Killing Floor 2 is a first-person shooter video game developed and published by Tripwire Interactive. It is a sequel to 2009's Killing Floor. An early access version of the game was released for Microsoft Windows in April 2015, and the game was released in November 2016 for Windows and PlayStation 4 and August 2017 for Xbox One. The game utilizes Epic Games' Unreal Engine 3.
Gameplay
Killing Floor 2 is a first-person shooter video game that can be played alone or cooperatively with up to six players. The game is based on events from Killing Floor, in which bio-tech firm Horzine attempted to create military clones and was hijacked by an insane researcher who unleashed the clones across the UK. The clones have now rapidly spread across Europe, paralyzing the response from the European Union. In Killing Floor 2, taking place a month after the first game, the outbreak has spread beyond Europe, causing governments to collapse and communication systems to fail.
Gameplay consists of players fighting through waves against Zeds. As waves pass, the enemy count will increase; different enemy types are introduced as players complete each wave, culminating to a boss fight as the final wave. Enemy count is determined by the number of players in the game. The boss character is determined randomly upon the start of the last wave, and each boss is defeated differently. Players equip themselves with melee weapons and firearms, a healing syringe, and a welder used to block passages. Random weapons, ammo, and armor can be found by exploring the level, though players have a limited amount of weight they can carry.
When players kill a Zed, they earn in-game money and experience points. Achieving certain types of kills, such as a head shot, may cause the game to enter "zed time," when all game actions for all players are slowed down for a few seconds, providing more time for players to adjust their decisions amid battle. Once they spawn, Zeds chase and attack players automatically.
When damaged, players can restore their health using a medical syringe on themselves or having a teammate use theirs, among other regenerative items. Once a player's health reaches zero, they will die and will not respawn until the end of the wave. The mission will fail if all players die before completing a wave. Players gain monetary bonus for surviving a round, which they can use to buy and/or sell body armor, ammo, and weapons at a store, also known as the Trader. The Trader is only open for a limited time between waves and in certain locations around the map. The number of waves in a match can be configured, and four difficulty levels are available: Normal, Hard, Suicidal, and Hell on Earth (ordered in increasing difficulty). A patch released in early 2016 included a dynamic difficulty option in which a computer-based "Game Controller" can alter the strength of subsequent waves, either making them easier or harder based on the players' performance.
Prior to starting a match, the player selects one of several perks (or classes) that represent basic combat classes (e.g. Field Medic, Commando, Support). Each perk has various skill boosts (e.g. better damage with specific weapons, healing other characters, welding doors more effectively) that are unavailable to other perks. In the meta-game, players earn experience points for each of their perks by doing actions related to those perks, for example, healing other players will gain Field Medic experience points. The player can also acquire those same experience points when they are not using the appropriate perk. Experience points are most easily earned by using weapons specific to the class, such as explosive weapons for the Demolitions class. Each level gained boosts the perk's base skill numbers. For every five levels gained, the player is able to select one of two specific skills unlocked for the respective perk. These skills include a mix of passive and active abilities, including some that can benefit other team members. Players can also configure their playable character through a number of pre-made personas and options for various clothing and accessories, but these customizations are purely cosmetic with no impact on gameplay mechanics.
In April 2016, a patch added a player-vs-player mode in which one or more players take on the role of a Zed to kill the mercenary players. The Zed abilities are implemented in game, such as a Stalker remaining invisible while not charging.
Release
Following PC Gamer's coverage and reveal of Killing Floor 2, they announced subscribers to the US version of their magazine would receive an exclusive character skin in Issue #254. The next day Tripwire released a teaser trailer for the game. In June and August 2014, Tripwire released two videos showcasing a selection of the enemy specimens featured in the game. On July 32, 2014, Iceberg Interactive announced a partnership Tripwire to bring Killing Floor 2 to retail stores in Europe and other non-Steam digital platforms. On February 18, 2015, Tripwire released a live action short film, titled Killing Floor: Uncovered, created in collaboration with film production company Type AB. The film is set prior to the events of the first Killing Floor game and details the events that lead to the Zed outbreak.
On April 10, Tripwire gave away keys for an existing beta version of Killing Floor 2 that ran until April 16. On April 21, an early access version of the game was released on Steam for Windows. Meanwhile, the full version of the game was scheduled to be released on both Microsoft Windows and PlayStation 4 in 2016. The game's original soundtrack was released on the same day, under record label Solid State with songs from Living Sacrifice, Demon Hunter, and Impending Doom. A Digital Deluxe Edition of the game is available; bonus features include the soundtrack, a digital artbook, several in-game virtual items, and a copy of the original Killing Floor game. A compilation of both games, titled, Killing Floor: Double Feature was released on May 21, 2019.
Reception
Killing Floor 2 received "generally favorable" reviews according to review aggregator website Metacritic. However, like the previous game, negative feedback from the reviewers considered that the lack of any real plot or aim for the players other than killing specimens, the small number of existing maps, and the repetitiveness of the gameplay reduced its replay value.
