No More Room in Hell 2: A Co-op Survival Horror Experience
Sometimes playing No More Room in Hell 2 feels like actually being in hell. One minute, you’re approaching a console to start flipping switches with friends, and the next, you’re completely stuck – no keyboard inputs work, you can’t equip any of your items, and your teammates have to try and lure a zombie over hoping it will put you out of your misery. Issues like this are part of a large pile of problems that could be excused by its Early Access label on Steam; there’s only one map released so far, character models are incomplete, and there are plenty more bugs to encounter. But that grace only goes so far. While No More Room in Hell 2 is technically playable, it’s not close to actually feeling Early Access-ready. And even if it weren’t riddled with bugs and light on content, it still doesn’t have a distinct identity to differentiate it from being yet another co-op survival horror shooter.
Objective-Based Gameplay with Zombie Hordes
No More Room in Hell 2 follows a similar structure to its predecessor’s objective-based game mode. Eight players are dropped onto a forest-covered map, and must complete tasks while trying not to get killed by zombie hordes. As is common in survival horror games, you’ll have to scavenge for weapons, health items, ammo, and other gear to get a leg up, all of which will be in generally short supply. The first No More Room in Hell took a lot of inspiration from George Romero’s Dawn of the Dead with how the zombies (here called “stiffs”) function, and that continues to be to its benefit in the sequel: They’re slow and shambling, but are huge threats in groups. And the further you get into the map, the more dense the hordes get.
Enhancing Teamwork and Cooperation
This is the key area where No More Room in Hell 2 excels: fostering cooperation. Sure, I may have been trapped in a horrible glitch that prevented me from evacuating successfully with the rest of my team, but at least I got to watch them try everything they could to free me from my prison. As you all descend on the final area, you’re cleverly forced to work together, and you form some temporary camaraderie as a result. If you squint through the egregious bugs — clipping through walls, zombies not dying despite taking damage, guns not dealing damage at all — you can see a game that emphasizes teamwork in smart ways. And despite having just one map, it’s the perfect place to watch your crew’s story unfold.
Completing Objectives and Enhancing Skills
The Power Plant offers plenty of opportunities for grouping up through optional objective locations. Completing them will provide you with loot: guns, bullets, health, and sometimes special items that give passive bonuses. Gradually, you’ll find your teammates at these locations, where you’ll have to work together to complete a series of tasks for your reward. By the time you reach the final objective, everybody still alive will have grouped up naturally. It’s a tense finale where you’re running around, flipping switches, and entering codes to boot the plant back up — all while trying to avoid the biggest zombie horde yet.
Character Choices and Management
There are also multiple character types you can choose from before starting a run, each with distinct but small buffs to things like two-handed melee damage, stamina, or flashlight battery lifespan. You can continue building these characters up through experience and supplies collected during a run. It incentivizes you to do well and provides an actual end if you die in-game.
Ongoing Development and Bug Fixes
To its credit, developer Torn Banner Studios has been working diligently on hotfixes since launch, improving the gameplay experience. However, content updates are still needed to help No More Room in Hell 2 stand out from other similar games. The bugs need to be addressed for the game to reach its full potential.