Loads of Left 4 Useless-style co-op hoard shooters have come and gone all through the years. This consists of the rapidly forgotten non secular successor to the Left 4 Useless sequence, Again 4 Blood and Treatment’s just lately launched try, FBC Firebreak. Bear in mind FBC Firebreak? Anybody? Anybody? That one may nonetheless discover an viewers after deliberate updates, but it surely’s dealing with an uphill wrestle.
John Carpenter’s Poisonous Commando
Developer: Focus Dwelling
Writer: Saber
Availability: Releases early 2026 on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Collection S/X
Considered one of my favorite Left4Deadalikes (which most likely is not a phrase however I am making it one now) was Saber Interactive’s World Warfare Z, thanks primarily to the sheer quantity of zombies it throws at gamers in the course of the span of a mission and the visible spectacles that its writhing piles of undead created. Saber adopted that recreation up with one other Left4Deadalike of types in Area Marine 2, and now it is is again with John Carpenter’s Poisonous Commando, a recreation that takes all the pieces realized from these final two video games, provides it to a semi-open world after which crams in a really surprising however truly fairly cool thought from one other recreation in its again catalogue; MudRunner.
Having the precise freedom to discover in a recreation kind that usually includes pretty linear stage constructions feels actually refreshing. In Poisonous Commando’s story of 4 contaminated mercenaries and their battle in opposition to the minions of a just lately woke up Sludge God, you are free to wander or drive round every map to your coronary heart’s content material earlier than kicking off every stage’s climactic firefight. Identical to in Left 4 Useless, there are a number of acts right here, every break up into chapters however, as a substitute of simply going from level A to level B and infrequently having just a few massive battles at choke factors alongside the best way, Poisonous Commando opens issues up and means that you can plot your personal path. Do you gamble coming into contact with a number of hordes of roamers in an try to hoover up each final little bit of loot from the various factors of curiosity on the map, or do you simply make a beeline for the primary missions however threat getting there with fewer instruments and assets to defend your self with?
Clearly most of your time will revolve round taking pictures varied kinds of undead enemies, ones that loosely comply with the established Left 4 Useless components of explody one, grabby one, poisoney one and so forth and so forth, however there is not precisely a scarcity of issues to do between these firefights. There are large flailing tentacles popping up in all places that have to be shot earlier than they squirm away once more, there are small mini video games for hacking and repairing tools, little out of the best way stash spots to find, non-obligatory facet missions to undertake, and way more.
One of many major actions you may be doing, although, is operating down lots of squishy zombies with a automotive. Vehi-killing zombies in video video games is all the time a pleasure and it feels particularly nice to do in Poisonous Commando. Typically there are a whole lot of ghouls on display at one time and grinding these clusters of creepers underneath your wheels as your teammates lean out of the home windows to mow down the stragglers is pure 80s motion film extra. I beloved these moments! There are a number of automobiles to search out too, every with their very own particular talents, just like the ambulance that may give a therapeutic impact or the self destructing police automotive that acts a bit like Left 4 Useless’s noise emitting pipe bombs.
The standout car, for my part, needs to be the HMV which, when you stay within the UK, is an all terrain car and never a struggling franchise of music shops that now sells plastic collectibles and costly rucksacks. The HMV comes full with a mounted machine gun and a winch, and this winch ties in neatly to the opposite massive inspiration for Poisonous Commando: MudRunner. You see, all through the maps there are a lot of swimming pools of mud and sludge dotted round that may sluggish your progress as you wrestle to spin your tyres by the blockage. All whereas scores of ghouls descend upon you. Shoot the winch at a close-by tree or piece of surroundings, nonetheless, and you’ll pull the HMV out of the mud entice, or up a steep, slippery hill and, hopefully, out of hassle. Plus the best way the mud reacts and deforms in keeping with the trail your wheels take is gorgeous. It is the most effective that mud has appeared since… nicely, Mudrunner, I assume.
I’ve already touched on the hordes, and the truth that there’s plenty of them, however I am by no means not impressed once I’m confronted by the sight of 1000’s of our bodies pouring over a bit of surroundings and operating, screaming, in my path. Regardless of the open world nature of Poisonous Commando’s ranges, there are nonetheless loads of moments like this to stay up for on every map, though in the event that they’re a part of a narrative mission you are typically given just a little little bit of prep time to shore up your defenses earlier than they kick off.
You’ll be able to defend these story areas in a number of methods too. Utilizing particular weapons like rail weapons and grenade launchers for instance, or mounted turrets and traps, however every of those will want a uncommon useful resource referred to as Scrap to unlock. Scrap can solely be discovered by exploring the map, therefore the danger reward exploration I discussed earlier, so if you do not get any, these particular weapons crates and people turrets will keep locked down. Every Poisonous Commando additionally has a particular energy, and within the case of Walter, the character I performed as, he shot massive blue bolts of vitality from his palms.
All of this ties into the easiest bit about Poisonous Commando and that is – the explosions! These are finest seen throughout these excessive physique depend, story mission battles the place limbs and torsos go flying by the air in bloody arcs as you shoot a handily positioned crimson barrel, thunk a grenade out of a launcher, or fireplace off a palm-sized piece of plasma into the center of a writhing mass of mutants. It is simply completely wonderful carnage. The kind of excessive, comedian booky splattery gore that you just’d see in one thing like The Boys, and I find it irresistible. Level, shoot, make the dangerous issues ‘splode. It is the signature ingredient that each good horde shooter wants and it is one thing that Poisonous Commando excels in.
It isn’t all good although. One of many many the explanation why John Carpenter motion pictures are so beloved is because of the truth that they typically have extremely memorable lead characters (good day specifically to any performed by Kurt Russell). Which is why it’s kind of of a disgrace that the Poisonous Commandos themselves are a bit generic and bland, in each seems to be and persona. Certain they chatter away to one another throughout moments of downtime, similar to Left 4 Useless’s characters, however the traces they utter border on the repetitive and annoying, fairly than the meme worthy like Louis’ “grabbin’ capsules!”. Significantly, Walter uttered the phrase “I am liking this” at the least as soon as per minute throughout my palms on, which is certainly sufficient to worsen to the purpose that I feel I will be listening to it in my desires tonight.
I am additionally barely nervous about how grindy the improve and beauty mechanics appeared. There are three kinds of forex in Poisonous Commando, all of that are unimaginatively simply referred to as ‘Currencies’ within the menus. These currencies are literally crystalline assets referred to as sludgite, the commonest of which you’ll be able to collect up from bizarre tree issues once you’re out and about on a mission. Increased tier sludgite currencies appear to be awarded for mission completions, particularly when performed on tougher issue settings, however the quantity you earn, versus the price of a number of the attachments and cosmetics makes unlocking issues really feel like extra of a grind than it most likely ought to.
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I get that this can be a design plan to encourage you to replay the campaigns on larger difficulties after you have accomplished them, a’la Helldivers 2, however when there’s a lot customisation on supply throughout characters, weapons and automobiles, and when the price of every buy is so excessive, it appears like you are going to be locked out of all the actually great things except you dedicate some critical time to the sport.
Oh and why on Earth is that this recreation referred to as John Carpenter’s Poisonous Commando, when there are 4 Poisonous Commandos within the recreation? Even when you play it solo, the sport nonetheless throws in three AI managed poisonous commandos to play alongside you, which implies there’s by no means, at any level within the recreation, a singular Poisonous Commando. That identify solely is smart then if the plural of Poisonous Commando can also be simply Poisonous Commando. You realize, similar to how one Nintendo Change Pleasure-Con is known as a Pleasure-Con however a number of Pleasure-Con are additionally simply referred to as Pleasure-Con. Argh that is making my mind harm.
So yeah, solely a few minus factors actually, in what felt like a brilliant enjoyable, gore-soaked co-op shooter. It isn’t going to win any recreation of the 12 months awards, except there is a new one for finest zombie splatter in a online game, but it surely undoubtedly appears like a kind of video games that’ll be actually enjoyable to burn by with some friends over the course of some evenings. Whether or not you’d wish to come again to it a number of occasions afterwards to grind for a pleasant scope and a flowery animated gun pores and skin, nicely, that is as much as you. I do not suppose I’d, however I’m completely trying ahead to taking part in by the marketing campaign as soon as with a group of fellow Poisonous Commando(s) when the sport releases early subsequent 12 months.
