We recently got to take a look at an early version of Killing Floor 2. Thus far the game is quite impressive.
Updated Character Models and Backgrounds
Killing Floor 2 is by far the most visually impressive game Tripwire has ever made. As you can see above both the enemy models and backgrounds are drastically improved from KF1.
The Patriarch received a significant update to every aspect. Now he has a “German” (more Nazi officer) accent, highly accurate guns and even grenades.
The life drain is quite devastating.
He’s also extremely difficult to fight solo as he will drain the life of a character to heal himself. If you don’t have a partner to gun him down while he grabs you then it’s probably over.
We’ve adjusted to it quite well but old players may need some time.
Changes to Zed Time
Perhaps the most striking change is Zed Time. Not only does everything slow down but there is a bit of a bloom effect caused by everything but the color red vanishing. With the impressive amount of gore in this game things can get a bit disorienting when you’ve killed 10+ zombies in it.
A New Perk System
Perks are the area where things changed the most. Instead of starting with certain abilities such as being able to ignore the grab ability of clots you must unlock the special skills of each class.
Increased Customization to Characters
As you probably guessed there will be quite a bit of customization when it comes to characters. You can change patterns, clothing and accessories. All of these are purely cosmetic but fun to fiddle with.
Much of the content is still in-progress but hints of future weapon classes are right there in the game.
EMP grenades keep a Berserker from blowing themselves up.
Highlights for Killing Floor 2
A few things stood out for us even in this early version:
- The incredible melee Pulverizer combines explosives with a hammer, allowing you to smash Fleshpounds easily
- Graphical quality is massively improved in every way
- The HUD is quite impressive with significant improvements in every area
- Fleshpounds can jump and smash you into the ground within seconds if you aren’t paying attention
- Electric weapons will be a big part of the game; Berserkers now have EMP grenades that don’t injure players
- Many of the older Commando, Medic and Support weapons work in the same way. There are just more of them in the base game
- Fire rates and damage have changed on some guns, so expect it to be a different experience
- Blood now stays in the environment, leading to a grisly setting in many games
Concerns for Early Killing Floor 2
A few things we noticed stood out as well. We’re wondering how this will work out:
- Pyro is not in and the flamethrower is an all-class item
- The Katana isn’t the stunlocking monster it was. Just a light weapon good for moving really quickly.
- Explosives have a UI tab but the class isn’t in yet
Is the Killing Floor 2 Hype Deserved?
For fans of the genre this game is everything you expect and more. Writers here played the game extensively and it is as good as well expected.
Many players we know are eagerly expecting it on April 21st. As long as they continue improving the game here it’s going to be a genre-shaking game. We’ll be playing this one quite a bit.
