It’s so obvious to mention the original Doom at the slightest mention of boomer shooters. It wasn’t the first first-person shooter (FPS), but it still feels like the most important in terms of popularity and influence.
Not only was the 2016 reboot a hit, but to this day, programmers and enthusiasts continue finding more and more ridiculous places to run and play the original game. After all, people have managed to get it to run on everything from treadmills to inside Minecraft to ultrasound machines.
The fast-paced ‘corridor shooter’ style has inspired and influenced just about every FPS game to adopt a more speed-oriented, arcade flare. Just look at the freneticism of something like the Call of Duty franchise. Just about everyone associates the FPS genre with the fast-paced style that Doom popularised.
But even though the greater FPS genre continues to progress and evolve further, expanding across all sorts of new settings and telling a myriad of new stories, the boomer shooter genre hasn’t seemed to develop with such rapidity. It seems that lots of the best games in the genre now are remakes and spinoffs. And when you look at how narrow of a definition ‘boomer shooter’ is, you can maybe understand why.
Colour me sceptical then, because one of my first experiences of Turbo Overkill was that of opening the controls menu and seeing barely 10 unique controls. How would that be any fun? And seeing that a lot of your progression sends you down narrow corridors on your way to destroy a rogue AI. Again, what sounds particularly inventive there?
Now, if I didn’t have fun playing this game, I’d use such points to downplay the overall package, but having slayed some thousands of alien-like enemies, I realise that such points carry little significance in the face of its rocket-fuelled levels.
Don’t Meditate, Annihilate
In the way of drifting away from the overall experience of playing Turbo Overkill, I won’t dwell on the fairly simple game design. It sounds harsh to say, but overall, there is not too much here that gamers haven’t seen before.
The beauty of it all is that Turbo Overkill, with its futuristic cyberpunk setting aptly named ‘Paradise’ and its blood-pumping soundtrack, offers exactly the satisfaction a boomer shooter needs to give you. It’s insanity. Think super-paced, zoomed-out FOV, and bloody violence.
It begins in campaign mode, with the fact that the protagonist and executor of the violence is named Johnny Turbo. Equipped, initially, with twin magnums and a chainsaw leg, destruction is the only possibility.
The first thing I noticed is the speed and twitchiness of the controls, and while you can tune the sensitivity to your liking, there still is the kind of twitchiness where the slightest thumbstick input shoots you off in whichever direction. I will admit that I launched myself off many balconies early on. This general speed lends itself to constant forward motion, as fine adjustments are not an option.
The weapon choices are also plentiful enough to keep you busy. You start with pretty simple twin magnums, but pretty soon begin collecting an assortment of everything from shotguns to twin Uzis to rocket launchers and, better yet, a sniper that teleports you inside of the enemy.
No option lends itself to methodical play. There’s no reloading your guns either (you just pick up ammo off the ground); again, constantly propelling yourself into swathes of enemies is the only real way to do it.
As you go, you get the option to upgrade each of these weapons. Mainly, you’ll find yourself unlocking ‘alt-fire’ modes for each gun. The magnums, for example, have a lock-on fire mode, which is helpful in those moments when you’re trying to shake off three enemies simultaneously.
And, of course, as I mentioned above: the chainsaw leg. It’s a perfect alternate weapon to your ranged guns and a perfect demonstration of Turbo Overkill’s blend of cyberpunk and zombie-styled slashers. You simply slide towards your enemy, and the chainsaw leg turns them to pulp. It’s particularly useful in those moments when you step through a door into a tiny corridor overflowing with basic enemies.
Fire to Your Heart’s Content
Not only does Turbo Overkill have a wonderfully violent campaign, but there is both an endless mode and arcade mode.
As you can guess, the endless mode can keep you busy with all the violence for as long as you can take it. That is, it’s a perfect way to challenge yourself beyond the main story mode. It’s got all the bells and whistles available in the campaign and maintains the same ultra speedy, zoomed-out FOV gameplay that makes Turbo Overkill so good.
Arcade mode is also a wonderful way to scratch that adrenaline itch, with community-made maps that are as good as the creative minds behind them. It’s not the most mind-blowing map creator, but as with all things in this game, the general feel is what energises you to awesome, mindless fun.
Too Much or Too Little Bloodshed?
Overall, the package on offer here is certainly appetising. As I’ve mentioned, it’s a game typical of the boomer shooter genre as far as constant, adrenaline-filled violence is concerned.
I feel that Turbo Overkill is possibly one step away from perfection, but there are two sides to how I see this.
On the one hand, I feel that I never quite had those singular moments that I have experienced in something like Doom. The kinds where you enter into a random room on a random level and where you are so completely drowned in enemies. The kinds where you seem to be hanging on for dear life with a single ounce of health, dodging your way about missiles and bullets and melee attacks from every kind of enemy.
I also feel that Turbo Overkill doesn’t quite build up these moments of friction. It has a more linear and consistent feel in the levels; it’s too controlled and sensible for a game otherwise focused on complete insanity.
Alternatively, I think something can be said about Turbo Overkill going in the direction of adding a bit more depth. Not so much that it turns into a tactical shooter, but the kind where each weapon has a certain special time to be used, and where choosing your upgrades feels more influential on your overall approach through the rooms.
The guns in this version of Turbo Overkill undoubtedly feel destructive. But they’re not unique enough, such that choosing a weapon is more than seeing what has ammo. Not to mention the weapon-wheel on the console does feel a bit clunky, slowing you down a bit in some of those hectic moments. As I mentioned above, the upgrades also can seem like they’re a marker of your progress more than an expression of your playstyle.
Final Thoughts
Ultimately, the best way to put it is this: Turbo Overkill is a boomer shooter that perfectly emphasises the frenetic violence at the core of the genre, whilst also adding its cyberpunk-ness and style, thus creating something worth picking up even if you’ve played all the boomer shooter essentials.
Play Turbo Overkill. It’s wonderfully fun and violent.
FOUR STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Highlights: Frenetic and frenzied gameplay, wonderful soundtrack and beautiful visuals
Lowlights: Somehwhat simple game design, nothing paticularly revolutionary in the approach
Developer: Trigger Happy Interactive
Publisher: Apogee Entertainment
Platforms: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch
Available: Now
Review conducted on PlayStation 5 with an early access code provided by the publisher.
