Killing Floor 3 devs hope players “argue” about the game's weapons, and our hands-on Gamescom demo reveals why
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Dropping into Killing Floor 3 brings back the muscle memory of pulverizing Zeds within seconds. This time, though, there’s a massive kick in my arsenal thanks to the game’s mammoth-sized library of weapon mods. Over the course of my brief hands-on preview at Gamescom, creative director William Munk sits me down to face off against a few waves of undead menaces, barely scratching the surface of the game’s arsenal of gnarly weapons.
Killing Floor 3‘s new mod system isn’t just a light touch up of what you’ve seen before from the zombie game franchise. This fresh mechanic offers up randomly generated blueprints for every skirmish, which are acquired by visiting futuristic trader stations placed around the arena. My first pull is a procedurally generated shotgun that utilizes nearly every facet of the mod system, outfitting me with explosive rounds, a better foregrip, optics, and more. It absolutely rips apart anything in its path, reducing all those nasty Zeds into zombie purée.
There’s a satisfying kick to each shot, with shells clattering along the floor as I engage the full-auto firing mode. It’s sweet, sweet music to my ears. However, this is just one small offering from the game’s Rambo-sized library of guns and explosives. I’m told by Munk that “our weapons have around 128 mods to mess around with right now. Anyone can deal some serious damage, as long you can afford it.”
Although this meaty shotgun packs a punch, I soon switch to an SMG that rattles off a full magazine before I can even blink. Sure, it might be a waste of ammo, but the game’s chilling sound design makes sure I feel the nastiness of each bullet tearing Zed flesh apart.
As an aside, Munk also notes that these mods are here to enhance pre-existing weapon types, So, don’t expect to turn a sniper rifle into a ridiculous assault rifle.
There will be some level of outlandishness though, because beyond using generated blueprints, you’ll be able to share your twisted creations with the world – or pick up even deadlier ones. “They [the community] always come up with stuff we’d never even thought of,” Munk muses. “We’re kind of hoping that players will argue about their builds. Some players might be like ‘no this build is the best’, and have people disagree. That’s a good sign things are balanced well.”
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