I’ve just about managed to scratch the surface of everything on offer in Killing Floor III. Whilst we have already covered and reviewed the game here at Complete Xbox, which you can read HERE, I thought I’d also put my thoughts across.
It’s been almost ten years since Killing Floor II, and I recall great memories of that game with friends. I was drawn to its unique style of gruesome enemy design and sheer gore, with lots of arenas to play on and plenty of unlocks. Killing Floor III is now available on Xbox Series X|S, amongst other platforms, and Tripwire Interactive are back. Whilst the development cycle hasn’t been plain sailing, I think their short delay of the game did them wonders.
The Bloody Carnage Returns
A decade is a long time in the gaming scene, and we see this sequel now powered by the technology of Unreal Engine 5. You can see that the development team has attempted to evolve the series, and it hasn’t been without criticism following several previous gameplay tests. So naturally, after reading all the chatter, I went in with extremely low expectations.
The game has launched with eight maps, and while this seems quite reasonable, the hardcore among the close-knit Killing Floor community feel that this isn’t enough. I’d agree with this, but I’d rather the game started strong with a small amount of well-designed maps, than to churn out rubbish. Thankfully, the variety and range of environments are fantastic. There is more to roll out across the next year, though, so fear not.
Performance Is Great
After putting in around 30 hours so far on Xbox Series X, I’m happy with the performance and presentation across the board. I rarely had any hiccups with the game, and for the most part, I was experiencing 60fps with only a slight dip here and there during the intense boss fights. Loading times are minimal, and getting into lobbies with random players is flawless. With some games I have played lately with poor matchmaking, this is a breath of fresh air.
Tripwire Interactive has pushed out some patches in order to improve stability, fix bugs and improve overall performance. But for me, it ran pretty smoothly from the get-go. The gunplay is satisfying, and whilst I’d love to see more weapons at launch, I enjoyed playing with the different classes to see what each had to offer.
Plays Well & Is Fun As Hell
Only the classic wave-based mode exists for the time being, a familiar playlist in the Killing Floor series. Up to six players can work together to survive against intense waves of Zeds. Fighting through each wave will generate cash, which will allow you to top up and upgrade your gear between rounds. Spend wisely, as the last round is the boss fight, which ramps up the chaos. The replayability comes from customisation and investing in skill trees between matches alongside the battle pass system.
Weapon Modification
Here in Killing Floor III, you can modify your weapons with up to five different mods. You’ll need to utilise resources gathered from matches to craft upgrades such as scopes, extended mags, along special ammo like fire and acid. This is an exciting addition and, over time, brings versatility to player loadouts and how people play. There is a risk of it becoming a grind as you’ll need to work on different weapons separately, but that could become a real draw for gamers who love the grindy elements.
Player Movement Is Improved
Everything feels a bit more fluid in this game compared with the last instalment. You can now slide, dash and climb over obstacles, and it all seems surprisingly natural. There are also some features to mix up the gameplay, such as ziplines, grappling hooks and even destructible elements.
Gore is gruesome but realistic with the new MEAT 2.0 engine. With a variety of ways to dismember and kill enemies, it isn’t a game for the kids out there. Seeing blood splatter, bones, and limbs being severed is satisfying if that’s your jam.
Crossplay Functionality
As times have moved on and crossplay features on a lot of multiplayer titles, having this feature is a must for Killing Floor III. Players can play with each other across Xbox, Playstation and PC, and whilst some issues have been widely reported with matchmaking with friends, I didn’t experience any problems. Whilst diving into matches solo, I found matches almost immediately.
Final Thoughts
Killing Floor III is a cracking time, and having gone in with low expectations, I am seriously impressed. Whilst content is lacking in comparison to KFII, there is a roadmap with a lot more to come. It still provides the chaotic, gory and frantic co-op goodness that players of the previous games know and love.
For newcomers, what you’re getting here is a polished product, and if you love wave-based shooters such as Call of Duty Zombies, then you’ll adore this one. It does have an addictive and progressive gameplay loop that will keep you coming back for more. I’ve recommended this game to several friends already, so I’d say to the same to you readers out there, it’s a bloody great time! I would agree with the score our writer Dan Boise has provided of 85% and whilst there is scope for improvements, it is a solid and enjoyable first-person shooter.