Left 4 Dead and Back 4 Blood were both made by Turtle Rock Studios. As a result, the two games are very similar. In fact, if the Left 4 Dead trademark wasn’t owned by Valve, Back 4 Blood might very well be titled Left 4 Dead 3. However, there are differences between the two titles which we’ll detail below.
Back 4 Blood vs. Left 4 Dead differences
The core gameplay of Back 4 Blood is very similar to that found in Left 4 Dead. A team of four survivors must make their way from a start of a level to a safe room. Along the way, the survivors have to fight off hordes of undead and scavenge for supplies.
The most obvious difference between the two games is that Turtle Rock changed the names of everything. The “Infected” are now the “Ridden,” and though there are familiar enemies, they’re referred to as something else:
- Infected (Zombies) → Ridden
- Spitter → Hocker
- Boomer/Tank → Retch
- Charger/Tank → Bruiser
- Witch → Shrieker
Additionally, this isn’t a sequel, so the cast of eight player characters is different from the ones that starred in Left 4 Dead.
The most significant gameplay change is the card system. Players can create decks of cards that can be drawn from at the beginning of a level. These cards give beneficial buffs to a character. However, these are counterbalanced by Corruption Cards, which increase the challenge of a level.
There are also some new gameplay mechanics like trauma, which lowers a character’s max life as they take damage. The weapon system is similar to that in L4D, but Back 4 Blood allows players to pick up attachments to enhance their weapon’s functionality. These have a quality system that affects the stat multiplier and encourages players to swap weapons frequently.
However, despite the differences, Left 4 Dead fans should have an easy time adapting to Back 4 Blood. Its extensive campaign is reminiscent of L4D and is a great multiplayer experience.
