Back 4 Bloodhas generated a significant fanbase even though it’s still a ways away from its release. Fans are really excited for Turtle Rock Studios' spiritual successor toLeft 4 Dead,and it’s easy to see why. It’s exactly the same formula: survivors in teams of up to four have to work together to mow through zombie hordes and take down particularly menacing mutated versions of the undead.Back 4 Blood’s gameplay loop looks like it’ll be exactly the same asLeft 4 Dead,but brought into the modern age. Turtle Rock might get the big comeback it’s looking for ifBack 4 Blooddoes turn out to beLeft 4 Deadwith cutting edge graphics, polished gameplay, and sprawling new settings.
However, there’s one thing thatBack 4 Bloodcan’t beatLeft 4 Deadat using next-gen technology.Left 4 Deadwasn’t just famous for offering so much inspiration to survival horror gameplay. It was also very much about the characters.ManyLeft 4 Deadfansstill look on the two games fondly because Turtle Rock and Valve worked hard to shape the characters into relatable and compelling figures.Back 4 Bloodhas its own cast of established characters, but an emphasis on customization might suggest that Turtle Rock isn’t as interested in telling a character-focused story this time.
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Comparing Survivors and Cleaners
The Survivors fromLeft 4 Deadhad all kinds of story content dedicated to them.The firstLeft 4 Deadfocused heavily on Zoey and Bill’s relationship, for instance. The pair established something of a father-daughter bond, but ultimately, Bill sacrificed himself to save his fellow survivors and Zoey eventually took charge of the team. Similar arcs run throughLeft 4 Dead 2,like how Nick’s dislike of his team and reluctance to cooperate melt away over time, replaced with a strong bond with his fellow survivors. Turtle Rock and Valve even went as far as to unite the two teams in The Passing, bridging everyone’s character development to make one cohesive unit.
In comparison, little isknown aboutBack 4 Blood’s plansto characterize its Cleaners. While the game is still built around teams of four Cleaners with unique personalities all working together to fight the Ridden zombies, little is known about their backgrounds. Instead, most of Turtle Rock’s efforts to promote the game have revolved around the gameplay and the opportunity to customizeBack 4 Blood’s cleaners. The low emphasis on plot doesn’t make it sound likeBack 4 Blood’s Cleaners will be as deep asLeft 4 Dead’s Survivors. Even if the rest of the game is great, someLeft 4 Deadfans might end up being disappointed by the characters.
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Back 4 Blood’s Cast
Of course, it’s totally possible that there’s big plans forBack 4 Blood’s story that fans just don’t know yet. Even if that is the case, though, Turtle Rock Studios has considerably more work ahead of it than it had inLeft 4 Dead.There’s supposed to be two teams of four Cleaners inBack 4 Bloodat launch, which means there’s twice as many main characters to develop with good story threads and interesting personalities. While that’s not necessarily an overwhelming challenge, Turtle Rock hasn’t given fans much indication of how it’s going to pull that off. Story details forBack 4 Bloodremain few and far between.
Odds are good that Turtle Rock still has plenty of good resources and ideas fromLeft 4 Dead’s days that it can tap into to makeBack 4 Blood’s story work alongside its gameplay. Still, it’s a little hard to take it on faith that the game’s plot is just going to work out.Back 4 Bloodneeds to impress fanswith some genuine character building and heart in the same way that its predecessor did. Otherwise,Back 4 Bloodis liable to falter in its attempt to live up toLeft 4 Dead’s legacy.
Back 4 Bloodreleases for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on July 01, 2025.
