Well, no one said surviving the zombie apocalypse would be easy…
To the uninformed, reading about Left 4 Dead would give them the illusion it’s an easy game. People said they breezed through the demo, and now hide in closets all day bashing the melee button. Oh, and then they set a Tank on fire and hide in a glitched spot until rescue arrives. Yet the reality of playing the game is radically different – Hordes and special infected will surprise and decimate you at the most inappropriate moments, and if they fail the chances are friendly fire probably will finish the job. Left 4 Dead can be an immensely frustrating and challenging game, and nothing demonstrates that more perfectly than the finale for Blood Harvest.
For starters, the chances are you’ll all begin the level huddled in the train car in extremely bad shape. The past few levels are taxing in themselves, so the handily placed first aid probably won’t be there for long. Yet as you open up the door, you’d better hope your new healthy glow lasts, because the path down to the final battle is fraught with dangers. Zombies can pop up out of nowhere, and there will always be tons of special infected hiding further down the tracks. Always. The opposite side of that train is a haven for them and hell for you, and even if you head into the fray to try and stop them, you’re going to get seriously hurt doing it without some excellent backup. Still, you’re through with a few scrapes, but there’s more health and ammo soon, right? Surely the finale awaits, right?
No, that’s wrong, but I’m guessing you already knew that. Not only may you have to deal with a Witch or Tank as you reach the end of the path, but you’re only halfway there! Next up is perhaps the most deadly foe any survivor can face – The cornfield. No, don’t laugh. As far as I’m aware, Blood Harvest is the only finale where a horde is scripted to occur, and it occurs the second the corn completely stops you from seeing where you are. Yes, folks, you have to fight a horde while you’re practically blind! Goody. Naturally, the general strategy is the get back in the open, but you’re lucky if you succeed in that, and even then you’re still up against it. I’ve seen so many failed attempts here it’s sort of taken on a strangely humorous slant for me, as the waltz to the farmhouse most people expect is brutally cut short. By corn.
Still, if you make it via epic skill or the more likely result of spawning in a closet, you’ve made it! Well, apart from the actual finale, of course. So now’s the time to prepare, by seeking out those extra explosives and health that will get you through the fight… Except you’ll be lucky if you find any. It’s odd that the vast space that the finale takes place in rarely holds anything of substance, really. Pipe bombs appear once in a blue moon, you’ll scrabble for the single pain pills dotted somewhere, and realise that gas cans are your only hope for any zombie fiery zombie carnage. After the relative generosity of the previous campaigns when it comes to these treats, this can throw you for a loop – Now there’s no ‘Get out of zombie hell free’ cards. You’re on your own.
Think that a good position will make you survive? Think again. The farmhouse area may have its fair share of closets and sneaky little spots, but even those places can see you being damaged a fair bit, and when the tanks come they can prove fairly fiendish to escape from without having a new face carved for you. There’s also nowhere in this massive space you can stand that will make the game glitch and get you a free ride… Sure, people have tried, but even those relatively safe spots can see a Smoker or other simple mistake completely decimate your chances of survival. The rafters of the barn seems to be the best spot, simultaneously providing good protecting and confusing the hell out of the Tank, and I’m blatantly taking the credit for finding it - Even though I probably didn’t. Besides, not even that is foolproof…
“Can’t stop, in a rush. Farmhouse ahead has some people to screw over.”
However, your troubles aren’t over even if you manage to pull off some amazing skills, defeat the two tanks and wait eagerly for your rescue to arrive. You see, the army in Left 4 Dead aren’t the brightest of sparks, and will first circle round the house at a leisurely pace and allow hordes of zombies to converge on your position and start nibbling on your flesh. After they choose their parking spot, which is right out in the open and invades the personal space of a nearby Tank, they’ll actually decide to open the doors for you. Very slowly. It’s remarkable how fast the hopes and joys of a team who think they’ve made it can be dashed when they all die within six inches of victory, and my awe at seeing it occur is normally quickly replaced with mild annoyance at the fact we’re going to have to do all of the above again. Sigh.
Still, I’ve made this monumental challenge sound like a miserable experience throughout, but it’s really quite the opposite. The sheer scope of the challenge and the emotions you’ll experience as you fight your way through, finally limp into the vehicle and drive away to victory make it ridiculously enjoyable. Indeed, it’s fast becoming my favourite finale of the bunch, even if I’ve only ever survived it twice on expert. So go on, grab a gun and grit your teeth – it’s a brilliant ride.
