The reason legendary filmmaker John Carpenter’s name is attached to Saber Interactive’s zombie shooter is apparent from the get go. It’s no cash grab or effort to get fan’s ears to prick up upon his mention. The director of Escape From New York’s DNA is flowing through its veins. John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando feels like one of his best stories. It also has that humour and flare seen in many of his movies. The only difference is you get to live it – to experience the chaos and welcomed ridiculousness first-hand.
The story is simple. The Sludge God has ruined the world by turning people into zombies and God knows what else. A team of four soldiers must battle back against the evil in an effort to repel the sludge and return the world to how it used to be. Everything about it feels like one of Carpenter’s 80’s movies. The ragtag group of mercenaries are over-the-top caricatures of themselves, built on fury and vulgarity, making jokes and raging at the chaos unfolding around you. They’re no Kurt Russell, but there’s still a warmth to them that you can’t help but love.
Each character has a different class, however, you can change them as well. Each with its own skill tree, they all have noticeable skills that can be improved. The Strike focuses on damaging large areas at once with a swift barrage of explosions. They can also carry more ammo, with other perks that make them best for those who want to be the leader on the battlefield. The Operator has a drone which can be triggered to help dispatch zombies across the playing field, whereby different projectiles can be unlocked as you upgrade the tree.
John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando has The Medic as its supporting class. Activating a healing area can help in those clutch moments. Not only that, they get a skill to self-revive which, believe me, is going to be essential. Finally, The Defender is the beast of the squad. Taking the bulk of damage draws attention away from the team. They use a barrier that damages zombies who get too close, as well as blocking long-range attacks. While classes are a great addition, all four don’t stop you from getting in the thick of it and appreciating the raw carnage of each mission.
There have been plenty of games that have tried to make 4-player co-op fun. Sometimes they don’t stick the landing or have much staying power after release. The big difference with John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando is that missions are deeply rewarding, unpredictable, and can last for quite some time. This means team synergy needs to be at a maximum. Communication is important as is utilising class abilities. Waves upon waves of zombies spawn at a moment’s notice, ramping up both the action and the difficulty.
Each mission has certain objectives like delivering something from A to B or reaching a particular location to destroy something that damages the Sludge God’s hold on humanity. Along the way, however, are multiple opportunities to gain supplies and XP. Maybe there’s a building with ammo and health refills, or hidden behind a cluster of zombies is a spare part that can later be used in the final assault where you need to defend an outpost. There are also locations rich in Sludgite that go along way in building XP come the completion of the mission.
Maps are quite large with room for exploration. Utilising your vehicle to get from one place to another is so important. Cars and trucks are located across maps and they have slight differences depending on which you choose. Looking for one with a winch is important because they’ll help you get up steep and sludgy hills as well as ripping open truck doors or bunkers that are home to resources. They need fuel refilling and ammo stocking up if they have a machine gun mounted on the roof. It’s a constant battle, but one you have to get used to.
When it comes to the action, John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando is phenomenal. Seeing hundreds of zombies and other deformities run at you is intimidating. All you can do is try and gun them down as you prepare for potential death. You can choose a weapon and subsequently upgrade between missions, but there’re also special guns that have amazing firepower. These legendary weapons can’t be filled with new ammo. Once they’re used, that’s it. Still, having one in your arsenal can be the difference between getting overwhelmed and tipping the scale in your favour.
I’ll never forget the first time I was in awe of the action I was experiencing. I had reached the final stop in the mission and had to defend a weapon that was about to wipe out hundreds of zombies. I used spare parts to restore either electric fences, mortars and machine guns, or unlock powerful weapons. Once ready, the waves of enemies started to arrive. Watching them flow through the nearby hills and towards me almost stopped me from pulling the trigger. Remember that moment at the start of Saving Private Ryan where everything slows down? Yeah, that’s how it felt.
Still, I held onto our position and just assaulted the zombies with bullets and grenades, rounds from the mortar, and triggering my trusty drone. The seconds on the timer counted down and the damage to the weapon was reaching zero. Then, in that moment, I remembered I had picked up a powerful machine gun. I pulled the trigger and didn’t let go, watching the mountain of zombies become a stump. It was intense, exciting, and beyond satisfying when I finally managed to hang on until the mission was complete.
Different enemy types create new on-the-fly strategies to deal with them. Knowing when to risk it all in favour of making a run to a supply dump or heading for the objective is a constant thought. Dying isn’t the end as long as you have someone close by to revive you, but three strikes and that’s it. Difficulty increases as you play, but you’re always equipped to deal with whatever gets thrown at you. It’s just a lot of fun, and it’ll be cool to see what gets added as the months roll on following release because it has so much potential to stick around.
Saber Interactive is no stranger to incredible set pieces, but this is the best they’ve ever done. World War Z comes to mind, but with John Carpenter influencing the story, visuals, and kickass soundtrack, I adored how chaotic missions became. It feels like one big amalgamation of his best work. Playing alone is perfectly fine, but having others to experience the madness with is where it comes alive. The AI bots are okay, but communicating with others for the perfect gameplan is where the joy really comes through.
Camaraderie and relentlessness. Campiness and carnage. John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando is the perfect timeout for those wanting to just blow the shit out of hordes of undead without worrying about deep lore or upgrade systems. Weapons and classes can be upgraded, but it takes a backseat when it comes to the moment to moment action of the missions. While some missions to feel a touch repetitive, it’s the fun you’ll have with friends that provide the watercooler chatter long after you’ve put your rifle to bed.
