Killing Floor 2 Preview

It's the second black screen crash I've had in the night. I'm tired, I'm frustrated, and I am sorely regretting recommending this title to my friends. I wanted a fun co-op experience. I wanted a fresh shooter. I wanted a goddamn game that wouldn't crash every ten minutes. Exhausted, I go to bed, wondering if there will ever be a time when this prototype will be good. That was some ten years ago, after I first played Killing Floor 1.0, an incredibly buggy and unpolished mess of a mod that had only a glimmer of potential.

Be it by coincidence or design, the Killing Floor series is the very embodiment of iteration. In every incarnation, the player must battle increasingly difficult waves of monstrous specimens and slowly upgrade their arsenal. Both the original mod and retail game have mirrored its layered gameplay: Killing Floor has received countless updates that have consistently propelled it forward into newer and better directions, one patch at a time. It only makes sense then, that Killing Floor 2, the long awaited sequel, begins humbly and builds itself up through Early Access.

In its current state, Killing Floor 2 feels like a foundation. With only four perks, three maps, and a single game mode, it severely lacks raw content. However, everything that is present is polished beyond anything I have seen in Early Access thus far. Menus and UIs are slick, the visuals are top notch, weapons handle exceptionally well, and the specimens are terrifying. There are no place holders, missing textures, or any of the other hallmarks of a work in progress. Hell, there are barely any bugs, which is practically unheard of in most multiplayer releases these days. In fact, what little Killing Floor 2 offers currently has a downright impressive amount of detail in its current state.

Perks, originally capped at level six, now have twenty five levels to them, with every five levels yielding a choice between two distinct bonuses, such as faster reloading or increased semi-automatic fire damage. Player characters have also been given a serious face lift, with distinct models housing a bevy of cosmetic options and a diverse roster of voices, from gruff security specialist to sarcastic death metal aficionado to dosh obsessed day trader. Even the levels themselves brim with tiny details and an almost excessive amount of interactivity. And by interactivity, I mean anything that isn't nailed down can be smashed, knocked over, and otherwise abused in the course of a match.

Of course, a horde mode co-op game is only as good as the monsters it brings to the table, and this is where Killing Floor 2 shows quality that is enviable even in a finished game. The zombie-like zeds of Killing Floor return for the sequel with enhanced AI behaviors. They're not any more intelligent, but they now change their tactics as difficulty increases. The pallid "clot" morphs from laughable distraction to ducking, weaving, sprinting monster once the difficulty is cranked up. I won't list all of the behavior changes for brevity's sake, but suffice it to say that they are as impressive as they are harrowing.

Though polished to a shine, Killing Floor 2 owes its focused and finely tuned gameplay to a very small release. Hardcore co-op shooter enthusiasts and Killing Floor diehards will have a safe investment in Tripwire's latest effort, but many will find its limited content lacking.