Killing floor 2 has already been out for quite some time on the PC and the PlayStation 4 but has had a recent release on the Xbox One, and with the promise of Xbox One X enhancements coming this November the future is certainly bright, and in 4k.

So what is Killing Floor 2? Well, it’s a first-person shooter where you and up to five other players face hordes of zombies and monsters in a bid to survive each wave. In between each wave you can spend some cash that you have accumulated on bigger and better weapons that you will inevitably need to survive the next wave of the undead and genetically engineered monsters, referred to in the game as Zeds. There is no real story to the game, only that a company called Horzine have created monsters and it’s up to everyone to clean up their mess. Of course, if there is no real story then there is no campaign to play through, so if you’re looking for a good story and a campaign then Killing Floor 2 is not for you.

There are 10 classes to choose from, confusingly they are called perks in the game, they are: Berserker, Commando, Demolitionist, Field Medic, Firebug, Gunslinger, Sharpshooter, Support, Survivalist, and S.W.A.T. You can level each one making the fight on the more difficult levels that little bit easier to complete. There are 11 different monsters for you to face ranging from simple one shot zombies to more difficult brutes with weapons of their own that charge you and pummel you. At the end of each level, there is a boss to fight too, these offer their own challenges and aren’t always easy to overcome. There are only two bosses that you will face, a sadist Doctor in a metal suit and an ex-employee of Horzine. Both bosses will easily wipe out the spray and pray style players so working as a team and having each other’s back is really important. Both the waves and boss battles need to be played tactically, especially as you progress through the more difficult stages.

There is a versus mode which is pretty much exactly what the Left 4 Dead versus mode was, one team with guns the other are monsters with abilities. To be honest, for me the game isn’t about the versus mode it’s about completing the waves of Zeds and levelling each class. Initially, the versus mode died a bit of a nasty death on the PC but with the introduction of the PS4 version and now the Xbox One I can see it making a small come back.

There are loads of different maps, some set in the mean streets to some in the dirty depths of a city setting. Each level looks pretty good, with Killing Floor 2 being built on a modified version of the Unreal Engine 3, but there is a noticeable difference between it’s quality and lighting when compared to modern titles running on more contemporary engines, but Killing Floor 2 does play very nice and very smooth. It would have been nice to have interactive environments to modify your path or create bottles necks for the Zeds but each stage has an area where you can dig in and wait for the inevitable onslaught anyway so moving stuff may not be the best idea, still it would be nice to blow stuff up.

Sound wise Killing Floor 2 ticks numerous boxes. Musically it fits perfectly with tracks from Deathcore bands such as Impending Doom and Living Sacrifice. It’s right up my street. There is some annoying voice acting though, but that can be forgiven. Killing Floor 2 really works for me because it’s a game you can jump into, have a quick blast and leave, and still make progress with levelling up the classes. That being said though it’s going to take a long time to max out everything that’s available. Killing Floor 2 also offers quite a lot in terms of cosmetics for your character, however, it doesn’t really make any difference to the game but still something worth working towards. Some cosmetics, however, are just down right bizarre!

Overall Killing Floor 2 is not a massive game and by no means something that will make your jaw drop but it is a game that will have you going back for more when you have a spare couple of hours and allowing you to thrash out and cause utter carnage. I do feel though, that despite the support from developers Tripwire Interactive moving on into the next gen of consoles, Killing Floor 2 does have a shelf life, unless of course they come up with something that will keep players hooked for a long time to come. For their sake I hope they do.

For some game play and the video review check it out below:

Thank you to Tripwire and Xbox for supporting TiX