Review: Killing Floor 3 Provides Heavy Gore in Unreal Engine 5

Some people just love mowing down hordes of zombies with their friends, which is why the Killing Floor series exists. Killing Floor 3 has been officially released by Tripwire Interactive as it pushes modern visuals with modern software, which is what the first two had offered. This game goes deeper and more open than the previous games by offering multiple playable characters with skill trees and opening up cross-play to all available platforms. If you're a fan of cooperative shooters and heavy body horror, then Killing Floor has probably been on your radar for a while. If not, the entry price and available launch content certainly brings the fun.

There is a narrative to the Killing Floor games that gets buried in the background. Killing Floor 3 takes place seventy years after the previous game. Horzine has produced the ultimate army that is filled with Zeds. You play as Nightfall, the new rebel rogue group to shut down this mega corporation. Each location on the map will offer missions and interestingly enough, completing the missions and progressing does not require survival of all the waves of enemies. There are multiple waves in each stage with increasing enemy difficulty that ends with a boss battle.

There's a voice that sounds like M from 007 that provides narrative to missions and the story does sit in the background. Lot of times hunting these items can be difficult since they're small and hidden in plain sight. It's difficult to manage locating these with zombies. In between waves, you have the option to look around or go back to the hub and purchase weapons, ammo and more. Strategy items like Shock Traps and Explosive Locks are fun to implement and can help manage the flow of enemies. Most of these enemies you won't be able to hear, so simply backing yourself away from a horde of Zeds can put you right in another horde.

There will be interactive weapons in the environment like gas pipes and barrels. Weapons include the typical variety, but with attributes including fire and ice. Guns can be customized with different elemental purposes bringing an almost Borderlands-like aspect to the game. There are Katanas in the game as well if looking to go melee. Turrets can also be utilized in the field along with individual special abilities from your player. Sprinting also feels like slightly fast walking; there doesn't seem to be much of a difference and enemies will easily catch up to you.

Guns can be customized with different elemental purposes bringing an almost Borderlands-like aspect to the game.

The perk design and the overall unlockable design of Killing Floor 3 takes cues from Helldivers 2. As you progress, you will unlock a choice of perks when reaching a certain level, and then these can individually be upgraded to help fully build out what you want that specialist to be. There are multiple specialists, but strangely you have to dive into the menus to discover this. Also, with the time it takes to upgrade one specialist, it likely isn't worth spreading out between them. It comes down to testing out the special ability early and seeing what's best. Completionists will have ample time to go through each to keep them consumed in the game.

Wait, I've Seen This One Before

Helldivers created the blueprint of keeping a player base engaged for a long time, wjhich now looks to be here in Killing Floor 3. There have been plenty of games with this premise that date back to the original Left 4 Dead and even more recently with Back 4 Blood. Killing Floor 3 seems to have more depth up front to keep players consumed, but the repetition will start to sneak in at some point. There's a rare option to do a finishing move, much like DOOM offers, but you can get overrun by enemies if they're around. There are also times where enemies will overrun you in a corner with no means of escape.

There aren't a major variety of enemies, but the M.E.A.T. System helps to provide that dopamine hit on witnessing their gory deaths. There's a slowdown mechanic that always seems to hit at the most pointless time, but when everything lines up right, it's awesome to witness. You can also expect witty character quips that get repetitive as well. One has to wonder if there is anything that could replace this or if more dialogue is needed? This has been a thing since Left 4 Dead in all of these action horror shooters.

One of the biggest positives about the game is the multiplayer aspect. Single player can be played and an internet connection is not needed, which is nice. Getting through a full wave of enemies on a map plus the boss by yourself? Good luck. There are different difficulty levels if the game gets too easy. Online gameplay is six players and multi-platform, though. It's quick match and players won't jump into rooms until there is a break in the action. This also includes cross-platform chat and people do actually talk. It's a fun experience that nobody takes too seriously. The stat board is great to review after the match.

Tripwire's Focus on Modern Technology

The Killing Floor series has always pushed the platform it was on visually with beautiful monster models and lighting. That's no different here, and for those that were worried during the beta, that's why they call it a beta. Killing Floor 3 runs on the Unreal Engine 5 and uses Lumen Lighting as an option. There's no ray tracing option, but this Lumen Lighting looks wonderful and brings the various areas to life, whether they be inside or outside. Some of these reflections are detailed, albeit not perfect. This also means an improved frame rate, although there are stutter issues on PC mainly when a lot of action is going on.

Supersampling is available from the three card providers here and Frame Gen is supported form NVIDIA. Playing this on a RTX 5080 at 4K did require DLSS to get 60 FPS. This game shines at 1440p with a higher frame rate, though. What really will help both is Frame Gen, and this is truly the first game that has worked well from personal experience with Frame Gen. It runs smooth and since it's not competitive, the input lag doesn't matter, but this isn't even noticeable. It supports an auto option or up to four times. It really helps to stabilize frame drops, but hiccups did still happen. This is tolerable because it's simply just a fun cooperative shooter.

The player models for the specialist don't stand out as well as the Zed models do. The focus is on the Zeds because it's a first-person shooter. The M.E.A.T. System features more dismemberment from previous games, seeing arms and legs fly in the air after getting blown up and headshots providing a dropped watermelon moment. There's blood and green bile everywhere.

The closer you look at the Zed models, the more detailed they are. The face of the Chimera will make you wince. All of these on large detailed maps with rather dark areas that require a flashlight. There are both indoor and outdoor areas that take advantage of different types of lighting. Playing this on an OLED will provide a great-looking experience due to the lighting implementation.

Much like those rare finishing moves in Killing Floor 3, the soundtrack is very much metal much like DOOM. While the game isn't as fast paced as those recent releases, the feeling can be the same thanks to the soundtrack. It's awesome if you're a metal fan, but it's not licensed music. The character comments during gameplay do get old, but the voice acting and the Zed sound effects are solid.

Closing Comments:

Killing Floor 3 is extremely fun in its initial stages, but will this wear off over time? Tripwire Interactive has done a good job at updating the previous games, and judging by the Helldivers-like progression system here, the staying power should be there to keep players engaged. Adding six-player crossplay and cross voice will assure the best online multiplayer experience that the series has ever had. Offline single player is more difficult, but the game is designed for online multiplayer. The visuals do a good job of showcasing the Unreal Engine 5 with Lumen Lighting, but stutters and hiccups happen a fair amount. Using Frame Gen on PC works well to compensate. The Specialists and Perk Systems help to add longevity, but you have to dig through the menu to see the other Specialists. In the end at launch, however, Killing Floor III is a bloody fun time.

Hardcore Gamer

Review: Killing Floor 3 Provides Heavy Gore in Unreal Engine 5

Wait, I've Seen This One Before

Tripwire's Focus on Modern Technology

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Killing Floor 3

Killing Floor 3