What about something where you play one character in a group of several survivors. Each character has their own strengths, skillsets, and backstory. You've been getting used to your character, the talk of the family they want to get back to, and adapting to his/her unique talents, when you get killed. But instead of checkpoints of starting over, that character dies for good, and you are switched to a different one.
For example, if there was a Dallas in the vents scenario, and you were the character in the vents and were killed, you'd be switched to the guy operating the tracker. And now you're him. The selection would be random, and you'd have no choice in who your new character was. And the loss of your previous character effects the storyline and the moral/circumstances of the group.