Players Unhappy After ‘Killing Floor 3’ Beta Reveals Franchise Identity Sacrificed For Mainstream Appeal: “The Most Disappointing Thing I’ve Ever Had The Displeasure Of Being Excited For”
Following the ending of its closed beta test, Killing Floor 3 is now making its final preparations for its official release later this month – but unfortunately for developer Tripwire interactive, it seems the long-awaited sequel may not hit the mark with the franchise’s fan base.
The trouble for Tripwire Interactive kicked off last October when the developer announced that in the third entry, the series’ standard ‘buy weapons as you go’ gameplay would be replaced with a ‘Specialist’ system akin to those seen in Overwatch or Marvel Rivals.
Despite the initial reactions to the game were positive, the news that characters would be tied to specific classes left fans dispirited, and as a result the outlook towards and conversation surrounding the game began to grow increasingly negative.
By the time Killing Floor 3‘s closed beta was held on February 20th-24th, players were extremely hesitant about just what to expect from the upcoming title – and unfortunately, this early preview not only failed to quell fan fears, but actually raised a whole host of new ones.
From its questionable gameplay mechanics, to its bland art style, generically dull UI, poor performance optimization, NERF-like gunplay, overly complicated hub-lobby system, removal of characters and announcers’ endearing quips, absence of fan favorite tracks from bands like Demon Hunter, Living Sacrifice, Fit For a King and Impending Doom and – worst of all – a heavy-focus on battle pass and premium currency monetization schemes, the beta left players feeling even more uncertain towards the game than ever before.
Providing a brief rundown of their criticisms, Twitter user @006Mlg wrote, “Awful voice acting, movement feels like Apex, animations are janky, gunplay feels weak, UI is awful, healing is no longer unlimited, people will can be revived off the ground like CoD, Zeds don’t feel like Zeds anymore, characters are annoying, loadouts SUCK.”
“I am incredibly beyond pissed that whoever is in f–king charge of #killingfloor3 decided to THINK that operators are a good idea,” wrote @WizardCorgi on Twitter. “YOU’RE JUST KILLING THE PERSONALITY OF THE GAME FRANCHISE FOR F–KS SAKE.”
“Killing Floor 3‘s art design is abysmal,” lamented @Glaceonics. “Every single Zed looks atrocious and it pains me to say that cause KF2s Zeds were masterpieces, as well as their event designs. How do we go from Awesome spider/Human hybrids to… Mouths with legs and s–t animations for Crawlers?”
“Killing Floor 3 might actually be the most disappointing thing I’ve ever had the displeasure of being excited for,” admitted @Onslaught67732. “They literally murdered everything that was Killing Floor about it and are now trying to sell us a f–king hero shooter? Tripwire interactive sucks.”
Likewise, over on YouTube, a quick glance provides even more evidence that very few fans are optimistic about the soon-to-be-released Zed slaying simulator, with many creators uploading videos with such titles as “The Killing Floor 3 Beta was awful” and “Killing Floor 3 Fells Kinda Off… What Happened ?”
While a graceful take on these videos suggests that their respective creators were genuinely let down by their first (and probably last) taste of Killing Floor 3, even if their titles are exaggerated clickbait, the collective view count of these videos shows that the internet at large is growing ever-more aware of the game’s issues.
Admittedly, criticisms as vague as ‘something feeling off’ can typically be written off as given player’s own opposition to any amount of change, good or bad, being made to a given franchise or series.
But in the case of Killing Floor 3, it seems such complaints are actually quite legitimate.
In taking a broader look at the situation within the context of the video game industry’s current state, Killing Floor 3 seems on track to release as yet another a game that betrays both its core fanbase and original identity in an attempt to appeal to a ‘wider audience’.
Oftentimes, such a change in identity is the result of the development studio going through significant leadership or personnel changes.
In the case of Tripwire Interactive, one wonders just how much of Killing Floor 3‘s drastic change-up results from the 2021 exit of co-founder and CEO John Gibson, who stepped down following a 17-year tenure after being denounced by the studio’s fans and employees for tweeting in support of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the Texas’ Heartbeat Act, which prohibits women from receiving abortions once an embryo or fetus begins producing a heartbeat (a development which typically occurs around six weeks into a respective pregnancy).
Regardless, after several years and even more staff changes, the soulless nature of Killing Floor 3 suggests that Tripwire Interactive may now be not more than yet another ‘studio in name only’.
With its soul seemingly sacrificed at the altar of ‘broader market appeal’ and fans seeing red flags everywhere, it’s looking more and more likely that Killing Floor 3 will be headed straight for the graveyard when it finally releases on March 20th.
And though Tripwire Interactive has acknowledged fans’ various complaints and promised to make improvements to the game before release, it remains genuinely unknown whether or not they can pull off a miraculous, last-minute course correction.
Until reviews hit, veteran fans of the franchise might want to keep their expectations in check, wallets closed, asnd attentions focused on the fact that sometimes the most terrifying monster isn’t a Zed at all—it’s watching a beloved series turn into generic slop right before your eyes.
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