I’m of two minds about Back 4 Blood after the second open beta test — which ends today but starts back up on Thursday — because it’s better than Left 4 Dead in a lot of ways, but not all. I love the character progression and rougelike-esque card system that makes every run feel fresh, but I also feel like it's missing a lot of the things that made L4D great. The lack of a versus campaign mode has certainly proven to be a sore spot with players, but the thing that really stands out to me is just how neutered special zombies are in Back 4 Blood, with the Ogre being perhaps the best, or worst, example.
We’ve only seen the first act so far during the beta, and in those eight levels, the Ogre only shows up in two of them. When you first encounter this giant Ridden during the level Tunnel of Blood, it grows out of the ground quite suddenly and towers over the cleaners right in front of the entrance to the titular tunnel. The first time you see the beast, it’s honestly pretty awe-inspiring. There are countless reaction videos of players’ first impressions of the Ogre, and everyone, myself included, has pretty much the same reaction: “Oh…SHIT!”
The Ogre is incredibly cinematic, I’ll give it that, but that’s also the problem I have with it. Scripted set pieces are great the first time you see them, but for a game meant to be replayed endlessly, I’m not sure how well a static event like this will age. Left 4 Dead thrived on the unexpected. The game was always at its best when someone ran head first into a witch they didn’t see or when your team found themselves fending off an ill-timed horde in an awkward position. Randomness is a pillar of L4D, and the card system clearly communicates that that’s still a priority for Turtle Rock, so why do we have this giant monster that pops up in all the same places every single time? It already feels old and the game isn’t even out yet.
Related: Back 4 Blood Beta Hits Nearly 100,000 Concurrent Players
My other gripe with this special is just how ineffective it is. I imagine most people will just anticipate it spawning and start running right past it after a few completions. Once you get past the initial wow-factor of this enemy, it’s pretty trivial to deal with. It doesn’t seem like it’s worth wasting ammo to make it retreat, so the best strategy seems to simply be to run right by it before it can rip its way into the tunnel and give chase.
There’s a section during the second chapter I’m particularly fond of where you have to make your way up a hill while Ridden endlessly swarm you from every direction. You really have to fight against the current and push through the fear, and it’s one of the most thrilling segments I’ve seen so far. But the first time I played it, I just stood at the bottom of the hill shooting everything that came towards me, unaware that the horde was never going to stop until I made it to the other side. I figured it out obviously, and I’ll know better next time, but this scenario feels like a way better setting for the Ogre.
Rather than an obstacle, I think the Ogre would be better utilized as an unkillable wall that forces your team to push forward. Like an Autoscroll level on Mario, the Ogre could force your team to maintain a certain pace, pushing your forward into hectic, uncontrollable skirmishes. I love the idea of being chased by the Ogre and I’m surprised we haven’t really seen it used that way yet.
The beta only includes the first act, so I have no doubt there’s a lot more Ogre in the later levels, but as far as first impressions go, the Ogre just doesn’t feel right. I’ve heard that there’s challenge cards in the higher difficulties that make the Ogre spawn randomly. I think that could be better, but it doesn’t change the fact that the scripted Ogre set pieces aren’t working for me. I’m looking forward to seeing the rest of the campaign next month, but I’m not looking forward to more Ogre.
