John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando [REVIEW] – A Glorious, Mud-Splattered Bloodbath 

We’re not exactly short on co-op zombie shooters these days, but when you’ve got a legendary name like John Carpenter slapped on the box, it’s only natural that you’re going to grab some attention. And, thankfully, John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando delivers an experience worthy of the name attached to it. Don’t get me wrong, it isn’t trying to completely rewrite the rulebook laid out by classics of the genre, but it does lean fully into its brilliant, 1980s B-movie aesthetic – all whilst delivering a highly polished, incredibly fun, and unapologetically chaotic experience.  

Check out some screenshots down below:  

The premise of John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando is delightfully absurd, with a massive scientific experiment going horribly wrong and unleashing an entity known as the Sludge God into the world. This creature begins turning the environment into toxic muck and mutating the population into aggressive monsters, so you take on the role of one of four mercenaries – Walter, Ruby, Cato, or Astrid – to stop it.  

Ok, if we’re being completely honest, the narrative isn’t going to win any awards (especially with how it leans into the absurdity of 1980s B-movies), but the atmosphere and silly tone completely save it. The game manages to strike a lovely balance between outright camp and thrilling tension, and you’ll quickly learn to appreciate the cheesy one-liners and just enjoy the ride. 

Where the game truly shines is in its moment-to-moment action, with developer Saber utilising their Swarm Engine technology from World War Z to make for some staggering action sequences. The screen gets absolutely FILLED with enemies, and believe me, it’s a joy to gun them down. It helps that the gunplay feels phenomenally weighty: shotguns have a proper kick and assault rifles rattle convincingly, whilst the more powerful gear in your arsenal brings with them a REAL sense of impact. It all feels really, really good and immediately makes John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando a joy to play. 

“John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando knows exactly what it wants to be: a loud, messy, and exhilarating B-movie bloodbath.“

Whilst zombies make up the majority of foes you face off against, the game also tries to spice things up a little with more specialised opponents. Alongside the basic ‘Roamers’, you have to deal with specialist foes like ‘Skunks’ that spew buffing poison gas, massive ‘Brutes’, and terrifying ‘Nukers’ that rush you before detonating, to name a few. The environment itself is hostile too, with toxic sludge damaging you over time and mutant tentacles bursting from the ground to plant explosives… yeah, pretty much nowhere is safe. The standard enemies aren’t too much of a threat individually, but when the game throws hundreds of them at you simultaneously, the spectacle really is breathtaking. Thankfully, the performance holds up beautifully even when the screen is absolutely overflowing with flesh and explosions, ensuring that the game feels silky smooth to play throughout. 

It is worth noting that John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando drops you into expansive, sandbox-style maps, and over the course of the nine-mission campaign, you will spend a lot of time driving. Vehicles are essential and you will regularly need to use your car’s winch to haul yourself up steep, muddy inclines, rip open sealed bunkers to grab loot, or drag a friend’s stuck truck out of the muck. It creates a brilliant organic pacing where you alternate between frantic firefights and quieter moments of scavenging for resources, with the sense of diversity offered within the gameplay ensuring that John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando is no one-trick pony. It has a lot going on, and whilst I’d be lying if I said any of it was overly original, it does manage to be a ton of fun. 

Every mission also culminates in an enormous, earth-shattering defence sequence. Throughout the level, you gather spare scrap, which you then spend to deploy automated turrets, electric fences, and mortars at the final objective. And believe me, once the siren blares and the hordes pour over the scenery like a terrifying tidal wave, it’s hard not to find a big (though often stressed-out) smile on your face. Holding the line with your friends while unleashing absolute hell is easily the highlight of the entire package, with it making for sequences of pure gaming bliss. I loved it. 

Check out some screenshots down below:  

There are other things going on too, such as the class system that allows players to utilise different playstyles (and even have unique ultimate abilities), whilst there are even skill trees that tie to your progress as well as the levelling up of your weaponry. There are plenty of cosmetics to earn too, so if you stick around for the long haul, there’s a lot to keep you invested. Sure, none of these systems are particularly deep (if I’m being honest, they were pretty basic when compared to the game’s contemporaries), but they give John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando that extra bit of meat to make the time investment feel worthwhile. 

One thing that is worth noting is that you REALLY need human teammates to get the most out of this. While you can play solo with AI bots, they are fairly lifeless and lack the strategic synergy required to survive the higher difficulties – you won’t want to stick with them for the long term. In fairness, it has launched at a lower price, so it’ll be easier to convince friends to fork out and join you… and hey, make them read this review if they need convincing, because it really is a f*****g blast with other players. If you’re planning on playing solo, though? You might get a lesser experience. 

Developer: Saber Interactive 
Publisher: Focus Entertainment 
Platform(s): PlayStation 5 (Reviewed), Xbox Series X|S, PC 
Website: https://www.focus-entmt.com/en/games/john-carpenters-toxic-commando