This week marks the release of the increasingly controversial Metal Gear Survive, with reviewers and players alike voicing their lukewarm impressions on the zombie/building online experience. Many players though, are choosing to skip the game entirely either due to Konami questionably using the Metal Gear name or because it simply isn’t sparking their interest. And while the game looks like a solid co-op horde mode shooter, there are plenty other games on the market that quite frankly do it better. So if the release of the game has got you itching to jump into some horde-mode action game with your buddies, here are five games like Metal Gear Survive if you’re looking for something similar.
Call of Duty: WWII Zombie Mode
5 Games Like Metal Gear Survive
Let’s start of with what is surely one of the most popular horde-modes of all time, Call of Duty’s Zombie Mode. Now, you could choose any of the entries and still have a blast shooting undead Nazis with your pals but the most recent iteration is definitely worth checking out. Call of Duty: WWII’s Zombie Mode was developed by the team behind the Dead Space series meaning it has a noticeable horror tinge.
Definitely more action-based than Metal Gear Survive and considerably less system-based, WWII’s Zombie Mode is worth your time purely for the fact it is the fourth iteration and therefore much more polished and streamlined. There’s also the fact that it features an excellent voice cast starring David Tennant, Katheryn Winnick, Elodie Yung and Ving Rhames. Whether or not this will be for you depends on personal taste and what level of depth you’re looking from a co-op experience but at the very least you know that, with Activision, you’re in safe hands.
Fortnite: Save the World
5 Games Like Metal Gear Survive
You’ve got to hand it to Epic Games. After seeing the success of PUBG they switched gears on Fortnite and implemented a Battle Royale mode which led it’s player base to skyrocket. It can be easy then, to forget Fortnite’s original mode which combines elements of tower defense, building and hero shooters. The now renamed Fortnite: Save the World allows groups of friends to team up against waves of encroaching monsters.
In order to survive, they must construct fortifications and armaments to hold back the horde. It’s an altogether more light-hearted and colorful affair than Metal Gear Survive but contains the same tower defense aspects that the Konami-helmed project boasts. The first segment of each game involves venturing out into a procedurally generated world and breaking apart items for crafting materials. There’s a bunch of customization options and skill trees to dive into too, meaning you’ll be sure to get a good bang for your buck.
Titanfall 2 Frontier Defense Mode
5 Games Like Metal Gear Survive
Titanfall 2 got a rough deal when it released back in 2016. EA made the genuinely baffling decision to launch it within weeks of Battlefield 1, which seriously hampered its sales. Since then though, they have added some really cool content to the game, coolest of all being the Frontier Defense Mode. In this mode, players must work together to protect a giant energy harvesting machine, which is pretty much the exact premise of Metal Gear Survive by the way, from giant mechs and foot soldiers. Automatic turrets can be placed at strategic locations to give players an edge over the approaching forces and many of the game’s core Titan mechanics are also at play.
The result is a fast-paced, action-packed fight to the death, peppered with the odd nuclear bomb carrying mech. You can pick up Titanfall 2 at a significantly cheaper price than Metal Gear Survive so if it’s memorable and exciting matches with your friends you’re after, look no further.
Splatoon 2 Salmon Run Mode
5 Games Like Metal Gear Survive
Not every multiplayer experience has to feature blood, gore and bullets. Splatoon 2’s Salmon Run Mode is a horde variant on the core game’s paint splatting action. An altogether more accessible affair, Salmon Run is an absolute blast to play with friends and is also a great way to introduce kids to this kind of gameplay. Don’t let the cutesy aesthetic fool you though, Splatoon 2’s online modes are both deep and challenging, scaling higher or lower depending on your skill-level. In the place of bullets there’s paint, instead of shotguns and rocket launchers there’s paint rollers and Tenta missiles.
The portable nature of the Nintendo Switch adds a new dynamic too, as you can take on nautical nasties at a coffee shop, park or bar. Nintendo continues to support the game with new maps and cosmetic items so now is still a great time to jump into this wacky co-op romp.
Gears of War 4 Horde Mode
5 Games Like Metal Gear Survive
Commonly cited as being the series which brought the Horde Mode to prominence, Gears of War is without a doubt one of the best. The violent, brutal, and frenetic mode is at its best in Gears of War 4 which introduced refined fortification systems and a 3D printer which prints everything from weapons to turrets. This little box of wonders, known as The Fabricator, acts as the centrepiece to any fortifications and defences the player must set up. Placement is key as losing control of the device is a sure-fire way to failure. There’s also a card-based perk system which adds an element of strategy to the proceedings, demanding that players spend money wisely.
So much of what makes the Gears Horde Mode so special is rooted in its excellent core gameplay systems. Shooting, cover-swapping and melee attacks all feel visceral and exciting, especially when coordinated in time with a group of friends.
About the author
