Left 4 Dead 2

Left 4 Dead 2

Blood Tracks Official (Fixed)
Pluvillion 21 May, 2022 @ 12:11am
Downloaded it out of curiosity, left with my jaw dropped.
Oh boy, where do we start?

Gameplay.
You ever played a custom campaign and felt like as if you've played it before? That's exactly how I felt when playing this campaign for the first time. The lights are positioned in such a way that isn't a distraction, but is an indication of where to go. That's one thing Valve did with their campaigns - the ones where you're supposed to progress through tend to be the well-lit ones. You will never get confused on where to go; even if you decide to go slightly off-track and scavenge/shop. Each map layout, even if they feel and look expansive, do not lead you to a dead end. Almost all paths you take circle to where you're supposed to go. They're also within a perfect length - meaning you don't have to wander for minutes just to get from one safehouse to another. It never bores you nor gives you the impression of repetition.

Additionally, for the layouts themselves: you might recognize some of them from Valve's official maps. This proves my point from above. It gives you that sense of familiarity.

Gunplay.
You will never run out of ammo. I can assure you that. You will not be stuck using the same tier 1 weapons and saving ammo for how stingy the campaign is. Feel free to go nuts with shooting everything in sight. As for the spawns, they aren't slapping everything on your face. They'll spawn within a reasonable distance (behind the hills similar to how Valve does it) and they spawn within a reasonable amount. Panic/crescendo events will not give you more than you can chew, and before you get overwhelmed, you're already free to move on and flee. It doesn't give you an unfair time, especially on Expert, just because the maps are fairly short.

For the special infected, they spawn the same way the commons do. They aren't annoying, they're manageable and easily avoidable, and they don't *poof* in front of your face like a magician trying out teleportation for the first time (Jockeys and Hunters are notorious for this; even with the official campaigns). Witches aren't in the way and should be left alone (at least in my playthrough, they spawned off the path so we easily avoided them).

For the Tanks, there's plenty of nooks and crannies you can escape them from (especially the finale). Just be sure that the commons aren't hindering you, and especially in the finale, because one fling in the wrong direction (either from a Tank or a Charger) and it's instant death. No two tanks either.

Aesthetic.
I was literally blushing like mad because I seriously love how this campaign looks. It's not too dark and it's not an eyestrain either. The creators kept a consistent blue-red look all throughout. It really pulls you in into the scenario because it's not like some other campaigns in which Map 2 is a bright saturated mess, and then Map 3 turning into a dark gloomy void. You can really see and tell the style they're going for.

Not only that, but their usage of lighting, fog, and effects accompanied the entire composition. The fog being there to highlight where you're going via silhouettes, the lighting highlighting the path as well as what you're supposed to look at (the abandoned cars, the broken train, the lambda Charger, etc.), and the effects giving you the atmosphere like no other.

There's also some details that I love. Like that spot of fire slightly positioned to the left (after exploding the shack) after leaving the hole to indicate that you're supposed to go left instead of right, the leaves floating amidst the air (further adding to the atmosphere), the sound of twind blowing through the trees, the audioscape of a calm yet dreaded forest - they're all there.

Seriously, the screenshots provided aren't giving it justice. Please check the campaign for yourself. I promise it's worth it.

Fun short story: During the finale, Bill threw a pipe bomb at the center of the tracks as we were climbing the train. The escape cutscene showed the bomb exploding along with the commons with it before the train turned and Francis walked forward to block the entrance. I was seriously left speechless.
Last edited by Pluvillion; 21 May, 2022 @ 3:56am