FPS Games Where Playing It Safe Can Actually Get You Killed

In most FPS games, taking cover is actually encouraged when you’re being shot at and your health bar is quickly melting. That makes sense because in what mad world does a person run toward whoever is trying to kill them? Well, although this doesn’t sound like the most brilliant survival strategy, it is actually not only perfectly valid in some video games, but it is actively encouraged.

In fact, hiding in a corner can actually make your situation worse, and actively fighting against your enemies is what will help you restore the most essential resources you need to survive. Of course, this also means players have to quickly forget some of the habits they’ve developed while playing other FPS titles, because those same skills that used to keep them safe can turn against them in the blink of an eye.

ULTRAKILL

Getting Closer Is The Only Way To Heal

ULTRAKILL is one of the best retro-style FPS games out there, at least in my humble opinion. Players control a combat machine that descends through Hell in a world where humanity is extinct. However, the game’s approach to survival is one of its most interesting aspects.

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In most shooters, when you’re running low on health, it’s better to retreat or find a corner to keep you safe until you recover. However, this strategy cannot work in ULTRAKILL because the combat machine restores health by absorbing fresh blood spilled from enemies. In other words, the more desperately you need healing, the more urgent it becomes to approach enemies and start shooting instead of hiding somewhere to avoid them.

Of course, this doesn’t mean you should charge blindly at every enemy you see, but hiding somewhere will definitely not help you in this game. Just like with everything else, it’s important to find a balance between avoiding incoming attacks and getting close enough to enemies to recover your health.

DOOM Eternal

Aggression Is The Key To Survival

In DOOM Eternal, you step into the shoes of a powerful warrior fighting against a demonic invasion of Earth. Of course, in this situation, it makes sense that you’ll have access to an impressive array of weapons, but that doesn’t mean you can afford to use them carelessly. Most resources are limited, and unlike many other shooters, DOOM Eternal makes aggressive combat an essential part of resource management.

For example, to replenish your health, you need to weaken your enemy enough to stagger it. Once you perform a finishing move, the enemy will drop health pickups that allow you to recover some of your health. This is also one way to replenish your ammo. Just like in ULTRAKILL, this creates a close relationship between survival and combat, and someone who refuses to engage with enemies at close range will most likely run low on ammunition and/or health pretty quickly.

Left 4 Dead 2

Nowhere Is Truly Safe

Left 4 Dead 2 is a cooperative zombie shooter that follows four survivors as they attempt to escape infected areas. Considering how dangerous the world outside is, finding a defensible position and just staying there might sound like a good idea, but this approach carries some pretty high risks.

Some Special Infected can use their tongues to grab survivors from a distance or even pounce on players and incapacitate them. Moreover, you can actually get pulled away from your teammates, which makes you immediately vulnerable, so hiding in a corner doesn’t really mean you are protected at all.

Warhammer 40,000: Darktide

Fighting Back Restores Toughness

The missions in Warhammer 40,000: Darktide send squads of up to four players into dangerous environments filled with monsters and enemies. In order to survive, players must combine weapons and abilities. One of the game’s defining mechanics is called Toughness, which absorbs damage before enemies can significantly threaten your character’s health. However, in order to replenish your Toughness, you need to stay within Coherency range of your teammates and use combat-related abilities or talents.

For example, melee combat restores Toughness, which immediately creates a problem for those who believe that avoiding close-range combat is the way to go if you want to stay safe. The good news is that the game gives you access to a lot of defensive moves as well, so you don’t have to rely only on your Toughness to get you through melee encounters; use all of your resources wisely.

Serious Sam 3: BFE

Standing Still Makes You Easy Prey

Serious Sam 3: BFE is one of the first FPS titles I ever played, and I don’t know if it’s nostalgia talking or if the game really is that good, but I think it deserves a shout-out. In any case, we’re not here to discuss our personal favorites, but rather how standing still can get you killed — and this game is the perfect example of that. Once you step into the shoes of Sam Stone, you’ll start fighting enormous hordes of aliens to protect planet Earth.

Although finding a safe place and staying there may sound like a good idea, this will only make you easier to kill. Some enemies will rush directly toward you, while others have no problem attacking you from a distance. When both types of aliens are attacking at once, which happens quite often, you absolutely need to make sure you are moving.