Review: Killing Floor

Posted May 19th 2009 5:00PM by Steven Wong
Filed under: Features, FPS, Multiplayer, Opinion

What originally started as a total conversion mod for Unreal Tournament 2004 has become a fully realized game of itself. Simply put, Killing Floor is a six player cooperative survival horror game where teams of players square off against hordes of genetically spliced monsters that escaped from a laboratory. The gameplay is as straightforward as the premise, but still requires quite a bit of teamwork to battle through the waves of monster hordes. If Left 4 Dead is any indication, there's no getting tired of cooperative zombie games. Killing Floor is similar to L4D's Survival Mode, except it's not as frantically paced and there's plenty of room to move around. Killing Floor also offers variety of creatures provide an excellent challenge and players need to work together in order to succeed.

Gallery: Killing Floor

The concept behind Killing Floor is simple: A group of people come together to hold out against waves on oncoming monsters, all with various special abilities. In between each wave is a short reprieve where players have time to purchase new equipment and set up for the next attack. The game builds up to a final boss confrontation, and the team will need to come together to win. There's not much of a plot to speak of, and players run around in a single arena with no objective other than to do their best to end up near the weapons trader at the end of each wave. Consequently, the offline solo experience isn't especially fulfilling except for developing Perks and gaining achievements. The six character models, despite their amusing backgrounds, are really just the same two with minor graphical changes and feature the same lines spoken by a single actor. There are only five maps to choose from, so it's fortunate that the game comes with an SDK for players to create custom maps. Killing Floor doesn't have a lot of sophistication, but that's also part of its charm. When it comes right down to it, it's all about blasting zombies, and that's what it does well.

Although the concept is easy, the game itself is quite challenging. There are no crosshairs and getting head shots on creatures is critical to succeeding, so players will have to rely on iron sights and hope that the other teammates are watching their backs. Using different weapons earns points toward upgrading Perks, which grant players bonuses (such as seeing through stealth) during the fight. Additionally, doors can be welded shut to impede incoming groups or force them toward a bottleneck. The weapons trader is only available for a minute and a half between waves, so teams need to make their way over to it before wiping out the wave's final monster to make best use of that time. New incoming players and those killed in the previous wave enter in during the down time, so they'll have to run quickly to join up with the team and get time with the weapons trader. All taken together, much of Killing Floor's fun comes from the kinds of people you end up playing with. It can be very demoralizing to be repeatedly overwhelmed by zombie waves thanks to teammates that leave other players behind.

At the same time, being on a team that works well together lifts the game up high so that its flaws and straightforward gameplay can be easily overlooked. The graphics don't compare to more expensive games, but apart from the fact that it goes a little overboard with the film grain effect (making it very difficult to see anything in spectator mode), the visuals are generally done well. The screen blurring that comes from taking too hits is a nice effect. Killing Floor will also occasionally goes into a slow motion bullet time (referred to as "ZEDtime") so players can watch heads explode in detail. However, players trigger ZEDtime for the whole team with every head shot, so it's something that people will have to grow accustomed to happening at random points.

We have to admit that we initially had a very difficult time playing Killing Floor. The game uses a heavily modified version of Unreal Engine 2.5 as a foundation, which required some finessing to get working. In our case, we had to search the internet for solutions and fix our router settings to support the game. Even after doing so, we can only join existing servers and can't list our own privately hosted sessions online, so the ability to use custom mutators in our sessions is lost. However, it's safe to say that if you're among the people who have no trouble joining or hosting Unreal Tournament games, you probably won't have trouble with Killing Floor. Although the game features some Steam integration through persistent achievements and stats, those who have grown spoiled with Left 4 Dead's easy game setup could be in for a bit of a shock in returning to the manual method of browsing a server list and picking the best one.

Where gameplay is concerned, it would have been nice if the game offered more ways to keep track of teammates. It's far too easy to fall behind and get lost, making it very difficult to rescue them when they're in trouble. Players will need to stay close visual range and communicate in order to succeed, and it's fortunate that Killing Floor has a built-in voice system. The bad news is, it's the Caps Lock key, which is a silly thing to bind any command to, and it's not listed in the custom control settings menu. So, not only did we have to do a bit of research to find out which one it is, we can't rebind it to something more preferable. [Correction: We found it listed and apologize for the oversight] A 2D image of the player pops out whenever someone talks, which would have a stronger impact if the game didn't reuse the same few models.

With all things taken into consideration, it's Killing Floor's low twenty dollar price tag is the biggest incentive for picking it up. The game offers a strong challenge that forces players to work together and it also includes a number of flexible options that allows players to customize their experience. As stated earlier, the game is all about using heavy weapons to destroy waves on oncoming monsters, and the game does a great job in providing players with opportunities to do just that.

Tags: featured, killing-floor, review, tripwire-interactive

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Tried it, hated it. They designed their enemies to be cool, not fun. Between the Psuedo-boomer that deals DAMAGE when he vomits on you, the arm-bladed enemies, the invisible enemies, and the tiny ground crawling enemies, single-player mode is anything BUT fun. You can't even find a nice room and stay there after sealing all but one entrance, because you always have to move to get to the annoying fucking shop at the end of the round. This means you can't prepare for the oncoming assault, getting to the shop usually takes up all your free time. Which means EXTREMELY FRUSTRATING SLAUGHTER.

It's like L4D if they never play tested it.Posted at 5:57PM on May 19th 2009 by Ghede

Umm.... thats why its a multiplayer game..Posted at 6:07PM on May 19th 2009 by Game_playa

idk about poster 1 but this game rules and is a nice change from l4d dudePosted at 7:44PM on May 19th 2009 by Mest

This game is loads of fun. Playing with 5 people on TS in normal difficulty is a challenge...especially the end boss (patriarch) - I think we've beaten him once in Normal mode. And these are guys I play L4D with and beat expert routinely. It's not as exhausting as a game of L4D...you know how many guys you have to kill before you can go buy ammo (think of it as the counterstrike shop except you can give team mates money to help them get that next weapon). The variety of weapons and perks is awesome - I wish we could see some of that variety in L4D. It's not trying to be L4D, and it shouldn't. But it is a good damn game.Posted at 7:44PM on May 19th 2009 by goalielax

Yeah, I won it for free here! Definitely worth the $20 is you have a hard time deciding. Posted at 9:44PM on May 19th 2009 by Game_playa

Poster 1 is a pussy.Posted at 3:57AM on May 20th 2009 by Myoga

Then let me ask you: WHY INCLUDE SINGLE-PLAYER AT ALL?

If they don't make it possible to WIN in single-player, why not just scrap it? Posted at 11:05AM on May 20th 2009 by Ghede

"The bad news is, it's the Caps Lock key, which is a silly thing to bind any command to, and it's not listed in the custom control settings menu."

It's in the control settings menu, I moved it down one key to shift.Posted at 12:32PM on May 20th 2009 by SF Legend

reader 1 is an idiot, it's easy to get to the trader. Leave 1 enemy behind.

Also the boomer was created after the bloat-edPosted at 8:42PM on May 20th 2009 by steven

Single player is there because it can be. Theres no real purpose to have it but theres no purpose to not having it. Its something that is there for the novelty of it.

Also real men own on singleplayer.Posted at 9:15PM on May 20th 2009 by Myoga

"it's fortunate that Killing Floor has a built-in voice system. The bad news is, it's the Caps Lock key, which is a silly thing to bind any command to"

WTF. how is it a "silly" key for binds? I've ALWAYS used CAPSLOCK as my voice key, be it in game or ventrilo. Posted at 11:46AM on May 23rd 2009 by Born2expire

@11 Born2Expire

I actually mix typing and voice chat. Anything important (and if I'm not being mauled...maybe like in ZED Time), I type. And this isn't just for KF. Sometimes griefers hop on and spam voice so you have to type and CAPS just makes you sound retarded. I usually assume CAPS is off, making most of my game talk retarded.

For Vent, I use ALT. For everything else, I use V.Posted at 8:25PM on May 23rd 2009 by Myoga

Alt is always my last used weapon and V is sprint/walk.

The reason why CAPSLOCK is a great key for voice com, is a lot gamers such as myself have been playing FPS games for over 2 decades with the same key layout. When voice coms starting coming out EVERY key within one handed reach was already bound to something, CAPSLOCK being the only exception. Posted at 3:52PM on May 24th 2009 by Born2expire

Lol noobs...
Bind mouse 3 for "push to talk" like most normal people in the FPS gaming world and then use f for flashlight. Also, post 1, just leave 1 zombie remaining and he will follow you to the trader and then kill him when you are there... giving you ample time to get ready for the "next assault". It's noobs like you who expect everything to be easy that never enjoy a game that doesn't seem like strategy but is. I played this game on expert with 5 other guys and i think it is probably the hardest FPS ever - and talk about fun! You have to be strategic by saving ammo, as well as having to have reached level 4 or 5 on certain classes and everyone has to work together. You are simply a complete noob. The 1 player option is complete cake on normal... and if you can't beat it, maybe you should go back to your gay M.M.O.R.P.Gs.Posted at 3:18AM on Jun 1st 2009 by Adam

Ok, so I never liked L4D much. too few guns, too few enemies, lack of unique coop, no sense of accomplishment. This game addresses it all. Its better cooperatively, because with the perk system everyone can have their own specialization and their own special use within the group. It's not just 4 of the exact same person running around. There's more guns to choose from. There are a-lot more enemy types. And you feel like your working towards something, because your leveling up your perks as you go. (which is a good use for solo play)

There are a lot of downfalls. Connection issues abound as they said in the review. And the characters are boring to look at, and if I could strangle the trader I would, for having the most obnoxious voice ever. But what really counts, the gameplay, is superb. I'm having a blast with this game. I wish I could take my 40 bucks back from Valve, because the 20 was much better spent.Posted at 1:54PM on Jun 5th 2009 by Minandreas

I have this and L4D, love them both for different reasons. L4D is obviously dumbed down for the mass market. It's more polished and linearly driven. KF feels just like what it is, a MOD. I honestly think a 9.99 price tag would have been more appropriate but I still love it.Posted at 12:34PM on Jun 29th 2009 by torrent

If you loved L4D you'll love killing floor. I recently bought this game and have play the shit out of it. This game doesnt have you running check point to check point but instead has you fighting off waves of zombies. This game of course isnt as perfect as L4D but you have to remmember it is a mod off quake 4. This game is one of the best survival horror games i've played. The only things i've found bad about killing floor is its stupid phrases the charecters, and trader says. The trade says the most retared things i've ever heard ,literally she sounds like she has down syndrome when she talks. The game could have been better. Needed more content when it first came out. The same 5 lvls gets old after awhile and charecters are very limited and could have had more work done on them. They have released the outbreak charecter pack which gives you four new characters to play as for $2. Yeah i know its BS that they are making people pay for new for content let alone characters. Its a mod the DLC should come free. But they have recently annonced the FREE DLC heavy metal. It will include a whole new map, new weapons such as the katana and the ak-47! They're also saying there's alot more free DLC to come. Diffrently from most survival games there are perks in the game such as beserk, sharp shooter, medic, support specalist, and commando. All have equaly benifical advantage to them. You can also get ZEDtime which you get from killing a good amount of infected. Zedtime slows down time, very usful when you have a clot on you and surrounded by infected. Killing floor has a decent amount of weapons ranging from melee, to dual wielding and the usual shotguns, machine guns, and sniper rifle. This game deffinitly has alot more weapons then L4D which was one of the biggest let downs. After playing killing floor i've learned this game isnt for anyone. If your one of the people who is inpatiant and goes off on your own cause you think your a bad ass this isn't your game. This game is team based meaning having to work to gether, without team work you'll end up like poster 1. So if your looking for a game thats fast past, challenging,co op, and diffrent from most survival horror games then killing floor is the game for you. I really suggest buying this game its only $20 and releaes DLC often. Posted at 7:58PM on Jul 28th 2009 by jonathan