When Left 4 Dead arrived on the gaming scene in 2008, it was something close to a revolution. Its cooperative struggle against an overwhelming and never-ending zombie menace required quick reflexes, top-notch teamwork and more than a little luck if you and your team were to survive.
Since then, we've seen a few games follow in Left 4 Dead's footsteps, with the most notable examples being the Valve sequel Left 4 Dead 2 and Evolve from Turtle Rock Studios, the same developers responsible for the original Left 4 Dead.
You can now add one more to this list: the awkwardly-named Warhammer: End Times — Vermintide. Despite its long name and high-fantasy Warhammer setting, Vermintide looks to scratch the Left 4 Dead itch that players have long been craving, only instead of zombies, you're fighting armies of scary rat men.
These rat men are specifically called the Skaven, and they come in a number of Left 4 Dead-esque varieties. First, there are your standard rat men, who will attack in huge swarms and are easily dispatched. Then, there are the unique, elite Skaven, who have special abilities perfectly designed to ruin your squad of four. Like Left 4 Dead, it features a dynamic enemy encounter system that makes no two playthroughs the same and keeps the enemies coming.
Where it differs from Left 4 Dead's formula is the introduction of loot. Gamers love loot, and Vermintide awards it in the end of every mission in the form of a weapon, hat or trinket. Performing side objectives during the course of a mission means better loot, encouraging players to go out of their way and into dangerous territory.
By all accounts, players seem to be having a good time with it. The game recently released on Steam and has already developed a bit of a cult following. It currently sits at the #2 top selling game spot behind the juggernaut that is Fallout 4. That's no small feat, especially for a smaller budget title. Of the game's more than 3,400 user reviews, 87 percent give the game positive praise.
Even if you are unfamiliar with the Warhammer franchise, if intense first-person cooperative survival action is what you're after, Vermintide just might be up your alley. You can download it on Steam for $29.99.
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