John Carpenter's Toxic Commando developed by Saber Interactive and published by Focus Entertainment—PC (Steam) review by Mike with a copy provided by the publisher.
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
Toxic Commando harkens back to video games years ago when they were fun and innovative while giving the player freedom to explore among the waves of enemies in a 4 player chaotic onslaught of combat and driving mechanics. There have been many acclaimed successors of the Left 4 Dead style that are 4-player action survival games like Dead Island, World War Z, and a slew of others, but this title brings a new kind of meat to the genre.
John Carpenter, in collaboration with Focus Entertainment and developer Saber Interactive, worked on the game's story and composed its musical score. The story begins with the tale of four mercenaries tasked with delivering cargo into a undisclosed location. The job is simple and straightforward until the payload is compromised and the soldiers are infected with a incurable parasite.
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A scientific experiment meant to harness the energy of the Earth's core goes wrong and accidentally releases an entity called the Sludge God. Soon it begins to turn the soil into scum and mankind into zombies. However, the scientists behind the experiment come up with a plan to stop the Sludge God. You and your teammates are the primary keystone to preventing the end of the world and all humanity.
The man you are working for, and who saved your life, is Leon. He runs experiments in the containment zones and is the one man who kept you and your team alive. After fixing a life support vest for each mercenary, they proceed forward, benefiting from the super power side effects as result of the infection coursing through their bodies.
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The dialog feels like something straight out of a blockbuster action film with playful dialog that pushes the player towards key goals and progression forwards. Although, I noticed repeated dialog if I wandered off to explore the hidden corners of the maps, many of which were futuristic, and the main player hub's model work was polished and impressive. I spent countless moments admiring the scenery and atmosphere before realizing I was in the midst of a game, and not just sight seeing. In the player hub are mini games that keep gamers busy amid mission changes and loadout modifications. While in the hub, the music is right on point. Even when driving through hoards of undead or scouring the remains of locations for supplies, the music is perfect.
Snappy controls and rapid response times in player actions makes the gameplay feel polished and refined ensuring a complete delivered product in its game genre, as this title can be played solo, or with three friends taking over the roles of four mercenaries.
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The swarms and waves of undead flood the battlefield as players unleash a full arsenal of grenades, fully automatic SMG's, and additional secondary weapons that can be found or unlocked in the world during missions by using gear points or are hidden around the environment.
The driving mechanics are reminiscent of Mud runner and Snow runner series' as the vehicles carry weight and impact damage depending on the vehicle type you find and/or use. A police cruiser will slide swiftly around tight corners and catch grip on surfaces to indicate its acceleration and speed. The pickup truck will be slower on the acceleration, but can tread through deeper Sludge. It sports a front end winch hook to easily drag the vehicle through rough terrain and has a mounted LMG in the bed of the truck to defend it from the masses. These details make the vehicle mechanics just feel "right."
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The Star characters consist of four individuals: Astrid Xu, Walter Irons, Ruby Pelicano, and Cato Arman, each have their own personalities and skill trees. The points accumulated from missions contribute towards a wide range of power ups that aid the player in the progression through the story and different maps. Additionally, the vehicles that you find also have unique perks and power ups that the player will utilize, and oftentimes rely on, to get through swarms of the undead scourge.
I'm hesitant to mention the repeating dialogue when prompted or prodded to continue on, because mentioning it during missions has oftentimes prompted negativity from the public. Though, I hope that the dev team might consider a delay or more randomization of dialog. In hindsight, compared to the action and adventure of scurrying through these maps in a desperate attempt to complete objectives dwarfs any small amount of chatter the NPC's may have, and that keeps the player focused on the action.
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It's a definite must grab for any group of players or streamers looking for driving destruction, mayhem, and madness. And of course, the satisfaction of laying waste to swarms of zombies is fun! If this were a Hollywood summer blockbuster, I would be adding it to my collection and watching it over and over. It harkens back to a memory of early Left 4 Dead days, when playing online with a few friends, trying our best to survive and having a blast.
Score: 9 / 10
