The Killing Floor 2 Review

Expectations are made to be exceeded or can be used as a gauge for disappointment. When I got my grubby gamer hands on Killing Floor 2, I had certain expectations based on the original Killing Floor and the word of mouth of other gamers. Like many others, I have played Zombie mode in Call of Duty, and have also been inundated with dozens of Zombie knock offs. Many of these have not remotely lived up to the expectation set forth by the developers and marketing teams. So you can imagine my surprise when my experience met my expectations.   

THE GOOD

Killing Floor 2 is straightforward horde mode with up to six players that work together defend against wave after wave of increasingly harder zombies. The variety is nice as you face skinny zombies that can overwhelm you in by sheer numbers and large bulky Zeds with Chainsaws and bad hygiene. Plus the occasional cloaked zombie and crawlers that will literally get the drop on you and make you jump out your chair. When you think you're done, you face a boss that will overwhelm an unpaired squad. You do have some control of the fight by sealing off certain doors and making use of the level design, but there is never a point where you are not “white knuckling” the controller/mouse and keeping an eye on your “Six”. Zombies will continue to pore out ventilation shafts, sewers and various other openings forcing you to stay on your toes.   

When you talk about a game like Killing Floor, the first and only thing to worry about is survival. A teammate dying can cripple the success of the rest of your squad and leave them extremely vulnerable. Teamwork is a must as I found myself overwhelmed by even the slightest number of Zed. Being cut off from your team or not communicating and building up the perks system strategically will end your experience prematurely. Ammo conservation, and careful weapon choice will be the difference between success or failure. That is what takes the game to the next level, you have melee weapons that sever limbs and wonderfully designed guns that look and sound amazing. The choice of when and how to use these weapons will contribute to your success. As you watch the gore increase and the odds get overwhelming, you find your heart beating out your chest and a smile on your face. There is always something satisfying about watching a Zombies head explode and the blood pour out of every crevasse of the game. Frankly, when I play this game with friends I had a lot of laughs and fun, but don't expect an easy ride. The perk system and the mastery of situational weapon usage will take time to hammer out with your team.   

THE BAD

Since the game is in its early access there are still some balancing issues that need to be worked on. Overall I feel like I got what was advertised, a bloody team based horde mode. There were no talks of great depth or RPG elements but there is some depth hidden behind the layers of death and blood.  I found a game with alot of polish even though it's in the “Early Access” and I would recommend this to gamers who enjoy a good hardcore zombie mode with friends.   

THE OPPORTUNITY  

Even with a solid game like Killing Floor 2 there is an opportunity to make the game better with some more variety with the maps and boss. I would also like a mode that never ends but gets increasingly hard and/or more expensive to upgrade and rearm.

  
4 out of 5 for the sheer unadulterated fun that I have when I load this game up!