One of my fondest memories of getting accustomed to Steam after getting my first gaming laptop was discovering all the hidden gems on the platform. My affinity to the Source engine led me to Killing Floor, a zombie killer that actually managed to stand out in an at-the-time flooded market thanks to incredible gameplay, brooding atmosphere, and a heap of charisma. After slaying zeds for more than a decade and a worthy sequel in 2, the time has come for Killing Floor 3, after a delay earlier this year gave the game some more time in the oven. How does the title pan out now, after extra time for polish?

After spending several hours in the February beta for Killing Floor 3, I came away from it enjoying the combat and camaraderie with my squad, but not really tracking anything fresh that could set the game apart from Killing Floor 2. A new mainline entry into a series should, at the bare minimum, have a hook, a gameplay element that sets it apart. Instead, Killing Floor 3 opts for a “don’t fix what isn’t broken” approach in its scope. This shouldn’t be a problem if the game is fun, but the more serious tone, downscaling of quantity, and other issues plaguing it turn the experience into a sour one.

If I don’t look at a list of patch notes, I can honestly believe that not a single thing changed between my time in Killing Floor 3‘s beta earlier this year and the 1.0 release in July. Truly, everything felt exactly the same. The game’s performance actually suffers more in the final version than it did before.

Constant framerate drops and a median framerate below 30 on hardware that exceeds the listed system requirements is a detriment to the fun. It is also misleading to players who expect a certain level of polish after a lengthy delay and a studio with a track record of strong PC performance across the board.

Performance and triteness aside, Killing Floor 3 isn’t all bad. There is a wealth of weapon customization options that make the measly amount of 4 guns per class an easier pill to swallow. The in-game currency needed to purchase these mods comes without much of a grind at all, meaning every run or two will let you drastically change the gunplay to your heart’s content, with enough trade-offs to not make the game pay-to-win. On top of that, there is a serious effort to ramp up the lore between the Zeds, Horzine, and everything else in the Killing Floor universe to make the mindless zombie-killing a bit more meaningful.

It’s a shame I couldn’t come away from my time with Killing Floor 3 with a more positive impression. It’s a game I still see potential in, and I have no doubt Tripwire is monitoring community feedback, whilst the game starts with a dismal 56% approval rating on Steam at time of writing.

Optimize the game, offer something that will keep players glued and have that “just one more run!” feeling, and maybe throw in a few more guns, and Killing Floor 3 could be a turnaround success. For now, though, it’s a hard game to recommend when the prior titles in the franchise are more entertaining.

A PC review copy of Killing Floor 3 was provided by Tripwire Interactive for this review.

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Killing Floor 3

$39.99

5

Score

5.0/10

Pros

• Same Great Gunplay
• Awesome Gun Customization

Cons

• Not Much New At All
• Performance Issues
• Lack of Polish