B4B VS L4D2
So I’ve played a little bit of Back 4 Blood and a little bit of Left 4 Dead 2. Back 4 Blood is a spiritual successor to the Left 4 Dead series, having similar themes and gameplay. Left 4 Dead 2 is a cult classic and still stands strong to this day. But if you’re new to the four player coop zombie swarm genre of first person shooters, you might find it harder to decide which game you’d want to buy. So here’s a really basic look at both games, and which one is better.
Actually I take that back. Both games are good. This article is more about what atmosphere you prefer.
Lots of similar zombies
On the surface, both games are extremely similar. I mean, they’re both made by the same company. From a distant point of view, you are fighting the undead, some of which are actually genuinely monsters and not just dead people.
The special Ridden in Back 4 Blood are somewhat similar to the special infested in Left 4 Dead, but there is just enough to make them not identical. The special Ridden are somewhat merged versions of their Left 4 Dead counterparts. Retches for example combine the attractiveness of a Boomer and the acidic spit of a spitter, both of which will attract the hordes. Snitches on the other hand are Boomers but louder, and they scream to attract more undead. But there are also a ton of variants with Back 4 Blood enemies,
Then you have bosses like Ogres. Ogres are fucking huge! They’re so big that they can swallow people whole. Left 4 Dead Tanks can only imagine what it’s like to be so large. Back 4 Blood has much bigger spectacles and boss fights, while Left 4 Dead Survivors fight a much smaller number of special infected.
Survival versus a job
This is what I feel is the best way to describe both games. In Back 4 Blood, you have a campsite with everything you need. It’s a massive, heavily fortified camp with massive walls protecting you from the monsters outside. The camp itself is perfectly safe, and people can go out on missions almost as they please. You can upgrade your gear in peace, and where you are based works as a permanent home for your characters.
On the other hand, in Left 4 Dead, you bounce from safe room to safe room, not really having that much of a plan, aside from getting to the next safe zone. And the safe rooms aren’t even that safe. They’re temporary stops on the player’s journey to find true safety, and frankly, most safe rooms are nothing more than two heavily fortified doors, a table with a pile of ammo on it, and, if you are lucky, some first aid kits. But you’re also accompanied by the writing on the walls. After all, you were not the first people to reach each safe room, and previous occupants have left messages on the walls, waiting for future occupants.
The atmosphere
Basically, Back 4 Blood isn’t scary. It’s full of thrills and death and carnage, but the genuine fear factor just isn’t there at all. At the end of the day, everyone heads back to base and manages to at least relax in a place that’s genuinely safe. Left 4 Dead 2 on the other hand is… well it’s definitely scarier than Back 4 Blood, because the survivors are a lot more flimsy. You’re following a group through a wasteland, hoping the next place will be safer.
What really separates them though is how things are named. In Left 4 Dead, the player characters are survivors. In Back 4 Blood, they are called Cleaners. The name Left 4 Dead implies being lost, alone and desperate. On the other hand, Back 4 Blood is an action-seeking adventure, with people coming back for more. Very different atmospheres, but that’s what makes them interesting.