80s Action Movie Magic Meets the Zombie Apocalypse
John Carpenter is an amazing filmmaker; a guy who defined horror with the Halloween movies and The Thing. He created some of the most iconic lead characters in cinema, from Snake Plissken in Escape from New York to Jack Burton in Big Trouble in Little China. He also composed his own music, renowned for that haunting, early 70s and 80s synth vibe.
It makes perfect sense, then, to pair his name with a video game. John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando is the name, and killing zombies is the game. Expect cool music, glorious mayhem, and a cast of wisecracking heroes.
Balancing the Co-op Genre
Four-player co-op titles are incredibly exciting, especially when you get to take them in with friends, but they can sometimes feel a bit dull on your own. Left4Dead was a prime example of this. However, I think Saber Interactive struck a good balance with their previous game in this genre, World War Z. That game featured tons of enemies on the screen at once, tactical gameplay, and a serious story. Toxic Commando shares many of those same core gameplay principles, but it is much more tongue-in-cheek and embraces far more fantasy in its mechanics.
The story revolves around four mercenaries whom we meet right from the off. There is Walter Irons, the joker of the pack equipped with quick-witted, cheesy barbs. Astrid seems to be the most professional of the group and is largely driven by a love of money. Ruby has a thing for weapons and mega-violence, while Cato is more of a hippy, spiritualist type. Each character has a different focus in the way they play, specialising in healing, attacking, defence, or explosives. You can choose who you want to be across the game’s nine campaigns and four difficulty levels.
Facing the Sludge God
The team is brought together by Leon Dorsly, an inventor and CEO. From his base, they are tasked with heading out into the world to kill the Sludge God – an ancient evil that is infecting the planet and mutating humanity. It is a premise that has been done a hundred times before, but it is told here with plenty of humour and a genuinely fun cast of characters. Of course, the main draw of the game is shooting hordes of zombies alongside your friends or AI bots.
Immersive First-Person Combat
The biggest difference between this game and World War Z is that you play in the first person rather than the third person. Some won’t like this change, but I tend to prefer FPS games, so it suited me perfectly and felt much more immersive. After the tutorial, you arrive at a base where you can upgrade your weapons and skills before heading out on a campaign mission. When you launch a mission, you can start instantly with the other three commandos controlled by AI, or you can wait for friends or random players to join your lobby. If you can, play with real folk, because that is where the real fun of John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando lies.
Each campaign features a series of objectives leading up to a massive fight at the end. However, these are open-world levels, meaning you can go wherever you like, taking down enemies and hunting for hidden secrets. It is a sprawling world, and you can utilise vehicles found along the way. Some might be as simple as a police car or an ambulance, while others are heavily armoured and feature mounted weapons, like machine guns and flamethrowers, that you can fire on the move.
Fast and Furious Tactical Gunplay
The combat is fast and furious, offering a variety of weapons, melee options, and explosives to defeat the horde as efficiently as possible. Working with friends or strangers over the mic is still the best way to play, as you can coordinate a plan of action together. This is especially true when you have to build defences in certain areas and stand your ground against enemies swarming from all directions. That being said, the AI partners do a surprisingly good job of backing you up needed.
The gunplay is incredibly furious, fun and, for me, never felt frustrating. It is amazing seeing so much chaos on the screen at the same time, and the frame rate never seemed to slow down under the pressure. That said, there are certain areas where sludge is thick on the ground, which can slow your movement or force you to use a winch to pull your vehicle through. This is fine, but it is a gameplay mechanic I honestly could have done without.
Visually, John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando looks great, featuring impressive cutscenes that show off the world and story to great effect. However, the graphics really shine when you have hundreds of enemies flooding the screen at once; it is a technical masterclass. The audio design features some amazing effects too, but the standout is undoubtedly John Carpenter’s score. Its 80s sci-fi feel works brilliantly to set the tone. The voice work is also solid, backed by some genuinely fun performances from the cast.
Embracing the Cheesy Action Vibe
You’ll have a fantastic time playing through the story missions found in John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando, no doubt tempted to increase difficulty levels as you go forward. If you can fully embrace the vibe of a cheesy, over-the-top action movie, then you are going to have a brilliant time here.
John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando is a whirlwind of action, mayhem, and endless zombies. What’s not to like?
Important Links
Blast Zombies With Friends In John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando – https://www.thexboxhub.com/blast-zombies-with-friends-in-john-carpenters-toxic-commando/
John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando Unleashes Gameplay | Release Date Confirmed – https://www.thexboxhub.com/john-carpenters-toxic-commando-unleashes-gameplay-sets-new-early-2026-release-window/
Buy from the Xbox Store – https://www.xbox.com/en-gb/games/store/john-carpenters-toxic-commando/9MTGCZ84M503/0010
Grab the Blood Edition – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/john-carpenters-toxic-commando-blood-edition/9NDXTBZMZFST/0010
