PLATFORM: PC, PS5, XBOX SERIES (REVIEWED) | RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
Total Chaos is the latest release from Trigger Happy Interactive, the solo developer behind Turbo Overkill, a game that STARBURST recently described as “a truly unbelievable experience” and “one of the best in its genre”. High hopes for this one, then! Moving away from Turbo Overkill‘s manic fast-faced FPS gameplay, Total Chaos started life as a mod for Doom II, before being turned into something entirely different – a brutal survival horror that takes inspiration from a variety of sources within the genre’s storied history. Set on the gloomy and foreboding Fort Oasis, where you wash ashore after your ship crashes in the ocean, you find yourself alone with no possessions and nothing to guide you other than an unknown voice on a radio. Following his instructions, you venture into the Fort and quickly discover why its former inhabitants have fled (or perished) – the island is now overrun by savage groups of monstrous entities who make their homes in the darkest corners of the Fort’s crumbling and decaying buildings, ready and waiting to defend their territory against any perceived intruders (ie. you).
The game eases you in gently during the course of the first two or three chapters, allowing you to learn how to manage your inventory, craft weapons and other items, and generally figure out what the game expects you to do – you’re not given a map to begin with, for example, but you’ll soon learn that by thoroughly exploring your surroundings, you’ll usually be able to pick one up somewhere along the way. You’re encouraged to carefully scour the corridors for crafting materials too, along with various other items that will either make your life a little bit easier or help to fill out the story so that you can figure out what’s actually happening around you. Combat also takes a little bit of getting used to, often requiring you to get a couple of hits in before backing away, at least in the early going while you’re only equipped with (breakable) melee weapons – you’ll find some firearms soon enough, but limited ammo means that you’ll definitely need to master hand-to-hand fighting. A wide variety of enemies hiding in the shadows means that not only do you never quite know when or where they might appear, but you can never really be sure what might appear or how you might need to deal with it, constantly building tension and apprehension as you try to second-guess what the game might throw at you at any given moment.
If you can imagine a cross between Silent Hill (whose composer worked on Total Chaos‘ soundtrack), S.T.A.L.K.E.R. and, given its origins, a dash of Doom thrown in for good measure, you’re getting close to the sort of thing you can expect from Total Chaos. You’re likely to find some rough edges here and there, like enemies getting stuck in place, occasional encounters that seem grossly unfair (invisible exploding enemies, anyone?), and a slightly cumbersome and unwelcoming crafting system, but Total Chaos does so many things right that it’s easy enough to look past a few shortcomings. Without giving too much away about the story, its protagonist’s predicament is handled incredibly well – those with a penchant for well-written narratives in their spooky horror games are well-served in that department – and, elsewhere, there’s some cracking sound design and visuals along the way too. A fantastic throwback to what many would consider the golden age of survival horror!
