Back 4 Blood marks developer Turtle Rock Studios' long-awaited return to the zombie genre, but it's missing Left 4 Dead's iconic Versus Campaign mode. The current package presented in the base game is still compelling, but the basic Versus mode would be much better were players able to select a specific campaign to battle it out with each other, just as they were able to in Left 4 Dead.

Back 4 Blood is a cooperative zombie shooter game made in the Left 4 Dead mold. Back 4 Blood features human characters to choose from, a wide arsenal of weaponry, and specific special infected (referred to as 'Ridden' in the game) to wield it against. The current Versus offerings in Back 4 Blood, though, is limited to just the one mode, "Swarm," which pits teams of four Cleaners against four Ridden. While this PvP mode is fun to play, it doesn't beat playing through the campaign with real people fighting against each other, or even experiencing the specific campaign levels through the eyes of a grotesque zombie.

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Back 4 Blood did initially include a Campaign Versus mode, but it was cut during development. Turtle Rock Studios' co-founder and Design Director, Chris Ashton, explained in a Q&A on the developer's Discord server in August that the reason for the mode being cut stemmed from the fact Back 4 Blood's special infected "were good at ambushing," and that "defending worked far better for [Back 4 Blood] than running from A-B." However, while there are almost certainly valid design reasons for not including a Versus Campaign mode in Back 4 Blood, it is still disappointing not to see it included in the base game.

Back 4 Blood Isn't Left 4 Dead 3, But A Versus Campaign Should Still Happen

Explaining the playable characters in Back 4 Blood

It's important to remember that, despite being made by mostly the same developers, Back 4 Blood isn't Left 4 Dead 3. There may be plenty of similarities between the two franchises, but Turtle Rock Studios' latest effort is its own game with its own personality and vibe. That said, playing through Back 4 Blood's campaign and Swarm modes separately illustrate the potential a Versus Campaign would have. The game is still tapping into the same formula that made Left 4 Dead and Left 4 Dead 2 so good to begin with, and while there are key differences between both franchises, one would hope that certain adjustments could be made in order to accommodate such a fan-favorite mode in the future.

There aren't currently any plans to add a Versus Campaign to Back 4 Blood, but Turtle Rock Studios does have a significant roadmap in the works for future content, including more weapons, cosmetics, campaigns, characters, and enemies. There's always a possibility that it could be added in the future, but for now, players will have to make do with the game's Swarm mode as its sole PvP mode offering.

Next: Does Back 4 Blood Support Crossplay?