list of highly-detailed courses.
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One is the loneliest number...
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Killing Floor 2's gameplay mechanics are simple. The player chooses to face four, seven, or
ten waves of enemies. The first wave is composed of mostly small, weak
enemies, and each successive wave ramps up not only the number of enemies
faced, but brings more highly dangerous enemies into the fray. Between waves,
the player can use money earned from killing enemies to purchase armor,
grenades, ammo, better weapons, or to better the weapons they already have--these are only good for the current match, and don't carry over to the next.
After facing all the enemy waves, the player takes on a high-powered boss from
a randomly selected pool. Beat the boss, and the stage is completed.
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You ever think of getting that looked at? You know, like...your whole body?
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While there doesn't at first seem to be much to just beating stages over and over again ad nauseum,
Killing Floor 2 show depth by ingeniously wrapping RPG elements into the proceedings,
giving the game an addictive edge. Killing enemies gives the player experience
points--with even more given for headshots! However, completing a stage all
the way through gives the most amount of points. Get enough points, and your
character levels up, increasing the power of your perks, which are specific to
each class. My class, the Gunslinger, gets faster and more bullet-resistant,
among other things, when I level up. Every five levels, you even get a bonus
perk, where you get to choose from a couple of options how your character can
improve--and you can change these up at any point. Right now, my character
reloads faster and does major damage to enemies' limbs.
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Leveled up Dual .500 Magnums are my love language.
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Killing Floor 2 controls just fine, enemy AI is solid, and
overall, I don't think there was any point where I was mad at the game for
its mechanics. Sometimes, your character can be pushed up against a wall when attacked by multiple enemies. Though you can beat the enemies away with the stock of
your gun, every now and then you get stuck at a weird angle, where it feels
like you should be able to get away, but can't. Other than that, I rarely
got frustrated, even when I dove into some online play, which is
Killing Floor 2's main
hook.
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The other main hook is watching this thing puke on this other thing.
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I have to say, though, I don't play games to be social, and I've largely
avoided playing games cooperatively online. Unless I'm in a room with friends,
I generally just want to experience my video games solo. For the purpose of
this review, though, I played a decent amount of
Killing Floor 2 online
with...*sigh*...other people. I had a blast.
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Explosion + zombies + slo-mo = 24XP
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Through multiplayer, you and far-flung
Killing Floor 2 players can team
up to take on waves together. There's a great balance here, as a team with
medics, explosive experts, snipers, pistol-wielders, and blade-swingers can
all work in concert toward victory. Everyone has a role, and a group that can
work together will have much success. I had a lot of fun with "suicideBunny" and "Phight4Change," as the three of us and a revolving group of
other players who popped in and out kicked zombie ass. Thankfully, if you get
too good, the game allows the player to increase the difficulty levels--and if
you're stinking up the place, you can always set the difficulty to easier.
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Easier! Make it easier, quick!
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Sure,
Killing Floor 2 isn't the most complex game out there, but
there's something to be said for its get-a-quick-round-in, splatterfest
gameplay. Oh yes, I forgot to mention,
Killing Floor 2 is absurdly
violent. The gory insanity is beautiful, though, as limbs and blood spray
everywhere, even in slow-motion when the player does something cool, and is
allowed a few seconds in "Zed Time," where they can move just a bit faster than
their enemies. Enemies are detailed and disgusting. I've mentioned the stages
have a lot of detail, as well--my favorite is a sea-side Lovecraftian mansion, where
the waves start crashing harder with each successive wave, until a massive and
tentacled monster shows up near the end to slosh around and create chaos.
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Also, there's a level where a robot shoots at you over a pool table,
just like in my dream.
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And then there's the soundtrack. I've been a Solid State Records fan since my
teenage years, and that music label provides the metal songs for this game, with
other pieces and the overall sound design tied together by Living Sacrifice's
Rocky Gray. Demon Hunter is the star of the show, though. Songs pop up at
random as each new wave starts, and more Demon Hunter songs play at those moments than songs by anyone else.
Daniel and I have always felt their music would be the perfect soundtrack for
taking out zombies (allegedly, the Navy SEAL who killed Bin Laden did so while
wearing a Demon Hunter patch). Thus, this game felt like a uniquely
personalized experience for me.
I loved almost every minute of it, and I'm
sure I will continue to do so for years to come.
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| Your throat is an open grave |
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