Killing Floor

The games industry, like any industry, goes through phases and fads. Arguably, zombies have always been a popular subject with games; their limited intelligence and movement make them perfect for cannon fodder. However, we have recently seen a boom of zombie-killing games with the likes of Left 4 Dead, Resident Evil 5, a special mode in Call of Duty: World at War and even zombies invading gardens in Plants vs Zombies. Clearly, zombie-fests are here to stay. Wisely or not, Tripwire Interactive have followed suit with the zombie-hunting game, Killing Floor.

Now, technically, the game's adversaries are not zombies - they're mutants. But they look like zombies. They move like zombies. They sound like zombies. They are basically zombies. Killing Floor started out as a mod for Unreal Tournament 2004, and anyone who's ever played five minutes of an Unreal game will notice this. However, it flourishes in its roots and is a commendable effort from a group of modders working on their first retail game under Tripwire's publishing.

The premise of Killing Floor is simple enough. A military experiment gone wrong causes the human test subjects to undergo physical deformations and turn violent. It is your job as the player to take care of these masses of mutants in whatever way you see fit. Your character is one of a limited number of body models, from Special Forces soldiers to riot gear policemen. Each game consists of a certain number of waves of mutants, with each wave becoming progressively harder and ending with a ‘boss' mutant battle. You have free reign over the levels, choosing where you go and where to make your stand, possibly meaning the difference between success and failure.

I apologise in advance for the obvious comparison. I would like to say Killing Floor was here first, and thus they designed it without inspiration - but I don't know the truth of it. Let's face it, Left 4 Dead is a behemoth of a game and it is therefore inevitable to note the similarities between the two. Most noticeable are the selection of ‘special' mutants, which bare almost uncanny resemblances to Valve's counterpart. You've got your Bloat (or Boomer), your Fleshpound (or Tank) and, your Crawler (or Hunter). That said, Killing Floor does have an eclectic selection of mutants, nine in total, each with their own special ways of being a nuisance. I don't want to discredit the hard work put into this game, as I'm sure they have a hard enough time living under the shadow of Left 4 Dead - but the similarities [i]are[/i] there and they're hard to ignore.

Like Unreal Tournament, you start a game on a particular map and spawn when ready. There aren't weapon pickups in the maps (though there are ammo boxes), instead you earn money by taking out the hordes with which you use to spend at the ambiguous ‘Trader' who appears at different locations on the map. She only appears at the end of a wave and after all the mutants are dead, and then you have a limited amount of time to purchase the items you want. There is a wide selection of weaponry available; from axes and shotguns to assault and sniper rifles - not including the more expensive equivalent. This gives a similar style of gameplay that Counter-Strike regulars may be familiar with; allowing each player to decide whether they should stick with the initial pistol and save up for the better gear or gradually build up their armoury and buy something new each round. There is a limit on the amount you can carry too, meaning you won't be a walking weapon dispenser which forces you to stick with one particular weapon, a sidearm and maybe a melee weapon.

Complimenting the weapons is the perk system. Not unlike Call of Duty's system of the same name, the player decides on a perk which provides their character with a benefit of some kind. As an example, the Commando perk provides players with increased accuracy and discounted price on the Bullpup and improved Stalker detection. Each of these six perks are selected and levelled up, providing improved bonuses. To level up, the player must complete tasks, such as killing a certain amount of specific specimens or healing your teammates until it unlocks the next level. It's a system that works well and helps to provide variety to the gameplay, as well as giving a goal for the player.

One particular feature that I feel should be mentioned -, something that does separate Killing Floor from its competitors - is the ability to weld doors together. An interesting feature in a survival-horror game, as in a situation where masses of murderous mutants are hell-bent on your blood the most likely solution is to barricade yourself indoors. Welding the doors provides them with an integrity, which either forces the mutants to use another route or bash their way in (thus buying you time). This is particularly useful in a team game, where you'll need to work together with someone welding whilst the others protect their back.

Whilst I'm on the subject of team play, it should be noted that this is the focus of the game. Trying to play the game solo on anything other than easy will provide a highly difficult and frustrating experience. This isn't a problem, as the game is touted as ‘co-op survival horror', but it should be known that if you intend to play alone, don't bother. That said, co-op works well and makes a change from the beeline that the mutants seem to make for you in solo mode. This feature allows up to six players to play together, and with six perks allowing for as many play styles it all combines very well.

There are complaints about the game play itself, for example the over-the-top blurring effect that occurs when you're hit by a specimen making it difficult and frustrating to escape. There is also the grating voice of the Trader who is more than a little bit annoying and the slow speed of the characters. These are all minor things, though, that can easily be overcome, and are negated by the positives of the game. The graphics aren't the best you'll have seen, but they're certainly not hideous and definitely well put together. The slow-motion (or ‘ZEDtime') is always a pleasure and the diversity of specimens does add to the variety. A story-mode of some kind would have been a welcome addition, but considering the nature of the game it's probably understandable why it was omitted.

This game is not without its flaws, but neither does it lack any charms. To look at Killing Floor in that perspective, you have to commend the final product. Its atmosphere can get intense, especially on the harder modes, and for a survival horror game that's what you look for. It's true it doesn't have the overall polish capable from a full-time development team such as Valve, and it does draw on a lot of features from existing games, but such is the nature of a game that was crafted out of a mod. It is nevertheless a well thought out game and a decent distraction from Left 4 Dead. It probably won't, however, keep you from returning to it.