Pixel Force: Left 4 Dead is a fan-made, 8-bit-styled demake of Valve's 2008 first-person shooter game Left 4 Dead. It was developed by indie developer Eric Ruth Games and released as freeware on January 4, 2010. It was designer Eric Ruth's first attempt at an 8-bit demake, with the most difficult part for Ruth being the music composition due to Left 4 Deads soundtrack depth and the limited audio that Ruth could work with. Pixel Force: Left 4 Dead allows players to control one or more of four survivors. It is an overhead shooter, similar to NES games Ikari Warriors and Fester's Quest. It was the first of the Pixel Force series, followed by Pixel Force: Halo and Pixel Force: DJ Hero. The trailer was the target of mostly positive reception, though the post-release reception was more positive, with Left 4 Deads publisher Valve calling the idea behind it "hilarious". Ruth was praised for his ability to demake Left 4 Dead into a Nintendo Entertainment System-style video game. Gameplay Pixel Force: Left 4 Dead is based on the Valve game Left 4 Dead, which is a first-person shooter, while the Pixel Force demake is a top-down shooter. The game adapts all four maps as well as featuring the same cast of characters: Zoey, Bill, Louis, and Francis. These maps have five areas each. In addition to standard zombies, the game features zombies called the Special Infected. It features multiplayer for up to two players and two difficulty modes. Players are tasked with making it through these levels while killing infected that stand in their way. Along the way, they can upgrade their weaponry to make the task easier. Development Pixel Force: Left 4 Dead was developed by independent video game designer Eric Ruth under Eric Ruth Games. It was his first attempt at creating an 8-bit-styled remake of a previously existing title, regarding Left 4 Dead as a game he cherished. The idea of making an 8-bit remake of Left 4 Dead originally took form when he suggested to his friend the idea of remaking Left 4 Dead as a Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) game to his friend, who liked the idea. Ruth was the sole developer of the game, while friends provided quality assurance. While developing another game called Mean Kathleen and the Great Quack Machine, he began working on sprites for the four survivors and special infected from