Today featured the premiere of Warner Bros. Games E3 2021 showcase, and as promised Turtle Rock Studios debuted two trailers forBack 4 Blood’s PvP game mode. On top of this, lead game designer Brandon Yanez walked viewers through the trailer, which primarily revolved aroundBack 4 Blood’s PvP mode Swarmgiving fans the ability to play as the game’s Ridden enemies, who will have their own separate mechanics and progression system from the Cleaners.
Back 4 Blood’sSwarmgame mode shuffles and splits eight players into two teams, those being the Cleaners and the Ridden. For the Cleaners to win, they have to survive for as long as possible, and for the Ridden to win, they have to kill the Cleaners as quickly as they can. For the Ridden team to accomplish this, they’ll have to evolve their characters and strategically take advantage of the new abilities they gain to break through the Cleaners' defenses.
RELATED:Back 4 Blood Coming to Xbox Game Pass on Day One
TheBack 4 Bloodtrailers display nine Ridden that players can choose from: the Reeker, Retch, Exploder, Stinger, Hocker, Stalker, Tallboy, Crusher, and Bruiser. These Ridden have different abilities that cover several combat scenarios, such as stealth, long-range, and close-quarters combat. Depending on how the Cleaners choose to fortify their position, players will need to pick their Ridden based on the scenarios they cover, like picking a Retch to puke onto out-of-reach places.
Allowing fans to play as the Ridden through the Swarm game type makesBack 4 Blood’s PvP heavily reminiscent ofLeft 4 Dead’s, but while Turtle Rock Studios intended this, hopefullyBack 4 Bloodhas something else that makes it stand out. Yanez mentionedBack 4 Blood’s PvP is supposed to build off previous titles with similar subject matter that the studio developed, includingLeft 4 Dead. If this is the case,Back 4 Bloodshould feel more like an upgrade rather than a carbon copy.
If not,Left 4 Dead’s PvP formula still worked well, and given there hasn’t been a new entry in the series for over ten years, it’s probable not many fans of the franchise will be bummed aboutBack 4 Bloodimitating it. Turtle Rock Studios can also potentially implement new ideas intoBack 4 Bloodafter it launches. For now, there’s no reason it can’t useLeft 4 Deadnostalgiato getBack 4 Bloodoff the ground at launch.
Back 4 Bloodreleases June 29, 2025 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
MORE:E3 2021 - Schedule, Where To Watch, Everything Announced, & More
