Absent a Left 4 Dead 3, modders have just turned Team Fortress 2 into COD Zombies instead

If Valve isn’t going to bring us Left 4 Dead 3 any time soon, we’ll just have to get our zombie game fix elsewhere, and Mann Versus Zombies is looking like just what I need. This total-conversion mod for Team Fortress 2 transforms the multiplayer shooter into a gradually escalating horde survival experience akin to Call of Duty Zombies. Built by a team of modders that has dubbed itself Breadworks, it brings the timeless roster of characters and locations into a fresh spin on a tried-and-tested format.

One of my favorite parts of Team Fortress 2 is Mann vs. Machine, Valve’s PvE co-op mode where you must hold out against an onslaught of robots that are attempting to deliver a bomb to your base. It turns all your TF2 knowledge on its head, allowing you to upgrade both your character abilities and weapons to ridiculous levels in order to better manage the hordes coming your way. It can often feel like it comes to an end right as you’ve really got into the swing of things, however.

Mann Versus Zombies goes in a different direction, throwing out the fixed goals of MvM in favor of potentially endless waves. It wears its love for COD Zombies on its sleeve, starting you out with just a sidearm as the zombies break down barricades and climb through windows. You’ll gradually earn cash to upgrade your equipment, and can even drop a weapon into something called the Mannifester (presumably this game’s equivalent to the Pack-a-Punch machine), “to really show them who’s in charge.”

There are also perks available to buy that will upgrade your effectiveness in combat in several ways, although Breadworks warns that they are neither cheap nor permanent. Across environments ranging “from the dusty battlements of Teufort to the frozen alpine wilderness,” you’ll have to coordinate with your teammates, keep the barricades repaired for as long as possible, and see how far you can survive through the endless, escalating waves.

Mann Versus Zombies supports solo play or co-op with up to eight players at once. Narratively, it brings back an old face from TF2 lore: “Merasmus returns with more than a tide of blood,” Breadworks teases. “This time he possesses something far more malicious than his usual magic tricks. The Undead have arisen… with their rotting carcasses mangled, mutated, and hungry for the flesh of the living.”

Team Fortress 2 mod Mann Versus Zombies is set to launch soon on Steam. There’s no exact date yet, but you can wishlist it now to be notified when it arrives. You’ll need to own TF2 on your account – given that it’s free, fixing that is just a button click away if you still don’t have it.

Breadworks adds that Mann Versus Zombies will include full Steam Workshop support for people to add custom maps and skins, and notes that you can also use your TF2 skins. It’s been a real heyday for co-op shooters in recent times, but I certainly won’t say no to another of them, nor to a reason to return to the warm nostalgia of the Team Fortress 2 cast.