Killing Floor 3
Review
Killing Floor 3 kills my enthusiasm...
by Dan Lenois
reviewed on PC
New skin, same rotting flesh...
While the original Killing Floor took a somewhat satirical tone, with certain levels reskinning the totally-not-zombie hostiles, "Zeds", as angry christmas elves or toy figurines, and Killing Floor 2 taking a more grounded tone, with more realistic map design and doubling down on the body horror elements, Killing Floor 3 goes more toward the sci-fi direction, with sterile, lifeless environments. Nothing ever rises to the category of being outright shoddy, but the art direction fails to make any level stand out in the player's memory. Gone are the days of maps like "Monster Ball" with its gothic castle and vivid glowing lighting that makes it look like it belongs in a Scooby-Doo episode, or the thrills of having a shootout in an abandoned carnival like "The Tragic Kingdom."
Trapped in place...
Killing Floor 3's map design prioritizes functionality to the exclusion of all else, and on a purely mechanical level, they're ok. One of the touted new features is KF3's trap system, wherein players can activate a number of deadly traps to help eliminate those pesky zeds. Examples include turret guns, wall fans that suck in and shred all zeds within reach, and even a vat of molten ore that melts all enemies caught underneath its bubbling contents. These map-specific features can be fun, but rarely substantially change the flow of battle, since most of the main open areas in each map, where players often prefer to make their final stand, do not contain many such interactable areas.
Moving to last place...
This disconnect between developer intent and player preference extends to other mechanics as well. The movement system has been overhauled to introduce new mechanics like dashing, side jumps, climbing and mantling, and even ziplines. The developers' decision to abandon Killing Floor's long-established slower, more tactical movement system for the adrenaline-rush sweaty gamer mentality, popularized by recent games like Doom Eternal, feels indicative of a larger effort to shift away from what made Killing Floor popular to begin with. Out with the old, in with the new. The problem is, the old both looks and feels far superior to the new.
Unnatural Progression...
One way that Killing Floor 3 tries to keep players invested is its extensive skill tree system. Players can upgrade their character with unique passive perks that will enable them to become more efficient in combat, increase their survivability, and otherwise help tweak the odds in their favor. However, these perks are often highly situational and offer little practical benefit. If you're hoping that your perk points will let you unlock some jaw-dropping new finishing move, you're out of luck. Hope you'll settle for 5% increased afterburn damage when targeting groups of 3 or more zeds, or other similarly oddly-specific conditions.
Big Zeds, Meet Big Gun...
One form of progression that thankfully does not disappoint is the weapon modification system. For the first time, players can freely combine their selection of dozens of potential weapon mods and attachments, dynamically changing how each weapon can be played. From changing the damage type, to clip size, to scope and other attachments, everything is free to alter as you wish. You can even name your custom gun, and who wouldn't? When you also factor in cosmetic alterations as well, the opportunities sometimes can seem almost endless.
Quality and quantity in absentia...
With only eight maps currently in the game, of which all eight are middling quality at best, there's not much to retain long-term player interest. Given that the game's been out now for almost three months and nothing in the vein of new content has materialized, there's no evidence that this absence of content will be addressed anytime soon.
Overall:
As a longtime Killing Floor fan, I was beyond excited at the initial announcement of a new entry. I was more than happy to speak briefly with Tripwire developers at PAX East about what they were most excited for with this newest release. Even with a rough start during the public testing period, the developers' commitment to transparency was laudable, and helped reaffirm the much-needed goodwill. However, the final product simply does not meet either the ideal or minimal standards expected of a Killing Floor game. While this may change over the coming months and years, it is difficult, if not impossible, to recommend this game as it currently stands.
5.5
fun score
Pros
Good weapon models & animations, great technical performance
Cons
Ugly art style, boring map objectives, awkward new movement system