Hellbreach: Vegas has a relatively simple premise: strip back zombie wave survival to the pure couch co-op joy of the OG Call of Duty Zombies modes of yesteryear. In my first hands-on with its four player online co-op, it definitely delivered on that front, but I think the real juice will be in its alternate modes like gun game and battle royale.
I previouslysampled Hellbreach in single player, and since that time the game's arsenal, enemy lineup, and map selection have been expanded. The standout map for my money is an Area 51 sendup, which brings a ton of verticality as you descend from a desert surface level down into secret control rooms.
All of Hellbreach's maps nail that claustrophobic feeling of old CoD Zombies levels, and you use the same in-game currency to open up new areas of the map, buy new guns and perks, and refill ammunition. Ammo is tight in Hellbreach, and I find myself constantly making trips to refill my supply, squeezing past throngs of enemies as I trump along with that deliciously chunky, thunk-thunk Xbox 360-era FPS movement.
Like any horde survival shooter, Hellbreach definitely comes alive in co-op, and I think it has a ton of potential as a «catch up with your friends» game, something like Trackmania or Golf With Your Friends that isn't laden with overly-complex progression, but offers a fun and engaging challenge that might just lure your friends into spending time with each other (at least over Discord.)
The real secret sauce of Hellbreach, though, won't be ready for prime time in its upcoming co-op playtest. At full release, Hellbreach will have a co-op gun game mode, and this riff on the Classic Counter-Strike gametype, later cribbed by Call of Duty (but who's keeping track) is the thing
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