Randy Pitchford may be full of himself, but he did strike gold with the critically acclaimed Borderlands series. And while we wait for Borderlands 3—and weep at the thought that we may see another Left 4 Dead—Gearbox Software saw an opportunity to enter the four-player co-op shooter genre Turtle Rock Studios popularized in the form of Earthfall. Developed by Holospark—Séance: The Unquiet, The Impossible Travel Agency—and published by Gearbox, Earthfall is a sci-fi, four-player co-op shooter that shares DNA with the Left 4 Dead games. At E3 2018, Earthfall got a new trailer, which you can watch above.
Watching the trailer, the game looks almost identical to Left 4 Dead: You have four characters, each with their own perks and weapons, and you must survive a horde of aliens as you traverse the levels, stopping at safe zones periodically to refill on ammunition. One key difference between the two, however, is fortification. In Earthfall, you must strengthen and rebuild structures to ensure survival. This could be fortifying windows in a house, reconstructing the chainlink on a fence, or building up defense units like mortars and turrets. It’s hard to say if Earthfall will be a “FPS; hobby-grade coop campaign; genre-blended, multi-mode competitive e-sports; meta-growth, choice + epic Battleborn Heroes!” But as it stands, it’s an exciting-looking four-playing cooperative shooter. And if it’ll scratch that Left 4 Dead itch, then it’ll suffice. For now, right Valve?
The Earth has fallen. And it’s up to you and three other people to save it. Earthfall will be available on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on July 13, 2018.
