Total Chaos

Total Chaos’ remake can be orthodox to a fault, but it’s a polished evolution of a fascinating blend of survival horror and shooter that never lets off the gas.

Total Chaos is a game of extremes for me. I really like its combat and survival elements, but the action of melee and gunplay against the lesser enemies is less enjoyable than I would have hoped. There is also some noticeable jankiness that pulls away from its best elements. However, I was almost always enamored with Total Chaos’ set pieces, environment, and sound. The bigger scares in this game and the build-ups to them are great. It’s not often we see such a thematic change between games like the move from Turbo Overkill to Total Chaos, but I think Trigger Happy Interactive has built something quite fun with this game. It might not always be consistent, but when Total Chaos hits, it hits like a sledgehammer crushing a twisted figment of our warping sanity.

More than anything, I vibed with Total Chaos' creative dungeon-crawling routine, its secrets and scares, its weird developments and frantic encounters, and I even enjoyed tangling with my overweight inventory. There are settings to untick everything from hunger to weapon durability, but I played through the game on standard and found its systems generous and satisfyingly manageable. In the end, Total Chaos purely nails this sad survival horror sweet spot that I didn’t even realize I was jonesing for.

Fort Oasis is a decaying nightmare where reality crumbles and waiting only for you. Come and be pleasantly scared and fight for survival.

Its recipe is a simple one — take rock-solid FPS and survival fundamentals, and flesh them with high-level, imaginatively distinct, and powerful horror. It’s not a subtle experience, but met on its own terms, warts, Wranglers and all, it hits like a sledgehammer in the best possible way. Brace yourself.