As an avid fan of cooperative shooters and zombie games, I‘ve explored my fair share of horror-filled survivals over the years. But few can match the sheer addictive intensity of Tripwire Interactive‘s Killing Floor 2 – an intensely gory FPS wave shooter that still remains a must-play cooperative experience since first launching in 2016.
With the game still being actively supported after 6 years and a recent 100 hour review by iMThatOnlyBeast13 praising its merits, I had to dive back in and decide – is Killing Floor 2 really STILL worth playing in 2023? After spending another 30 heart-pounding hours slaughtering countless clones and freakish experiments gone wrong, the answer is a blood-soaked YES!
Let‘s dig into everything that makes this an absolute blast to return to, whether you‘re a series veteran or zombie-slaying newcomer.
A Unique Take on Wave Survival
At its core, Killing Floor 2 utilizes a straightforward wave-based survival structure where teams of up to 6 players take on escalating zombie threats over multiple rounds. It‘s a well-worn formula popularized by the likes of Call of Duty‘s classic Nazi Zombies mode or Left 4 Dead‘s desperate stands.
But Tripwire sets their game apart with one key design decision – rather than generalized classes like "tank" or "support", Killing Floor leverages distinct perks with specialized abilities.
As of 2023, the game contains 10 unique perks including:
- Berserker – Melee-focused damage dealer
- Command – Support role with team buffs
- SWAT – Agile crowd control specialist
- Field Medic – Group healer
- Firebug – Debuffs enemies with fire
- Demolitionist – Explosive heavy weapons expert
- Gunslinger – Quick firing pistols and revolvers
- Sharpshooter – Precision killer from afar
- Survivalist – Jack-of-all-trades adaptable class
- Martial Artist – Acrobatic kicker and puncher
Each perk has a progression path allowing you to unlock new skills and bonuses by leveling up through playing. This creates a staggering amount of replayability – even after dozens of hours mastering one perk, you can jump to a totally different playstyle that completely changes your moment-to-moment actions.
Teamwork OP! Finding Your Role Through Effective Perk Combos
But the real hook in Killing Floor‘s class system comes from mixing perks together into cohesive teams. Playing solo as a jack-of-all trades Survivalist might be fun, but expert players know that combining complementary perk strengths is key to tackling higher difficulties.
According to Beast‘s insights from 100+ hours playing, some of the most effective teams feature a Field Medic keeping everyone healed up, a Berserker or Martial Artist holding the front line in melee, a Demolitionist or Sharpshooter delivering high burst damage from relative safety, and flex picks like SWAT or Firebug to handle swarm control.
The strategy comes from learning which perks fill needed roles while also covering any weaknesses. For example, elite "raging" Scrake zombies can easily overwhelm in close quarters…unless your team‘s Demolitionist stuns them with explosives so the Gunslinger can safely deliver the killing headshot from distance.
Or one match I played with randoms online that perfectly illustrated great team dynamics – we failed the first wave after being overrun, but then noticed no one was playing Field Medic. One player voluntarily switched to fill the healer role and suddenly our ragged group transformed into an efficient zombie-killing machine!
It‘s little adjustments like that make each match feel fresh and reactive, all while incentivizing playing together.
Enjoy The Gameplay Loop – Level Up, Kill Zeds, Get Loot
Of course, none of the strategic depth around perk synergies would matter much if moment-to-moment gameplay wasn‘t nail-bitingly intense and satisfying…which Killing Floor 2 absolutely delivers on.
Like any good co-op looter shooter, the game utilizes a finely tuned gameplay loop centered around blasting zombies, completing side objectives, leveling up perks, and acquiring ever more deadly weaponry.
Maps frequently spawn useful items like armor or health packs which adds an element of risk-reward to exploration. Combat itself feels meaty and responsive thanks to Tripwire‘s experience developing Red Orchestra. Headshots and dismembering limbs with higher level perks or weapons remains grimly satisfying after all these years.
And thecash rewarded for surviving waves can be used to purchase specialized gear tied to your chosen perk, like a katana for higher tier Berserkers or dual magnums for Gunslingers. This creates a sense of meaningful progression seeing your chosen perk grow deadlier over the course of long matches.
Over A Thousand Hours of Content…For Free!
Between the 10 perks offering dramatically different playstyles, well designed maps that supportReplayability through side objectives and hidden collectibles, and near endless progression from level 1 to level 25…Killing Floor 2 already offers hundreds of hours of replayability even before considering post-launch additions.
And Tripwire has kept the good times rolling with massive content expansions over 6 years.
Most notably, Killing Floor 2 supports full Steam Workshop integration for custom maps, character skins, weapon packs, gameplay modifications, and more. As of writing this, the game has over 1500 community creations available adding who knows how much value.
Some of the most popular map additions like Cyberpunk‘s Nightclub or Waterpark add free new environments to slaughter zombies in. And total conversion mods like Star Wars Imperial Onslaught reskin assets into brand new settings. Killing Floor likely has more quality fan-made content than games like Left 4 Dead.
I still discover new custom maps and creative mutations to gameplay through joining random servers to this day. The variety is staggering.
Fair Monetization That Doesn‘t Impact Gameplay
Now with Killing Floor 2 being 6 years old at this point, you likely have some concerns around monetization strategies and paid DLC. Rest assured Tripwire implements these systems fairly and avoids letting dollars impact competitive gameplay.
The developer continues actively producing optional paid DLC packs which offer new cosmetic skins for players alongside a couple weapons. Pricing averages around $5-10 depending on current sales. And none of the weapons dramaticalter balance – they simply provide more gameplay variety.
For example, the recent Cyberpunk pack has glowing neon katanas to slice zombies as a Berserker…but a vanilla katana functions identically. These packs are creative additions for invested players rather than pay-to-win power creep.
In my opinion the pink unicorn skin letting my normally stoic Sharpshooter slay clots in style brings pure joy. And Killing Floor 2 has seasonal events like Summer Sideshow 2022 that offer themed cosmetics. Point is, while certain skins might be overpriced, you get plenty of content before ever needing to pay extra.
Still Supported and Extremely Playable in 2023
Even 6 years after launch, Killing Floor 2 remains well supported by Tripwire and boasts a sizable player base. As per SteamCharts, over the past 30 days the game has averaged:
- 7,948 concurrent players
- Peaked player count of 15,120 users on February 5th
For comparison, these numbers blow away some recent niche multiplayer releases like Evil Dead: The Game orPRODIDK‘s XIII remake.
Alongside the players sticking around, Tripwire continues actively updating Killing Floor 2 with new patches, balance changes, and content drops like 2022‘s Summer Sideshow event. The modding community keeps things lively as well between all the custom maps and modes to try.
Clearly the game‘s uniquely tense co-op slaughtering of mutant Zeds scratches an itch that keeps fans ravenously coming back 6 years later hungry for more…
My Favorite Moments Demonstrate Longevity and Fun
While I‘ve already highlighted Killing Floor 2‘s strengths through objective analysis, I figured sharing some personal memorable moments that still stick with me after 30+ hours demonstrates precisely why this game remains so special:
- That time our entire under-leveled team barely survived the boss wave thanks to a clutch heal from our Field Medic, leading to screams of glee across voice chat
- Turning a corner as a newly minted Berserker to find myself face-to-face with roided up Fleshpound that smashed me into paste under 5 seconds while my teammate laughed
- Carrying the team as a max level Gunslinger popping heads left and right John Wick style thanks to endlessly useful pistol skills unlocked through hours mastering the perk
- Laughing manically blowing up dozens of clots with demo weapons…only to activate boss spawn and immediately get shredded for my arrogance
- The satisfaction from finally soloing my first HoE (Hardest) difficulty match as Survivalist after properly preparing rather than blind aggression
Experiences like these over 50+ hours only represent a teaser of what players can expect from Killing Floor 2‘s wealth of content. I‘m already itching to dive back in and handle the next seasonal holiday event Tripwire has lined up. Which perfectly answers our central question…
Verdict – Still Fantastically Worth Playing in 2023!
Killing Floor 2 absolutely remains worth your valuable gaming hours in 2023 – especially if you enjoy intense FPS, zombies, or playing cooperatively with friends. Underneath the buckets of blood lies an exceptional co-op experience with hundreds of hours of replayability through classes, mutations, objectives and loot that has somehow only gotten better in the 5+ years since launch.
For the cost of a couple fancy coffees at under $20 on sale, you gain access to a lovingly crafted, generously supported co-op looter shooter with thousands of FREE community maps and modes that outclasses modern releases. If that sounds even remotely appealing, stop reading this and go play Killing Floor 2 already! Just make sure to bring friends for best results…
And if reading 2000 words didn‘t fully convince you, then honestly nothing likely will. But I guarantee slaying mutated specimens in Slow Mo with dual revolvers will put a smile on your face backed by my over 500 hours of expertise. To any fans out there, share your favorite crazy moments in the comments below and let‘s welcome some new Zed slayers into the community! Thanks for reading.