Review by Jon Donnis
It's 2091. Horzine's created an unstoppable army of bioengineered monsters known as zeds, and Nightfall is the only thing standing in their way. That's the setup for Killing Floor 3, Tripwire Interactive's follow-up to 2016's Killing Floor 2. It sounds solid on paper. And at its core, it is: a first-person survival horror shooter where you take on waves of enemies, solo or in six-player co-op, trying to survive long enough to push back the threat. But this release isn't ready. Not even close.
You start in the Stronghold, a hub space where you pick your character and choose where to deploy. There are six specialist classes, each with unique weapons and special attacks. The Ninja, for example, uses a pair of swords and a grappling hook that pulls you straight into the action. You fight through waves of zeds, with their numbers scaling based on your team size. In between rounds, you restock ammo, buy resources, and use the Multi-tool to activate environmental defences like sentry guns or ziplines. The core loop is familiar, and killing zeds is still fun. But only once you've powered up. Until then, it's punishing.
Starting weapons feel weak. Really weak. You're thrown into the middle of it with underwhelming gear, and the game doesn't let up. The difficulty curve feels completely off, especially when you're new. You either run, or you die. That's the experience early on, and it's not encouraging. If you persist, the upgrades help, but it shouldn't feel like a chore to get there.
Combat has its moments. Zed Time returns, letting you slow everything down and see enemies lit up around you. The M.E.A.T. system is back too, with more dismemberment and persistent blood. There are a few great gory sequences. Visually, it looks good. The detail on the enemies and weapons is solid, though there are occasional glitches that break the immersion. The AI has been improved, with zeds moving more aggressively and in smarter patterns.
That said, the game triggered motion sickness during extended play, even with head bob, motion blur, and camera shake turned off. And while the environments are decent, the overall feel is unfinished. Despite being a full release, it plays more like a beta. Tripwire has said patches and content are coming, but that doesn't change what's on offer right now.
The optional narrative assignments add a bit more to each match, expanding the world and giving some background. You can also mod your weapons and unlock new skills, which helps give the specialists some variety. But the game needs more. More content, more polish, more care. The soundtrack is forgettable, and the whole experience lacks that punch you'd expect from a finished console release.
Right now, Killing Floor 3 feels rushed. There's a solid foundation underneath, and it's likely to improve over time. But at launch, it's not there. This should have stayed in development longer. Console players shouldn't be left hoping for fixes down the line, leave that for PC games.
Score: 5/10
Fun moments buried in an unfinished game. Not worth it yet.
Out Now on Xbox - https://amzn.to/4l6Eu9m
