Set during the aftermath of an apocalyptic pandemic, the game pits its
four protagonists—dubbed the "Survivors"—against hordes of the infected.
There are four game modes: a single-player mode in which allied
characters are controlled by AI; a four-player, co-op campaign mode; an
eight-player online versus mode; and a four-player survival mode. In all
modes, an artificial intelligence (AI), dubbed the "Director", controls
level pacing and item placements, in an attempt to create a dynamic
experience and increase replay value.
Left 4 Dead was well received by the industry media upon its release,
with praise given for its replay value, focus on cooperative play, and
movie-like experience. Several criticisms were aimed at limited level
selection and the lack of a narrative. The game has won several
publication awards, as well as distinctions from the Academy of
Interactive Arts & Sciences and British Academy of Film and
Television Arts. As was done with Team Fortress 2, Valve supplemented
the game with free downloadable content. The first, called the "Survival
Pack", was released on April 21, 2009. The second piece of DLC was
charged for on Xbox Live and came in the form of a new Campaign entitled "Crash Course," released for both the PC and Xbox 360 on September 29, 2009.
The popularity of the game led to the development of a sequel, Left 4
Dead 2, which was released November 17, 2009. Left 4 Dead 2 was released
on Mac OS X via Steam on October 5, 2010, and the original Left 4 Dead
was released for the Mac soon after on October 28, 2010. The Mac version
of Left 4 Dead 2 incorporated a new map for both Left 4 Dead and Left 4
Dead 2, called "The Sacrifice". Eventually all Left 4 Dead campaigns
were ported over to Left 4 Dead 2 and allowing for cross-platform
support between Windows and Mac versions.
Game Plot
Pennsylvania suffers an outbreak of "Green Flu"; a highly contagious
virus causing extreme aggression, mutation to the body cells, and loss
of higher brain functions. Two weeks after the infection four immune survivors—Bill, a Vietnam veteran; Zoey, a college student;
Louis, an IT analyst, and Francis, an outlaw biker—make their way
through the city of Fairfield, only to discover that the virus is
creating more dangerous mutations. After narrowly avoiding these new
infected, along with hordes of others, the survivors are alerted to the
presence of an evacuation point at the nearby Mercy Hospital roof by a
passing helicopter. Fighting their way through the city's streets,
subway and sewers, they are rescued from the hospital's roof by the
pilot, only to discover he is infected.
With Zoey forced to kill him, the helicopter crash
lands in an industrial district outside the city. Finding an armored
delivery truck, the group uses it to make their way to the town of Riverside.
However, they find the road blocked, and travel the rest of the way on
foot. After an encounter with an infected lunatic in the local church,
they discover that the town is overrun, and decide to head to a nearby
boathouse for rescue. Contacting a small fishing vessel, they manage to
reach the city of Newburg on the other side of the river, only to find
much of it in flames. Seeking cover in a large greenhouse, their rest is
interrupted when a military C-130 Hercules passes overhead, leading the
survivors to travel through the city's business district towards Metro
International Airport. Upon arrival, the group see that in an attempt to
contain the infection, the military had bombed the airport while
infected pilots crash planes in an attempt to land; the runway however
is largely intact, allowing the survivors to fuel up and escape in a
waiting C-130.
Despite this apparent rescue, it crashes as well, and the survivors once
again find themselves alone on the outskirts of Allegheny National
Forest. Following a series of train tracks
through the area, the group find themselves at a functioning, but
abandoned, military outpost. After answering a radio transmission, the
survivors make their final stand against hordes of infected, before a
military APC arrives to transport them to Northeast Safe Zone Echo,
supposedly the only uninfected area yet to be overrun. Instead, they are
kept at a military installation and informed that even though they are
immune, they still carry the virus. They are temporarily held by the
military before the base is overrun with infected. The four escape via
train and travel south at Bill's insistence; Bill believes that they can
find long-term safety from the infected on the islands of the Florida
Keys.
At the portside town of Rayford, they find a boat but must raise an old
rusty bridge powered by an aging generator to get the boat into open
waters, assured that the machinery noise will alert a large horde. Bill
sacrifices himself in order to restart a generator when the lift jams,
so that the others may reach safety.
Game Play
Left 4 Dead is a first-person shooter. In campaign mode, the player
takes control of one of the survivors; if four human players are not
available, then the remaining survivors are AI-controlled bots. They
play through the levels fighting off the infected—living humans who have
been infected with a rabies-like virus that causes psychosis. The
survivors are carriers of the disease, so they do not show signs of any
symptoms.
The game is focused on cooperation and team play and thus eschews some "realism" conventions usual in most FPS games of the wider genre; colored outlines of teammates are visible through walls to help players stick together and coordinate their movement. If a survivor falls off a ledge, then they may automatically hang onto it and can only be helped up by another survivor. If a survivor's health is depleted, then they become incapacitated and can only be revived by another survivor, at which point they continue playing with a low amount of health that decreases over time. If a survivor has been incapacitated and revived twice without tending to their wounds, then they will experience distorted black-and-white vision, and the next incapacitation will kill the character. If a survivor takes enough damage while incapacitated, or is not eventually helped up by teammates, then the incapacitated character will die. During "Campaign" mode, if a survivor is killed, then they will respawn in a closet or other enclosed space after a period of time (except during key points in the scenario), but must be freed by another survivor to rejoin the team. Otherwise, the player must wait until the next level. However, if all human player survivors are killed or incapacitated, players will have to restart from the last checkpoint. Survivors can share first-aid kits and pain pills and help each other heal. Left 4 Dead has friendly fire (which causes no damage on the easy difficulty mode), increasing the need for caution around other survivors.
The survivors communicate by voice commands that are accessed by quick menus, and some may sound off automatically when performing actions such as reloading or spotting infected. Over 1,000 unique lines have been recorded for each survivor. Additional communication of player actions is conveyed through character lights. Also, weapon-mounted flashlights and muzzle flashes help the players in determining whether their companions are shooting, performing melee attacks, reloading or moving. Due to control issues and the likelihood of players using a headset, the Xbox 360 version of Left 4 Dead omits the quick phrases feature.
The game is experienced through five campaigns that take place in various urban and rural locales. Multiple visual in-game hints—including license plates, park signs, markings on airport equipment, and lines of dialogue spoken by the survivors—suggest that these locations are in Pennsylvania, and similarly a memorial wall giving names of those who have died in the infection (actually names of the game's development team) along with their dates of birth and death suggests that the game takes place in October 2009. Each campaign is divided into five chapters (except Crash Course, which has two chapters) marked by safe rooms, which are checkpoints where players can heal, re-arm and revive characters who were killed. Specifically, the four campaigns are: "No Mercy", an urban setting culminating in a hospital skyscraper; "Death Toll", a small-town and countryside setting; "Dead Air", an airport setting; and "Blood Harvest", a woodland and farm setting. A two-level campaign, "Crash Course", was released on September 29, and is set in the outskirts of a small industrial town. The levels have distinct beginnings and ends, but there are a number of alternate routes to follow with more supplies, helping to create a sense of non-linearity. In the final chapter of each campaign, the players must defend a position from an onslaught of infected until rescue arrives. Each campaign typically lasts between 20 and 75 minutes depending on the difficulty level. Both platform versions of the game utilize an achievement system.
The game is focused on cooperation and team play and thus eschews some "realism" conventions usual in most FPS games of the wider genre; colored outlines of teammates are visible through walls to help players stick together and coordinate their movement. If a survivor falls off a ledge, then they may automatically hang onto it and can only be helped up by another survivor. If a survivor's health is depleted, then they become incapacitated and can only be revived by another survivor, at which point they continue playing with a low amount of health that decreases over time. If a survivor has been incapacitated and revived twice without tending to their wounds, then they will experience distorted black-and-white vision, and the next incapacitation will kill the character. If a survivor takes enough damage while incapacitated, or is not eventually helped up by teammates, then the incapacitated character will die. During "Campaign" mode, if a survivor is killed, then they will respawn in a closet or other enclosed space after a period of time (except during key points in the scenario), but must be freed by another survivor to rejoin the team. Otherwise, the player must wait until the next level. However, if all human player survivors are killed or incapacitated, players will have to restart from the last checkpoint. Survivors can share first-aid kits and pain pills and help each other heal. Left 4 Dead has friendly fire (which causes no damage on the easy difficulty mode), increasing the need for caution around other survivors.
The survivors communicate by voice commands that are accessed by quick menus, and some may sound off automatically when performing actions such as reloading or spotting infected. Over 1,000 unique lines have been recorded for each survivor. Additional communication of player actions is conveyed through character lights. Also, weapon-mounted flashlights and muzzle flashes help the players in determining whether their companions are shooting, performing melee attacks, reloading or moving. Due to control issues and the likelihood of players using a headset, the Xbox 360 version of Left 4 Dead omits the quick phrases feature.
The game is experienced through five campaigns that take place in various urban and rural locales. Multiple visual in-game hints—including license plates, park signs, markings on airport equipment, and lines of dialogue spoken by the survivors—suggest that these locations are in Pennsylvania, and similarly a memorial wall giving names of those who have died in the infection (actually names of the game's development team) along with their dates of birth and death suggests that the game takes place in October 2009. Each campaign is divided into five chapters (except Crash Course, which has two chapters) marked by safe rooms, which are checkpoints where players can heal, re-arm and revive characters who were killed. Specifically, the four campaigns are: "No Mercy", an urban setting culminating in a hospital skyscraper; "Death Toll", a small-town and countryside setting; "Dead Air", an airport setting; and "Blood Harvest", a woodland and farm setting. A two-level campaign, "Crash Course", was released on September 29, and is set in the outskirts of a small industrial town. The levels have distinct beginnings and ends, but there are a number of alternate routes to follow with more supplies, helping to create a sense of non-linearity. In the final chapter of each campaign, the players must defend a position from an onslaught of infected until rescue arrives. Each campaign typically lasts between 20 and 75 minutes depending on the difficulty level. Both platform versions of the game utilize an achievement system.
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