Killing Floor 2 Reviews

While it mostly nails its signature vibes, Killing Floor 3 is mired by a confusing live service experience and crap performance

Tripwire have delivered a pretty gory successor with revamped gameplay mechanics and a jump in visuals thanks to Unreal Engine 5. There isn't as much starting content compared to their previous game, however, there's plenty of future updates planned giving us maps, enemies, guns, and more.

Killing Floor 3 might feel a little bare bones at present, but there's still plenty to enjoy when you're blowing off zed's body parts with your friends.

Killing Floor 3 is fun, frenetic, and a bloody good time. This series has come a long way since its initial entry, and Killing Floor 3 is a very strong entry that innovates on the core loop while delivering all of the gorey, zombie dismembering horde shooting you could want. It feels great to play, but it almost feels like the amount of content it brings to the table is a little bare for a full release.

Not every game, but some games, like Tripwire Interactive's Killing Floor 3, deliver exactly what you'd expect by looking at the cover. You shoot Zeds (read: zombies), and when you're done shooting Zeds in one level, there are more Zeds for you to shoot on another. In between the shooting, you'll level up your weapons, refill on ammo and gear, and then go back to shooting Zeds. Oh, and there are also a few narrative-driven tasks to complete, but the main course is shooting Zeds.

Killing Floor 3 delivers satisfying co-op carnage and smart upgrades, but leans on familiar ground while setting the stage for stronger updates ahead. Those seeking innovation or narrative complexity will find more engaging options elsewhere. But for players who enjoy wave-based co-op shooters… it delivers precisely what it promises.

Killing Floor 3 is a polished sequel that feels both smartly streamlined and somewhat hollow, coming across more like a solid Early Access launch than a full release.

When I first started up Killing Floor 2 I had no idea what to expect. The game looked like a very grim, zombie-killing game. What it actually was - a ridiculously impressive and immersive strategy game… that was very grim. There are a few technicalities, but overall there is nothing out there that gives you such a feeling of fight-or-flight – while at the same time – giving you a giant adrenaline rush from decimating mass amounts of baddies. And I can tell you after some 25 hours… it doesn't go away.

Republished on Wednesday, 31st May 2017: We're bringing this review back from the archives following the announcement of June 2017's PlayStation Plus lineup. The original text follows.

Zed's dead, baby. Zed's dead.

Tripwire Interactive debut the Zeds on consoles in what will surely be a cult classic.

A polished, fun co-op horde shooter with a healthy server browser.

I can’t fault Killing Floor 2 that much for focusing on a co-op experience, and it does that very well. The gunplay and gameplay loop is great fun when you have a core group of friends with you, I just don’t see it as having value outside of that setting.

The idea of slaughtering dozens of zombies has lost its novelty over the years, but it still remains a satisfying way to unwind. Their broken bodies are ripe for guilt-free dismemberment, and their vast numbers are a great showcase for whatever overpowered weapons developers toss at the player. Killing Floor 2 takes its cues from innovators like Left 4 Dead, but the result is more than just a reanimated corpse of games that came before.

Fans of co-op shooters (and zombies) will love it, but the lack of modes and options does limit the appeal.

Is it currently fun? Undeniably. It’s gross, silly, and more than a little thrilling, and while the matchmaking system is a bit rubbish, there are always plenty of active servers to choose from manually, ensuring that you won’t have to spend much time looking for a game. But for that single mode to remain fresh, a frequent injection of new stuff is going to be necessary. Thankfully, Tripwire have already confirmed a mace and shield weapon combo that’s on its way, which should be great for tanks, and some new monsters are in the works too. In the meantime, there’s still plenty of diverting, zombie-slaying action and a bevy of excellent maps.

Killing Floor 2, like its predecessor, is something I’ll be returning to for a long time. It’s not often that I stick with a multiplayer game for any length of time, but this one has its hooks in me deep. At the end, yes, you’re fighting the same enemies with the same weapons over and over again, but the level of challenging chaos keeps me coming back. Just know that as high as my score is, this is a repetitive game by nature. However, as previously mentioned, Tripwire updated the first game for years with new weapons, maps, modes, and enemies, too, so this is like an investment that I’ve already broken even on and will continue to reap benefits from. If you need something simple where you can jump in and shoot some of the best guns ever, Killing Floor 2 is your game. Now fucking play it with me, Jordan (and all of you guys, too!).

Killing Floor 2’s concept remains simple, but the development team has polished it to a point where it’s always exciting. The attention to detail featured here is rivaled by few other games, and the fantastic maps, weapons and characters offer the needed variety to keep things fresh for a long time. The original Killing Floor still has a loyal following to this day despite its age, but Killing Floor 2 has just made it obsolete.

Overall

If you’re looking for a new horde mode game to enjoy with friends (or randoms), you can’t go too far wrong with Killing Floor 2. I feel it misses out on some of the deeply ingrained teamwork of other co-op survival games, especially on lower difficulties, but if you want a challenge, it brings it in spades.