Developer Saber Interactive is not new when it comes to zombie games, with the team already supporting their previously released World War Z title with constant updates, and the studio’s latest game, John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando, features a similar grotesque setting. Published by Focus Entertainment, many would instantly relate the new offering back to World War Z, but I am happy to report that it brings many new things to the plate, and it deserves your attention. I know that a lot of people will instantly jump back to the time of Left 4 Dead and start comparing it with that title, but there is a lot of good here to love as well. This is our review of the PC Steam version of John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando, in which we try to survive in an epic wasteland overrun by zombies in a Humvee.
John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando is set in a world where a huge sludge monstrosity has infected the whole world and turned it into infected zombies called roamers. The four main characters are also infected by this virus, but thanks to a mad scientist, they have a few days before the mutation takes over, and this gives us enough time to explore different areas, prepare for the final battle, and take down the huge Sludge God before you lose your sanity as well. The story is created by none other than horror master John Carpenter, whose name is attached to masterpieces such as Halloween and The Thing.
The story itself is nothing special, especially when compared with John Carpenter’s other works, but it does not tie well with the missions together that much either. John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando is not strictly narrative, but each mission in the game presents its own missions and tasks that you must complete to prepare for the one final mission, where most of the story actually unfolds before you. The tutorial and the final mission are two missions that offer linear storytelling and gameplay, but other than that, the missions in between are open-world, and you have to figure out the narrative yourself, piece by piece.
However, you will not be playing John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando for its story, but rather for its gameplay. The game does not disappoint when it comes to slaughtering roamers. Central to your adventure is Leon’s Base, where you spend your time while you are not on missions. Here, you can prepare for upcoming missions, customize your loadouts, purchase new skills, and switch between different characters. John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando offers four unique character skins to choose from and four unique classes. These are your over-the-top classes with basic skill sets like a medic, a drone operator, a defender, and an offense class. You can choose your character and then opt for any of the four classes, given that it has not been picked already for a mission by another player.
Each class offers a unique skill, and has a further skill tree which offers additional passive bonuses for different abilities and skills. These skill trees offer upgrades for different items and skills, but not for your character itself. For example, there are no buffs in the game that would make you more resistant to incoming attacks, but you can purchase perks such as increasing the size of the healing dome or making the fireballs spit out additional projectiles. You need skill points to purchase these upgrades. Apart from skills, you can visually customize your character in the game with skins along with your weapons and vehicles. These are visual changes and do not affect the gameplay in any way. However, if you decide to switch up weapon parts in the armory, you can change how a weapon performs. Each weapon has a decent selection of attachments ranging from scopes to grips, and they change how a weapon behaves in the game. The more you use a weapon, the more it levels up, and when it levels up, it gives you access to these advanced attachments. These are tied to a single weapon, so if you want to change a weapon, you will need to grind once more and unlock its attachments. All of this can be done in your base.
After kicking off a mission, you arrive on a big open-world map where you are given a main objective, and you are set free. Each map is filled with optional exploration locations where you can look for special pickups, resources, weapons, and fight roamers in their natural habitat. It follows a high-risk, high-reward system for these locations. It is also great for grinding. While you are free to dash for the main objectives and complete the level, the real charm lies in the optional exploring and finding out different secrets. A detailed map marks everything of interest so you can explore each location thoroughly without missing anything.
The main missions usually follow a similar formula where you have to turn on some stuff, find some things, bring them to a certain location, and ultimately prepare your defenses and dig in for a massive roamer wave to survive a specific amount of time. Moving around these massive levels is equally fun because you can find and repair different types of vehicles. These vehicles come with special abilities like an EMP burst or other goodies like space for storing ammo, medkits, or even mounted weapons like machine guns or flamethrowers. Naturally, you will need to restock on ammo and fuel to keep these running, but it is always worth keeping any sort of vehicle in the game handy. You can mow down normal zombies with these vehicles, but some of the heavies will actively try to evade getting crushed.
Normally, driving in such games is terrible, but given Saber’s experience with driving games, and more specifically, off-road titles like SnowRunner and Expeditions, it is reflected here as some vehicles come equipped with winches to help you get out of sludge or mud if you get stuck. The driving mechanics are solid. The main campaign spans over eight missions and one tutorial mission, but you can replay the missions with different difficulty levels, number of players, and weapons as many times as you want. Each level switches up for each run, but the basics remain the same every time, offering a more streamlined approach for players looking to grind for experience or upgrades. John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando is a little grindy when it comes to mastering weapons and classes, a feature that I did not like much in the game.
Coming to the enemies, you will find different types of special infected thrown in the mix as well. Nothing is new if you have played World War Z or Back 4 Blood, as you will find a big tank-like infected, an infected that explodes on you, and even one infected that pulls you in with a hook-like arm. These special infected are part of normal enemies and mostly appear when a random horde is charging at you, or when you are in special defense sequences. The hordes in the game are absolutely huge, and on greater difficulties, it is chaos everywhere. The overall feel of the game is very atmospheric, and the visuals are pretty decent. It feels post-apocalyptic and does feel different when compared to other co-op zombie shooters because it is designed for vehicles in the mix.
The AI in the game sometimes feels useful and often is completely useless. For killing roamers and other enemies, the AI does a solid job. You will see them actively using their abilities in combat, picking up ammo, and helping you out in different ways while fighting enemies. You can also command them to pick up items and move them around, or use their picked-up Spare Parts to open special containers, and it is then that they start to act out. Quite often, they just ignore your command and stare at you instead, or look around. I’m just glad that at least they help you out during combat, especially when a special infected has you pinned down. I still remember the AI completely ignoring you in Left 4 Dead, and the Charger would pummel you to death.
While John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando may feel a little smaller when it comes to content at this time, I am not worried about the game’s future because their previous zombie shooter World War Z came out back in 2021, and even after 5 years of its release, we are still receiving new content for the game such as the amazing The Walking Dead collab earlier this year. Saber Interactive is also supporting many of its other games, such as SnowRunner, which received its Season 17 update recently. If John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando continues to receive this level of attention and regular updates, this is going to be one heck of a co-op zombie shooter. As a matter of fact, Saber Interactive’s experience with their prior releases has lent quite a lot to different gameplay mechanics here, and it is evident.
Final Verdict:
John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando is an interesting mash-up of different ideas. Slaughtering the roamer hordes in the game is extremely satisfying, and the greater difficulties are brutal. It is excellent for players looking for a hardcore co-op zombie shooter with open-world exploration. The vehicles add a nice touch and make it feel like you are in a true zombie survival movie. It is an overall enjoyable experience, but it could do even better with more content and more rewarding weapon upgrades. John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando is intense, excellent for anyone looking for non-stop chaos and zombie slaughter.
Final Score: 8.5/10
Disclaimer: A John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando PC Steam review code was provided by Sandbox Strategies on behalf of Focus Entertainment for this review. Read our Review Policy.
