Turbo Overkill features the protagonist Johnny Turbo who returns to his hometown of Paradise to find him in shambles with the population possessed by Syn, a rogue AI, and its army of augmented minions. Armed with a bevy of guns and his trusty leg-chainsaw, Johnny is Paradise’s only hope as he heads off to destroy the greatest AI ever created.
Turbo Overkill is a fast-paced first person shooter that is an homage to classic FPS games from the 1990s like DOOM and Wolfenstein. You run through each level, mowing down (literally; more on that below) waves of enemies trying to get in your way. You start off with a few basic pistols, but you’ll quickly pick up bigger guns such as shotguns, machine guns, rocket launcher; just to name a few.
And yes our protagonist has a chainsaw on his calf which will mow down enemies while sliding. The faster you run, the more damage it causes. And speaking of fast, you move very fast. If you’re used to more “realistic” movements in FPS such as Call of Duty, you’ll need time to get acclimated with your moving speed. Expect the same old cliché as in 90s DOOM; Find locked door, backtrack to find a key, trying to remember where the door is to backtrack to it as far as you can.
Another nifty feature from the 1990s is the lack of reloading. Just shoot until you run out of ammo. In order to give your character a bit of leg up on the competition so to speak, you can purchase augments for various parts of your body. For example, you can purchase an upgrade that will allow you to cause damage to surrounding enemies when you land on the ground or chainsaw damage refilling your health.
Weapons can also be upgraded as specific weapons shop. Each have a basic and stronger shot. Given this is an homage to 90s shooter, there’s no aiming down the reticle. The Left Trigger will charge up your weapon’s secondary attack. Once the shot is fired, it needs a short cooldown period before you can use it again.
The game looks great. It features a pixelated visual style that will bring you back to the good old days of 1990s gaming. It also has a perfect balance of colorful visuals with a darker tone conveying the desperation of the city’s predicament. Apogee claims this is the most violent game they did and they aren’t wrong. The pixelated blood splatters everywhere when blasing A.I. fools. The soundtrack is an awesome compilation of addictive dark synthwave tunes.
While I appreciate the fast paced action, the fast movement can be a detriment when trying to do some platforming. At times, you’ll need to reach narrow ledges and you move so fast that momentum will make you miss the platform and have to start over. Also, the wall-running is irritating to use. You need to jump in the specific wall in a precise angle, otherwise you fall to your death (or lower platforms having to start your climb all over again). The other problem is the over reliance on the augments. If you don’t purchase any of them you’ll be penalized by having your progress hindered because you won’t have the “required” augment.
Turbo Overkill starts off great. The fast paced movement, shooting, exploration works well as a whole, but the deeper you get in the game, the more platforming rear its ugly head and ruins the complete experience. I had flashbacks of DOOM Eternal’s overabundance of platforming, except worst because if you don’t position yourself perfectly on the walls to wall run, you’re screwed. Missing the wall jump augment? Well expect to be screwed later in the game. It starts off well, but the platforming killed it for me. Great shooter where its paced is ruined by monotonous platforming. Unless you’re a die hard FPS fan or looking to experience a new “old school” type experience, I cannot recommend Turbo Overkill.
Overall
-
65%
Summary
Pros
- Great homage to 90s FPS
- Enjoyable variety of weaponry
- Fast paced action
- No reloading required!
Cons
- Wall running requires insanely annoying precision
- Movement a bit too fast for narrow platforming
- Another argument why platforming doesn’t belong in FPS games