A zombie survival co-op shooter
Left 4 Dead is an action shooter that was developed by Valve for PC. It is a multiplayer FPS set in the aftermath of a zombie outbreak. This survival horror game has players take on the role of “survivors” as they fight their way through hordes of the infected.
Similar to other survival horror titles, such as Dead by Daylight or Dying Light 2, Left 4 Dead drops players in a zombie-infested zone. They must do whatever they can and take advantage of every tool at their disposal to survive waves of the infected as they try to reach their objective.
What is Left 4 Dead about?
Left 4 Dead is a multiplayer survival horror game that was developed by Valve and was released back in 2008. It’s set in the aftermath of a zombie outbreak on the East Coast. Two weeks into the outbreak, 4 survivors developed an immunity against the disease. As they try to escape the city, dangerous mutations were developing in some hosts.
The survivors are alerted to the existence of the last few remaining safe zones left on the coast and try to make their way towards these locations to hopefully find refuge against the ever-growing numbers of the infected. As they traverse the dangerous landscape before them, they have to use tools and weapons that they find to help them survive.
Left 4 Dead takes players along for the ride as they witness the story unfold and experience how these survivors struggle as they make their way from area to area. Make your way through city streets, sewers, and abandoned buildings towards your next checkpoint. Along the way, you will encounter various characters who offer aid—or poses as threats in some cases.
How do I play Left 4 Dead?
There are 4 game modes to choose from in Left 4 Dead. The first one is the Campaign mode, also known as Co-op. Here, players take control of the 4 survivors as they play through chapters and reach the checkpoint. Alternatively, there’s the Single Player campaign where a player takes control of one of the survivors, and the rest are AI-controlled.
Next is the Survival mode where players fight off waves of the infected for as long as possible. Times are recorded and corresponding medal rewards are given if they achieve a certain amount of time. Versus Survival is a sub-mode wherein real players take control of Special Infected instead of the AI to fight against the survivors.
Lastly, there’s Versus, serving as Left 4 Dead’s competitive mode. In it, players take turns controlling the survivors and the special infected as they battle each round for the most points. Some things do stick out that could have used more work. For one, there’s no proper narrative. Another is the subpar single-player that serves more as a pseudo training mode than a full-fledged game experience.
A genre-defining classic shooter
Left 4 Dead carved out a niche for itself during its time, and you’ll be pleasantly surprised how well it still holds up even by today’s standards. Its multiplayer modes provide stellar replay value and it’s one of the very first games that truly encouraged cooperation and coordination from its players to achieve objectives and goals. Highly recommended and is a must-play.
