(Image credit: Turtle Rock Studios)

Turtle Rock Studios is resurrecting the co-op zombie survival gameplay of Left 4 Dead in their latest title: Back 4 Blood. The weekend of December 17-21 marks the first alpha test of the game and allows access to one of the playable maps with four of the characters. Nothing too fancy yet but enough for the lucky 100,000 players to sink their teeth into. The alpha gameplay will give a good overall impression of how the game is different from the Left 4 Dead series, including the addition of the card system.

While the new title looks a lot like the first few games in the series, it plays and handles much differently. The creators added in a new mechanic, the card system which gives any level hundreds of possibilities upon replay. Players and enemies play cards at the beginning of each round that change the entire playthrough. Sometimes cards strengthen enemies or add more of one type, and others make finding ammo and guns rare. Players get less cards but add damage, speed, stamina, and weapons. As the rounds progress the enemies get more cards, by the final round things can get crazy with hordes of beefed-up zombies everywhere.

(Image credit: Valve)

The game does have some similarity to the Left 4 Dead franchise, it is still a four-player cooperative zombie survival game. Back 4 Blood also has the same classic arcade style and nonstop enemy action. In watching the alpha gameplay, the zombies seem a little bit slower and the new zombie types appear a little weaker than the enemies from Left 4 Dead. However, those issues will likely be fixed by the game’s release when difficulty adjustments are applied.

Even though the developers expanded the arsenal of weapons including a wide variety of gun and melee options, the new title relies heavily on teamwork. The melee weapons do significant damage so getting stuck with one can be fun but stamina draining, reinforcing the need to stay grouped for protection. Teammates can still be healed from being downed but only for a short while. It can be hard to see any survivor when they are coated in gallons of blood, an appropriate feature for game named Back 4 Blood. In fact, the players are often scarier looking than most of the zombies.

If you missed out on the first closed alpha, Turtle Rock Studios promises more opportunities to play the game early. There should be a chance to play it on consoles and again on PC, according to the Back 4 Blood FAQ page. Sign up on the Back 4 Blood website if you want to have a chance at any of the other alpha or beta tests, or wait until June 22, 2021, for the full game release. The Load Screen looks forward to this co-op game for a new way in connecting and playing online with friends.

Back 4 Blood

• Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S

• Developer: Turtle Rock Studios

• Publisher: Warner Brothers Games

• Release Date: June 22, 2021