The latest bunch of Valve leaks have revealed the original map sources and prototypes for the beloved and classic Left 4 Dead.
Since then we haven’t received any real news from Left 4 Dead or its developers back 4 blood To be released in late 2021. So when Youtuber Tyler McVicker posted a video (opens in new tab) We were intrigued by the reveal that the earliest prototype for Left 4 Dead had leaked.
The leaked footage shows off the forgotten levels of Counter-Strike: Source, codenamed Terror Strike, as well as some never-before-seen map sources for the game. This unreleased map is the second phase of prototyping that began with Counter-Strike: Condition Zero and the map Zombie City.
When it comes to the visuals in this unfinished level, there isn’t much to write home about. Its abandoned gray cityscape is eerily quiet and empty as you fight your way through an onslaught of infinitely respawning terrorists. On the bright side, you can still see the first impressions of the popular undead game within the dimly lit streets of the city.
But don’t take our word for it. You can test drive the original prototype for yourself right now. you can download zombie city map for your sportsbanana (opens in new tab), or you can set up your own server on Counter-Strike: Source. Just make sure to allow plenty of counter-terrorists to respawn and then have you and a few friends try to make it across the map.
Ancient history
Leaked prototypes and map sources aren’t the first thing that surprised us about Left 4 Dead. The game’s production got off to a somewhat unorthodox and rocky start.
For those who remember, Counter-Strike: Condition Zero had a turbulent time in production, being passed from studio to studio in search of someone who could finally finalize the game and bring it to a Can bring along Eventually, Left 4 Dead developer Turtle Rock pulled the game out of production limbo.
On their way to finishing Counter-Strike: Condition Zero, Turtle Rock’s developers decided to first test the waters for another idea. It will be an open-ended Cityscape Rush map, codenamed Zombie City. This idea would later come under more scrutiny for Counter-Strike: Source for the map codenamed Terror Strike.
The goal of Terror Strike and Zombie City was for up to four players to make it from one side of the map to the other while dodging incoming melee attacks from counter-terrorists. If you reach the end, you can plant the bomb and win the game.
Turtle Rock finally decided to take the leap and make the historic Left 4 Dead, but not without help from every plumber’s favorite gaming studio: Valve. When Valve got wind of this Undead project, it threw its hat into the ring. This renowned studio helped shape the game in terms of progression and story, while Turtle Rock developed it entirely in-house.
However, after negotiating so closely with Valve, Turtle Rock began to have some difficulties. Valve bought the studio and briefly rebranded it as Valve South. Soon enough, the studio would suffer an unfortunate fate. Valve decided to close up shop and take over the rights to Left 4 Dead. It would later produce Left 4 Dead 2 entirely in-house.
kill a dead game
Back 4 Blood fails to capture the joys of navigating the storms of undead hell with your closest friends
This was not the end for Turtle Rock. After being shut down, Phil Robb and Chris Ashton, two of the devs from the early days, decided to try to restart the indie studio.
He would later be contracted by Valve to work on its Once Golden Goose, Left 4 Dead and Left 4 Dead 2. But for the most part, Turtle Rock tried to start fresh and move in their own direction. Instead they would make more casual games like Leap Sheep and Journey of the Gods.
However, this did not last long. You can take a developer out of the zombie hellscape, but you can’t take the zombie hellscape out of the developer. 13 years after their initial steps in Left 4 Dead, Turtle Rock released Back 4 Blood, a spiritual successor to the game.
Unfortunately, that didn’t stop the manic and bloody fun of Left 4 Dead. I’m not sure if it’s just been too long or if the people who made Left 4 Dead Magic just weren’t there for Back 4 Blood’s development. Whatever the reason, Back 4 Blood fails to capture the joys of navigating the storms of undead hell with your closest friends.
For one, the cards and upgrades offered by Back 4 Blood make the simple zombie-slaying formula confusing and complicated. These extra features brought you a variety of benefits and items. While some perks were helpful, most just got in the way of starting a level and didn’t make a huge difference in actual fights.
The realism, believability and grit of Left 4 Dead is what made it such an iconic game
On the other hand, the core gameplay loop was uninspiring and poorly paced. What started with simply navigating abandoned cities in search of survivors somehow ended up in giant radioactive ogre zombies. It didn’t feel like a believable progression. It just didn’t quite capture Left 4 Dead Spirit.
Why should zombie games be believable? This is a fair question. But for me, the realism, believability, and grit of Left 4 Dead is what made it such an iconic game. There was no big reason, no special operation, no mad scientist making green zombies. It follows a group of survivors trying to make it from point A to point B, unlike the comparatively high-concept Resident Evil chicanery in Back 4 Blood. This simplicity made the game more intense and enjoyable; It was just you and thousands of corpses – how intimate.
Back 4 Blood disappointed me in comparison to its earlier siblings. Still, it was still refreshing to see Turtle Rock get back into the zombie business. Who knows, maybe Back 4 Blood will follow in Left 4 Dead’s footsteps and be an excellent sequel.