Killing Floor 3 Preview - Gamescom 2024

Mods that later became full game releases has produced some very popular franchises over the course of video game history. One such example is Killing Floor, a game that began life as a mod for Unreal Tournament but eventually released as a standalone experience. This first person horde-style shooter quickly gained popularity and eventually got itself a sequel, which also did well enough for the series to continue with Killing Floor 3. We had a chance to play the new third entry from Tripwire Interactive at Gamescom 2024.

The pillars of the franchise will remain the same - players can select their character class, and then dive into a series of maps where they must fend off hordes of enemies called Zeds while moving between checkpoints during downtime, to resupply and setup gadgets. The same classes that existed in the original game carried over into the sequel, and will also keep going into the third chapter, though of course with some additions. Six specialists are planned for the KF3 launch, each offering a unique gadget (powerful special ability). New, however, is the fact that players will be able to use any weapon and character class combination. Also new is the ability to mod weapons, which allows players to equip a variety of attachments on their guns. While this system is well-established in modern shooters, it arrives to KF3 for the first time.

For our demo, we had a chance to play through a sci-fi looking level in what appeared to be a destroyed factory of some kind. After choosing the character and basic starting loadout, our rapid deployment was met with the very first enemy wave. These Zeds (humanoid creatures that have some resemblance to enhanced zombies) approached from a couple of different directions, but were dealt with quickly. The demo was running on standard of the three difficulties that will be available in the final game.

After eliminating a wave, an indicator appears on where to head next, and we proceeded to run through some hallways to the next area and the restock station. This gameplay loop will be familiar to returning fans. At the station, we got a new look at the weapon and gadget options - similar to Call of Duty, the game presents a bunch of randomly generated, modded-up weapons, and if you have earned enough currency, they can be purchased and equipped. You also need to save some money to refill ammo, as well as buy a few grenades. Another item to shop for are traps, such as an electric shocker that can be deployed and is activated by the enemies.

For the next few waves, the process repeated. Slightly more enemies appeared, but were dealt with. As before, the game will adjust the enemy numbers based on the amount of players, with up to six possible in a match. Interestingly though, the developers let us know that despite the multiplayer co-op focus and marketing for the franchise, nearly half of players choose to go at it solo.

Some of the new enemy aspects include wall-crawling Zeds, and limb damage - as we observed some enemies surviving and continuing to crawl towards us after losing their legs. There is also a new ability to perform a finisher move on staggered foes. Although we performed it a couple of times, it's not clear if this mechanic will be viable in late-waves and on higher difficulties, given the intensity of the action. There are also new traversal options, such as the Zipline being one of the tools, letting you setup an escape route if you get overwhelmed in an area. The developers also promise a better climbing/parkour and slide system, both of which we tested in the demo and they seemed fine, though again these are hardly new mechanics to the genre.

We continued to defeat enemy waves, running to the next weapon station, and getting us some new weapons. By the time the boss appeared, we had a quick-firing SMG with bullets that froze enemies, and a railgun-type weapon. The big boss stomped around the area, giving relentless chase, and we certainly had to use all mechanics available to escape. The level contained large explosive gas tanks, which chipped away at his health when the explosion was well-timed. We used all available grenades, and also got him staggered a few times during the fight. While he was down, we focused fire on his chest and gauntlets, which glowed red and were the weak points. We managed to break his gauntlets before the second phase began - and this meant he did not have rocket attacks available. After a few more laps around the arena and lots of ammo clips later, the beast was felled and the level concluded.

While there have been a few options for wave-based horde games in recent years, many such as Vermintide have been melee focused. By using loads of guns and overwhelming numbers, Killing Floor has successfully positioned itself as the viable alternative to something like Call of Duty Zombies, with less complicated mechanics and exploration, and just pure bloody mayhem. From our time with the game, it seems that the core gameplay remains intact, but some of the auxiliary features - such as classes, balancing, and more - is still getting finalized. More details should be revealed closer to launch, which is expected in 2025 for PC and consoles.