Killing Floor 3 Review: Another Round Of Beautiful Gore (PS5)

Been a fan of wave shooters for years, from the classic COD Zombies to Gears of War‘s Horde Mode. One game franchise that’s been bringing hours of bloody carnage is Killing Floor. I played the second instalment for years, killing Zeds with crazy weapons on multiple maps. Now, Killing Floor 3 is here with new maps, weapons, and redesigned enemies to fight. Tripwire has once again delivered an addictive experience that can be played solo or co-operatively. Unlike the last instalment, Killing Floor 3 launches with less content, but Tripwire will be actively releasing seasonal content containing new specialists, maps, enemies and more. 

Killing Floor 3 is available on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S for $39.99/£34.99.

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Story – Dull But A Welcome Addition

Regarding the narrative of Killing Floor 3, it doesn’t have a dedicated campaign mode; however, there are ten assignments to complete. You play as a member of Nightfall, whose mission is to take down Zeds and ultimately foil any future plans the Horzine Corporation has in motion. KF3 continues the story now set in 2091, where Cordelia leads Nightfall on more missions, providing crucial intel as you engage in battle. Within each mission, you’ll complete specific objectives, which are mostly just interacting with various objects. Once the story objectives are complete, you just have to survive through the remaining rounds. 

In each assignment, you’ll complete basic objectives, then finish any remaining waves

Ultimately, the story isn’t long or entertaining, especially for new players. It felt more like a long-lasting tutorial where we’re provided a not-so-great tour of each map. You do learn about the lore as you complete each mission, but it sadly never took my attention away from mindlessly killing Zeds while listening to the soundtrack. Luckily, KF3 doesn’t have to worry about telling a deep story since its main purpose is to provide a chaotic loop of enemies to kill using insanely addictive weapons. 

Gameplay – Upgraded While Still Feeling Familiar

KF3‘s gameplay remains largely unchanged from past entries. It remains a first-person shooter, putting a group of players through several waves of menacing hordes of Zeds. The core loop remains the same: kill Zeds, restock, upgrade your guns or armour, repeat. However, unlike past entries, everything feels faster, including how many waves you have to finish to complete a level. Killing Floor 2 would allow you to pick how many waves you’d tackle, but KF3 keeps it at a steady six waves. Luckily, you can still change the difficulty, increasing the number of Zeds and how much damage they’ll deal. Things get even crazier when in a full squad, which can now go up to six players. Anyone who’s played KF2 will feel right at home, even with a lot of the changes. 

The Shop can get crowded pretty quickly in six-player squads

KF3 currently contains 8 maps to grind Zeds in, though Tripwire have released a roadmap detailing more to come. Similar to the maps in KF2, they’re a mix of large areas taking you above and below. Each map feels unique, though I do wish they were more unique. Depending on whether you equip the right tool, you can interact with turrets, ziplines, doors, traps and armour lockers. I thought there would be unique traps in each level, but they all use the same one, or there are just turrets. Speaking of tools, I really liked being able to equip something other than grenades outside of weapons. The multi-tool seems to be the most useful, but I did enjoy using the exploding locks and shock traps to spice up the rounds. 

Turn on the trap and watch them blend

One of the biggest changes to KF3 is the new hub world you’ll start in and return to after each match. Nightfall headquarters offers players a few things to interact with. It has a shooting range, a crafting station for customising weapons, a computer for unlocking perks and a station to customise your specialist’s attire. You can also access KF3‘s seasonal passes and online store to purchase/unlock cosmetics. I’m usually a fan of social hub spaces replacing main menus, but the Nightfall Headquarters feels very empty for such a large space. I’m hoping that as the game goes on, there’ll be more things added to entertain the squad between matches.

Explore Nightfall HQ and select your next mission

Enemies & Bosses – A Terrifying Rogue’s Gallery

Like previous Killing Floors, the enemies are the stars of the game. There’s a fun roster of grotesque and horrifying creatures to fight, even though most of them are returning Zeds from previous games. However, they’ve all had a rework both in design and AI, making most of them more chaotic. The Fleshpounds from previous games remain the most bothersome to take down, usually one of the two creatures that would end my run. Most enemies can be killed pretty easily, but they can be bothersome in tight spaces. Regardless, KF3 offers a good roster of enemies, and with the promise of more joining the ranks, things are only going to get more intense. 

Don’t let them push you into a corner agent

Regarding the bosses in KF3, there are currently three to take down. Just like with the previous games, the bosses will be featured on the final round and are always random. The three available are the Chimera, Impaler and the Queen Crawler. In my time playing, I mostly fought the Impaler and Chimera, with the Queen only appearing once. I was surprised that all the bosses were mindless monsters instead of mutated/enhanced humanoids, like The Patriarch and Dr Hans Volter. Regardless, the bosses remained the highlight of each match, especially when they’d move to their next phase, adding more chaos and strategy to the fight. I’m looking forward to seeing what other bosses Tripwire has in store for us in the upcoming seasonal updates. 

Each boss has two phases that’ll force you to change tactics

Weapons & Specialists – Lock & Load 

Whether you like to play with assault rifles, get headshots from a distance with sniper rifles, or get up close and personal with a katana, KF3 has a weapon for every playstyle. Weapons feel weighty and responsive, and getting that one headshot to trigger the slow mo never gets old. KF3 provides a powerful arsenal of weapons to choose from. This includes special tech weapons that can deal massive amounts of damage. My favourites were the Vulcan TA and the Samaritan. When I was equipped with one or both of these bad boys, no wave could stop me. Sadly, there aren’t many weapons per class compared to KF2, though you can create custom loadouts with different attachments. These can be created from resources found in levels by killing Zeds and destroying Horzine tech. 

Enjoy the sunset while holding a badass weapon

Speaking of classes, KF3 has revamped them into specialists that’ll definitely still dictate your playstyle. Currently, there are only six to choose from: Medic, Commando, Firebug, Ninja, Marksman and Engineer. Other than having their own unique perks to choose from, they also have ultimate moves. These abilities can truly change how the round goes, especially when used near death. I had a blast using the Marksman’s ultimate. It had huge similarities with Yondu’s flying arrow from Guardians of the Galaxy. They’re a welcome addition, and I look forward to seeing DJ Scully’s ultimate when he’s added in future updates. 

Marksman was my go-to class

The Perk system returns, though it’s now fused with the game’s class system. Previously, you could only select one or two perks to add to your agent’s kit; now we have a branching perk tree for each class.  Each tier has a choice of perks from one to three, each with its own push toward a playstyle. To make things even better, you can now upgrade perks using earned perk points from completing matches. The higher your class’s level, determines how many perks you can equip. This is how KF3 has solved replayability since it takes a lot of time to level up to gain access to all the perks. 

Graphics & Audio – Killing Zeds Has Never Looked So Good

When KF3 was first revealed, I was excited that Tripwire seemed to have upgraded their visual design. I got a little sceptical when I discovered Unreal Engine 5 would be used, but luckily, everything seems to have worked out. The environments look great and have a great atmosphere for the terrifying displays covering the map. Every Zed design looks amazing. The Sirens have a bizarre, cyborg-like giraffe design, while the general Zeds appear monstrous and more realistic. The Gore system goes even harder than before, making KF3 a gore-soaked treat to behold. You can now shoot off chunks of the enemy, and they’ll respond accordingly, whether they’re crawling on the floor or walking around like a headless chicken.

Tripwire clearly leaned into the dystopian horror vibe, cranking up the atmosphere with crumbling labs, ruined cities, and blood-drenched alleyways that feel straight out of a sci-fi nightmare. Regarding the audio, there are some issues with certain bugs that cause the audio to cut out. Outside of this, the soundtrack still elevates the overall experience and doesn’t distract you from listening out for enemies. Zeds sound even more terrifying than in KF2, successfully creating a tense atmosphere, keeping you on edge. I’d say voice acting could use some work. Cordelia is fine for the most part, but the specialists don’t sound great, especially when shouting out cringey one-liners. Regardless, KF3 looks and sounds like a chaotic, blood-soaked rave that most players would want to headbang to.

Killing Floor 3 was reviewed on the PS5 via a code courtesy of Tripwire Interactive.