Back 4 Blood is a zombie first-person horde shooter video game developed by Turtle Rock Studios and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. It features co-operative gameplay and player versus player (PvP) combat. Back 4 Blood is the spiritual successor to the very first Turtle Rock Studios game, Left 4 Dead[1].
Back 4 Blood is playable on Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S. It was released on October 12, 2021. Players who purchased the Deluxe or Ultimate edition could play the game a couple days early, on October 7, 2021.
On February 2, 2023, the development team announced the end of active development.[2]
Synopsis[]
Characters[]
Main article: Cleaners
Back 4 Blood features twelve survivors, known as Cleaners. The first four Cleaners were introduced in the reveal trailer: Elijah Walker, Holly Forrester, Evangelo, and Howard Robert Hoffman. The remaining four Cleaners are Seo-yeon, Jim Hossler, Karlee Fincher, and Christine Tuttle. Any four of the eight Cleaners can be selected in a game. Each Cleaner has different abilities and perks.
The Tunnels of Terror expansion added two new Cleaners to the team with Heng and Sharice, while the Children of the Worm and River of Blood expansions each add one Cleaner: Dan and Tala, respectively.
Setting[]
You are at the center of a war against the Ridden. These once-human hosts of a deadly parasite have turned into terrifying creatures bent on devouring what remains of civilization. With humanity's extinction on the line, it's up to you and your friends to take the fight to the enemy, eradicate the Ridden, and reclaim the world.
Game Modes[]
There are four modes: Coop Campaign played through several Acts, Trial of the Worm, an alteration of the Campaign mode which has been introduced alongside the River of Blood expansion as a free update, Swarm which is a Player versus Player (PvP) mode, and Training which is Coop Campaign but solo with bots. Cleaners upgrade their characters with Cards in both all modes. In Swarm when playing as the Ridden team, the Zombie Mutation System is used to upgrade the Common ridden as well as to power up the playable Ridden classes.
Game Editions[]
Back 4 Blood is available in three different editions: Standard, Deluxe and Ultimate.
Below is a breakdown of the three editions with more information.
Standard[]
Standard Edition
The Standard edition contains only the base game, which is necessary to play Back 4 Blood.
In terms of content, it is the same as the version that can be played through the Xbox (PC) Gamepass.
Owners of the Standard Edition of Back 4 Blood have the option to purchase the Annual Pass separately.
Deluxe[]
Deluxe Edition
In addition to the base game, the Deluxe Edition also includes the so-called Annual Pass, which provides access to all three DLC expansions with extra Acts, Cleaners and cosmetic items.
Ultimate[]
Ultimate Edition
The Ultimate edition, as the name suggests, offers the ultimate Back-4-Blood experience.
It includes all the content customers get in the Deluxe Edition, plus ten Battle Hardened Outfits that unlock exclusive skins for Evangelo, Elijah Walker, Heng, Howard Robert Hoffman, Jim Hossler, Christine Tuttle, Holly Forrester, Karlee Fincher, Seo-yeon, and Sharice. Additionally, Ultimate Edition owners will receive an exclusive Ultimate Banner, Ultimate Emblem, Battle Hardened Title, and Ultimate Spray.
Customers who opted for either the Standard or Deluxe Editions should be aware that they have deprived themselves of the chance to acquire the Battle Hardened Outfit ensemble and other exclusive cosmetics offered in the Ultimate Edition, as there is no option to upgrade.
Expansions[]
The game offers, in addition to the base game, three expansions of which the first expansion has been announced on November 8, 2021 by Turtle Rock Studios. On this day they released a content roadmap featuring free updates and DLC expansions, as well as an announcement of the first expansion. Expansions can be purchased either individually or in a bundle using the Annual Pass at a discounted price.
Tunnels of Terror[]
Tunnels of Terror also internally known as Dungeon, was announced via Social Network Services on November 8, 2021[3] and released on April 12, 2022.
It features two new Cleaners, new Mutations, eight exclusive character skins, seven new Legendary Weapons, 12 new weapon skins, new cards, new Missions in the form of Ridden Hives, and more.
Children of the Worm[]
Children of the Worm with the internal name being Bodysnatchers, was announced via Social Network Services[4] on August 4, 2022 and released on August 30, 2022. This expansion features a new Cleaner, new enemies in form of the Cultists, eight exclusive character skins, twelve new weapon skins, new cards, new weapons, a new Campaign Act that features six Missions, and more.
River of Blood[]
River of Blood, internally called Riverboat, was announced on November 8, 2022. The announcement to the public via Social Network Services[5] included the release date (December 6, 2022) and an infographic. The third expansion features a brand new Campaign Act with five Missions, a new Mutation family dubbed Sentinel, one new Cleaner, one friendly Ally, eight exclusive character skins, twelve new weapon skins, new cards, weapons, accessories and more.
System Requirements[]
The following table presents the minimum, recommended, Ultra and Ultra 4K system requirements[6].
| System Part | Minimum PC Specs | Recommended PC Specs | Ultra Specs | Ultra 4K Specs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OS | 64-bit Windows 10 | 64-bit Windows 10 | 64-bit Windows 10 | 64-bit Windows 10 |
| CPU | Intel Core i5-6600 (3.3 GHz) OR AMD Ryzen 5 2600 (3.4 GHz) | Intel Core i5-8400 (2.8 GHz) OR AMD Ryzen 7 1800X (3.6 GHz) | Intel Core i7-8700K (3.70 GHz) OR AMD Ryzen 7 2700X (3.70 GHz) | Intel Core i7-8700K (3.70 GHz) OR AMD Ryzen 7 2700X (3.70 GHz) |
| RAM | 8 GB | 12 GB | 16 GB | 16 GB |
| GPU | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti or AMD Radeon RX 570 | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 or AMD Radeon RX 590 | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 OR AMD Radeon VII | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti OR AMD Radeon RX 6800 |
| DirectX Version | DirectX 12 | DirectX 12 | DirectX 12 | DirectX 12 |
| Storage | 40 GB HDD | 40 GB SSD | 40 GB SSD | 40 GB SSD |
| Notes | 1080p / 60fps / Low Quality Settings | 1080p / 60fps / High Quality Settings | 1440p / 60fps / Epic Quality Settings / DLSS - Quality / FSR - Ultra Quality | 2160p / 60fps / Epic Quality Settings / DLSS - Quality / FSR - Quality |
Cast[]
The following list contains the English voice cast of Back 4 Blood.
| English VA | Character Name |
|---|---|
| Alan Ayala | Evangelo |
| Dawn Bennet | Unknown |
| Laila Berzins | Unknown |
| Michelle C. Bonilla | Coach Brynn / Survivor Female 2 / Female Guard 2 |
| Gina Keali'inohomoku Bowes | Sharice |
| Becky Boxer | Jenny & Tina |
| Bryce Charles | Unknown |
| Roger Clark | Unknown |
| Barbara Crampton | Christine Tuttle |
| Kat Cressida | Unknown |
| Regi Davis | Unknown |
| Robbie Daymond | Unknown |
| Alexis DeLaRosa | Unknown |
| Crispin Freeman | Unknown |
| Brad Grusnick | Unknown |
| Xanthe Huynh | Chenda |
| Peter Jessop | Unknown |
| Cissy Jones | Unknown |
| Danielle Judovits | Holly Forrester |
| Stephanie Kerbis | Unknown |
| Darryl Kurylo | Unknown |
| Aleks Le | Unknown |
| Jon Lipow | Unknown |
| David William Lodge | Dusty |
| Yuri Lowenthal | Unknown |
| Patty Mattson | Unknown |
| Lani Minella | Unknown |
| Andrew Morgado | Unknown |
| Darin de Paul | General John Phillips |
| Sean-Ryan Petersen | Unknown |
| Becky Poole | Unknown |
| Kim Rhodes | Unknown |
| Maggie Robertson | Mother of Worms |
| Isaac Robinson-Smith | Unknown |
| Dalia Rooni | Tala Yazdi |
| William Salyers | Howard Robert Hoffman |
| Michael Schwalbe | Unknown |
| James Sie | Heng |
| André Sogliuzzo | Jim Hossler |
| William Christopher Stephens | Elijah Walker |
| Tom Taylorson | Unknown |
| Tony Todd | Doctor Rogers |
| Elias Toufexis | Louie J Garner |
| Abby Trott | Karlee |
| Mike Vaughn | The Ridden |
| Matthew Waterson | Dan |
| Sarah Anne Williams | Unknown |
| Debra Wilson | Unknown |
| Michelle Wong | Seo-yeon |
| Jenn Wong | Unknown |
| Matt King Yang | Unknown |
Trailers[]
References[]
- ↑ Turtle Rock Studios
- ↑ Announcement post regarding the end of active development (Turtle Rock Studios website)
- ↑ Expansion 3 reveal (𝕏)
- ↑ Back 4 Blood - Official PC Specs