John Carpenter's Toxic Commando is as over-the-top as its name implies. By introducing just enough twists to a tried and true formula, it's hard to resist the allure of four friends banding together to eviscerate hordes of monsters.
John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando is undeniably a great time. Honestly, a developer would have to try pretty damn hard to make a cooperative horde shooter be an entirely miserable experience.
The fact is, games are often better with friends and Toxic Commando is no exception.
Saber Interactive makes its influences obvious from the start. Primarily, the game is rooted in the kind of camp action one would expect from the 1980s. One might see John Carpenter and think Halloween or The Fog. And while Toxic Commando has its elements of horror, the vibes are more situated in Escape from New York, Big Trouble in Little China, They Live, and Ghosts of Mars–sorry fans of Memoirs of an Invisible Man.
As influential as Carpenter’s body of work is to generations of creators, Saber also uses Toxic Commando as a platform for its own endeavors. We’ve got chunky, off-road driving from SnowRunners. The freaky hordes akin to Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2. And there’s the obvious inspiration from World War Z. Suffice it to say, Saber knows what it’s doing and Toxic Commando is meant to capitalize on those core ideas.
The framework leading into Toxic Commando works as a satisfying vehicle to explain all the madness. In short, Leon Dorsey is the CEO of the Obsidian Group who hoped to harness the power of the Earth’s core for alleged noble causes. Unfortunately, his work awakened a kind of Lovecraftian beast known as the Sludge God. Along with this towering monstrosity, people have been transformed into zombie-like creatures.
In an effort to contain the Sludge God’s spread, a massive wall was constructed around the surrounding areas of infection before it could devour the world. Leon remained and summoned the help of Astrid, Cato, Ruby, and Walter–the titular Toxic Commandos–to bring him a package that would finally fell the Sludge God. As expected, things go awry, the package is destroyed and the team has been infected with the same disease as everyone else. Thankfully, Leon strapped a device to each of the Commandos to stave off full infection for a few days, granting them just enough time to work out a new plan.
Toxic Commando takes itself mildly seriously, as it should, but despite the world-ending stakes there’s always the veil of camp preventing things from being too grim. The four-person team is a chatty group that delivers eye-rolling banter at a steady clip so it never becomes exhausting. Walter is kind of an idiot but seems like the leader, yet everyone gives him shit about how worthless and lazy he comes across. Cato is the straight-edge guy who lets Ruby and Astrid’s sarcasm fill the empty space.
Would you ask me the specific story beats of Toxic Commando outside of hunting down various fuels and items to power a device that will help eviscerate the Sludge God and its minions, there wouldn’t be a lot to say. The pacing is breezy and the dialog only dumps exposition in short bursts. It definitely takes after the machismo-laden fests of the 1980s where men and women are both capable of bloodlust.
One of the primary issues for Toxic Commando is that because the game takes on such a realistic and gritty tone, it can leave the world itself looking a bit drab. While science fiction elements are riddled throughout, it’s still very much a game where players are shooting normal guns as normal people. On top of that, the palette used for each map has a tendency to feel a little too earthy and gritty, exemplifying the Sludge that has taken over.
Environments really only pop with color when massive explosions plaster the viewable space. Certain enemies glow a vibrant red or shoot out yellow lasers from their tentacles. But red is the most pronounced color that isn’t a grungy green or brown or grey or black. A thick sludge represents the ever-present threat and covers the ground where enemies pour out. Gnarled black tentacles cover the world and will be laced with reddish-pink accents. The decayed flesh of enemies is also a swamp of grey, flooding the screen with movement.
Having Toxic Commando embrace a bit more of the 1980s vibrancy would have gone a long way to make the aesthetic feel unique enough to be truly memorable. This isn’t a mil-sim but it’s not particularly fetching for the eye. There are ways to do visual cohesion without making everything blend together in this realistic smoothie. Players will encounter power plants, churches, gas stations, and underground bunkers. They all look like something that can exist in the world but when characters can emit glowing green healing auras and lay down bright blue domes of protection, would some flashy neon signs hurt?
Part of me wonders if Toxic Commando will receive a Blood Dragon-like pass in the future, just to infuse a bit more fun into its presentation. I think Saber wants the optional customization options to characters, guns, and vehicles be a bit more ridiculous, therefore giving players better self-expression. Driving a green truck with a flamethrower through dozens of shambling undead is hilarious, why can’t some of the action be a little bit more goofy?
Toxic Commando‘s four-player cooperative killing isn’t breaking the mold in any astounding way. On the surface it’s up to four people firing millions of bullets into thousands of enemies over several dozen runs. Brutish enemies will rush a person and punch them repeatedly until the team comes to help. Stalkers will go around taking pot shots in the distance. Hulking units will throw explosive orbs at the group in an attempt to knock them down.
Concentrating fire and managing sparing ammunition is a big part of the action. But it’s the way Toxic Commando incorporates other familiar elements into its core shooting that allow it to capitalize on fun.
Each character embodies a kind of role that is used to provide crucial aid to the dynamic of the team. The medic can emit a circle of healing that comes in clutch when everyone is grouped up, especially in a vehicle. When attempting to hold ground, the sentinel can drop a dome that will harm enemies inside and protect from projectiles. The support has a drone that can shoot stunning bolts or drench mobs in fire. And a DPS role blasts explosive shots from her hands.
Each of these characters has four unique powers in their class that function differently enough that there can be strategic consideration. The medic can heal permanent health back or fire out a healing blast. The sentinel can apply three smaller protective domes or cast one that follows him around. Additionally, the upgrade paths of each character provide them with tangible benefits that focus on their class. Increase ammo, healing, and grenade capacity or basics. But the duration and range of powers are useful as well.
As players go through missions, they will earn currency used to unlock attachments for weapons and upgrade base damage. A separate, earnable currency is used for cosmetic upgrades. Because weapons and character classes level up independently, it’s wise to focus on one or two primary weapons, especially because unlocks can be relatively expensive.
There is a real sense of cooperation when working to coordinate the four character roles. They all serve their purpose in very specific instances but have true value when working in tandem effectively. A last minute dome of safety is clutch, especially when the medic can heal everyone that is grouped up.
One of my favorite parts of Toxic Commando is that each story level takes place on a different map with different objectives. These maps aren’t small but they also aren’t sprawling to the point of being exhausting. But Saber is using their experience with SnowRunner here. Maps have points of interest players can drive to to get ammo, overpowered temporary guns, and upgrade materials. Completing optional objectives also rewards more experience. Vehicles drive relatively well and can get stuck in sludge. There will be times where players need a vehicle with a winch to break option locks or doors. A cop car can drive fast while an ambulance can provide passive healing.
The map variety also means that objectives aren’t too exhausting or boring. Yeah, there’s a “go find the keycard” objective. Yeah, there’s one escorting a vehicle that only one player can sit in. But when adding in that extra touch of scope and the large scale of potential encounters, it doesn’t get bland. One particularly memorable map had us carrying around a battery that prevented the caustic air of the sludge from killing us. However, we had to stick close to the one carrying around the battery, meaning that player couldn’t shoot or we had to drop the battery for a moment to engage in a shootout.
That sense of open-ended action mixed with exploration, shooting, driving, and objective hunting makes for an interesting stew. For a solo player, things are slightly less fun because all the driving falls on one person. You don’t get to hop on the turret in the truck bed and mow down baddies. You’re usually the one carrying the thing and dictating minimal directions to the AI. And while they are competent, survive well, and seemingly don’t run out of ammo, the AI characters can’t make up for the sheer fun of friends. Most maps will culminate a few times in a “stand your ground” moment where waves of enemies will pour in from multiple directions. Traps and tools can be set up to help stop the tide but it requires collectible parts that are usually hidden around the map. And it’s simply cooler to coordinate these moments with others, shouting where to focus firing, activating support abilities, and generally feeling like a badass.
The incorporation of such competent first-person shooting and engaging team dynamics really comes alive in Toxic Commando‘s harder difficulties. It’s here that players need to have actual weapon and character upgrades to survive the higher concentration of trash mobs and the increased amount of specialty units. Improving guns can feel a bit like a grind in the game but when players have a dedicated group, the tension on the two harder difficulties is much more satisfying. Plus, rewards are increased when tackling these modes, creating a generous loop.
John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando obviously has echoes of titles like Left 4 Dead and Back 4 Blood in it. As a cooperative horde shooter it doesn’t stray from the pack in a way that is too experimental to prevent casual fun. Despite the gritty and realistic aesthetic, the open-ended maps offer numerous engaging objectives meant to challenge groups of players. By combining familiar elements of character classes and tangible upgrades, Saber Interactive has borrowed from its best titles to create a cohesive power climb that is best with friends biting back with enough fangs that challenges are fresh and fun.
