Killing Floor 2 | PS4

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The original Killing Floor had a budget charm, largely thanks to its roots as an Unreal Tournament 2004 mod; the sequel manages to maintain that unique identity, whilst a cash injection smooths over most of the rough edges.

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by Sam
​Sant

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@SlamShotSam

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Developer: Tripwire
Interactive
Publisher: Deep
Silver
Platforms: PS4, PC
Players: 1 - 12

​Not much has changed in terms of core game design - just like its predecessor, Killing Floor 2 is a wave-based co-op shooter that unapologetically forgoes a single-player campaign. Action comes thick and fast as hordes of grotesque, biomechanical nasties fight over who gets to wear your face, and you naturally endeavour to keep it fixed to your skull.

You'll fend them off with a satisfyingly punchy array of weapons, painting a gory tapestry across a range of engaging maps. The arsenal is fantastically diverse - purchasable between waves, along with armour and ammunition - offering players access to not just a range of conventional ballistic firearms, but also outlandish inventions like the Microwave Gun, which cooks evil Zeds from the inside out. In addition, you can put the likes of katanas, circular saws and explosive, piston-powered sledgehammers to use through a nuanced close-quarters combat system, comprised of directional and weighted swings, along with blocks and timing-based parries.

Whilst your choice of loadout should ideally mirror that of your perk to best take advantage of its boons - Gunslingers opt to wield revolvers and Firebugs flamethrowers, for example - you’re free to purchase any mismatched combination you might wish, provided it doesn’t exceed the fixed carry weight limit. Whatever your personal poison, there’s a chance putting it to good use will trigger a brief, satisfying period of monochrome respite that allows you to appreciate the carnage being wrought in slow-motion.

​Because shining a spotlight on decapitations isn’t quite metal enough for the developers at Tripwire Interactive, (who we imagine have a compulsory dress code of black leather, tattoo sleeves and facial piercings) an original heavy metal soundtrack, rivalled only by that of DOOM, complements the frantic violence perfectly. Vocals are muted by default, but they can be toggled on if you want to be shouted at for that final masochistic touch. ​

A lifetime of headbanging doesn't seem to have had any adverse effect on the team, because the folks responsible for level design certainly have their wits about them. Settings play on recognisable horror tropes while seamlessly incorporating open outdoor areas to kite Zeds around, looping corridors to funnel targets through, and defensible interiors in which to hunker down for the long haul. ​

​Take care to ensure there’s an escape route if adhering to that latter tactic, especially when welding doors shut, or all you’ll succeed in doing is quite literally sealing your fate. There’s a relatively steep learning curve to Killing Floor, due to it having defined right and wrong ways to play - without knowing how, where and when to choose either fight or flight, you won’t graduate from the lowest difficulty level.

As a result, there’s an immensely satisfying sense of progression when you eventually do. Each notch climbed rejuvenates the game, requiring somewhat vast advancements in playstyle to succeed. Playing with randomly matchmade teammates also becomes decidedly less tedious, everyone now beholden to the knowledge that anything other than a close-knit unit is doomed to fail.

Action comes thick and fast as hordes of grotesque, biomechanical nasties fight over who gets to wear your face.

Unfortunately, whilst the dedicated servers seldom suffer lag, provided you pause any active downloads, we did encounter an issue that often left us stuck on the loading screen and kept some degree of disappointment in the matching process. The glitch was most frequent when searching the new competitive match variant, which sees a team of players take control of the enemy in an all-too-easy effort to quell the human forces.

Fend them off with a satisfyingly punchy array of weapons, painting a gory tapestry across a range of engaging maps.

It’s incredibly unbalanced in favour of the Zeds, who suffer few to no concessions to counterbalance the fact they’re now powered by someone’s grey matter, rather than predictably regimented AI. Most egregious is what this does to boss battles, removing the staple design behind their patterned behaviour and telling animation, and with that, what makes for hard-fought, but fair, encounters.

Despite a high likelihood of victory, you’ll probably want to avoid playing the Zeds due to some inherent flaws. They’re subject to lengthy periods of downtime, not just at the hands of frequent respawn timers, but for upwards of a minute come the conclusion of each and every wave. In addition to seeing decidedly less action, the Zed side lack any form of customisation or progression, meaning time spent with them can feel wasted.

Sticking to the balanced cooperative play is recommended, and, thankfully, you’re well accommodated in doing so. Match lengths can be customised and don’t feel overly stilted or long at either end of the spectrum, difficulty scales dependant on the number of players, and quitting mid-game won’t negate the experience points you’ve earned up to that point. These simple, quality of life features make KF2 perfect for both quick sessions and hefty all-nighters.

Though it’s displayed at a sharp 1080p on standard PS4 hardware and 1800p upscaled to 4K on the Pro, (which is how we played) the visuals aren’t really anything to write home about. It’s a typical case of sacrificing graphical fidelity in favour of increased on-screen carnage at a sustained frame rate - not that that’s a bad thing.

While there are niggly issues elsewhere, like the touchpad routinely throwing dosh on the floor, despite that function being mapped to right on the d-pad, the biggest foible isn’t a technical issue at all. KF2 carries a large console tax that sees the PS4 version retail for 75% more than its Steam counterpart, while simultaneously charging for the same cosmetic DLC and offering less content in the absence of mods. 

Despite the dodgy value proposition, we’d still argue you get your money’s worth. Killing Floor 2’s brutal combat and demanding difficulty are presented with a light-hearted character that, along with great accessibility, make for a winning formula that’s hard to resist.

Pros

• Brutally satisfying combat
• Rewarding difficulty progression
• Requires strategy and teamwork
• Perfect for drop in/drop out play
• Variable loadouts to fit different players

Cons

• Poor value for money on console
• Irksome technical issues
• Unbalanced competitive mode

Score 8/10