John Carpenter's Toxic Commando

Steam Reviews

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• Recommended Posted March 15, 2026 on Steam TLDR; the games fun but it is by no means complete. They should have labled it early access. There are no story spoliers below, only mechanics discussions. Pros: • Gun play is solid and smooth. • Optimisation has not been an issue for our group. • Nostalgic vibes (Throw back to Left 4 Dead, Back 4 Blood etc) • Gameplay mechanics are good (Puzzles, world travseral, vehicle assortment, world interaction) Needs work: • Lack of content, only a handful of "Maps" that all feel the same. Similar layouts, same assests. Gets very samey very quickly. • Lack of and real RNG/variance to runs. The core objectives in each mission are the same and there is a lack of side mission/events of anything to add variance to runs other then the elite spawns. • No class building/variance: There is a skill tree but its linear improvment with little to no diverification. You not changing how you play or interact with your team. • The weapons might as well be all the same, outside of the types (Rfile, SMG, shotgun, etc) they all feel the same. Some more variance or reason to use other weapons would be nice. • On the same line of weapons, there is 1 sniper rifle that is more of a DMR than a true sniper, seems odd that there is an entire category for 1 weapon. Again leads me into the early access mindset that a full release. • The weapons clearly have 4 upgrade levels in the UI (Green, Blue, Purple, Gold) but you can only upgrade to purple. There is a prestigue system which allows you to unlock 3 additional skins for the weapons (Which all look like poop IMO) but no power. Seems like a really half baked way to "Add gameplay/replayability" instead of actual content. • Prestigue system is painful, understand the full reset back to level 0, but having to pay for the upgrades again for each weapon is horrible, especially with how much they cost and how many you get. I think leveling the gun again is fair but don;t make us pay for the attachments again which we have previously unlocked. • Lack of point of interests, theres unique and hidden caves/sections on the maps which are empty. They look like they were designed to have collectables or evetns etc but we have yet to find any. Again leans towards early access as they appear to have had plans they never implemented. • Cosmetics: There are very few and all are garbage. Again seems like early access/minimal viable product. There are 2 head accessories for each character and 6 "Skins" which are all just slight re-colours and not actual Skins with changes. Summary: They game is good, but it is not a full release and does not have ton of content. I think the price is fair if you got it in the bundle for owning Space Marine 2 or one of the other games. You'll get a few hours of coop fun with your friends, have a few laughs and then most likely put it down for a year until they release "1.0" or whatever DLC/major update name they give it when the game is actually done. Wishlist: • Procedural maps/missions with random side missions and events. We need a coop horde game with real replayability. The gaming space has been lacking this for quite a while. • Class diveristy: Make builds a thing, change things up, go wild. It's PVE so doesnt matter if something ends up being overpowered, tune it later. Just add some more fun to it. • More tactical elites: ALL OF THEM are just bullet sponges, none of them require any finese or thought, just unload bullets in general direction. I would love to see some more variants that take co-ordination between players, flanking, shotting parts in certain changing orders. And slow some of them down, some of the "Weak Points" are so small and the enemies flail everywhere. vary it up a little, such as the big tank dude with 3 or weakpoints, he runs around flailing but has an insance amount of HP, and hits like a truck. No enemy should have speed, power and be tanky unless its a gimic fight. 2 of the 3.
• Recommended Posted March 14, 2026 on Steam It is okay for the price. Pro gamer tip: Disable crossplay if you’re tired of watching evolutionary theory being disproven in real time and wondering how a bunch of Cro-Magnons got access to the internet. It’ll also save you from muting people on open mic blasting music, coughing, sneezing, blowing their noses, burping, farting, and arguing with their girlfriends. Yes, every one of those is a real experience I’ve had.
• Recommended Posted March 12, 2026 on Steam UPDATE: Well, ♥♥♥♥ me. I am bumping my score to 3.5 from 3. It’s apparent that this is more than just a weekend game. I came to realize —and I’m glad I kept playing— that Very Hard is the sweet spot for difficulty in this game. The driving is definitely far more than decent. The terrain plays a huge part, and you can pull off wild stuff (including convoys) that you couldn’t possibly do in single-player. Medic skills are incredibly satisfying once they’re fully leveled up. As expected, Defender and Medic can be game-changers. Playing with randoms was a blast, as I could clearly tell who had a solid grasp on things and who didn’t and honestly, the game is genuinely functional in that regard. [b] A fun weekend game, if nothing more. [/b] Saber Interactive is generally trustworthy when it comes to post-launch roadmaps, and they did a solid job with WWZ and Space Marine 2. So if you're on the fence, it might be worth waiting to see how things shape up during the first year. As it currently stands, whether Toxic Commando is worth $35 (with the launch discount) really depends on your gaming preferences and dependencies. If you're not into bloated progression systems, you're in luck. Toxic Commando plays very similarly to Space Marine 2. You'll mostly be grinding for cosmetics and weapon attachments alongside class and weapon leveling. The game is heavy on meta-progression (there are weapons tiers that you must upgrade for which increases damage output and you can unlock 3 levels of prestige for special camouflages). The unlockable outfits and headgear for the chars are incredibly weak and uninteresting as of the launch. You'll also have to unlock the same skin for each weapon individually which is something I'm not really fond of. Once you complete your first playthrough (which consists of eight missions/maps) on your desired difficulty, you'll be done in roughly six hours. There's nothing groundbreaking or spectacular about Toxic Commando, and as a one-and-done experience, it's certainly not worth its full price tag. If you're going for completion, expect well over dozens of hours as you are needed to max out levels for each class. That said, if you don't mind a lack of depth and just want something to kill time, this game fits the bill. The first playthrough sets you up for the higher difficulties, letting you max out about two weapons in terms of both level and attachments. After getting a taste of what's to come, you can replay each level on Hard, and eventually unlock Very Hard —something I haven't bothered with yet— for better rewards. While Normal and even Hard difficulties are fairly straightforward and rarely punishing, I can't speak for Very Hard just yet. Most of the gameplay in Toxic Commando really boils down to hunting for points of interest. You can rush objectives on Normal, but on higher difficulties, resource gathering becomes essential. Speaking of resources, the loop stays consistent across missions: you start somewhere, find a vehicle, fuel it up, and begin scavenging. Resources include parts needed to repair turrets, mortars, traps, etc.—the tools that come in clutch during the final defense segment of each mission. You can also unlock caches to grab a special third weapon. The hub area feels completely pointless, so it's back to Killing Floor 3 vibes. You can hang out there and shoot some targets, but you'll mostly be navigating menus for everything else. As an unapologetic horde shooter, you'll spend most of your time clearing out trash. But of course, there are the obligatory special infected types that genre entries must include — the dudes you are already familiar with: variations of Chargers, Spitters, Boomers, and Hunters. The classes aren't groundbreaking either, though "The Strike," who can shoot fireballs to decimate larger hordes, was fun to use. I would imagine The Operator with its drone would be decent for crowd control. The Defender and Medic are less distinctive, and while I have no doubt they'd be essential for the hardest difficulty, I'm unsure if they're the best fit for solo runs. The AI is mostly competent at supporting you and clearing trash; however, you'll need quite a bit of playtime to hit max level on each class, so I stuck with the one I found most engaging. Besides the specific class skills (which have unlockable variations), the rest of the skill tree is pretty generic and generalized. The characters aren't class-dependent. You can play any character with any class. The game is always online, and you can't pause even in solo. As one might imagine, solo play isn't the best fit, and I was unable to play with randoms since I played pre-launch. The story is something you just get over with. It's an excuse. I wasn't expecting anything grand, not even merely serviceable despite Carpenter's involvement, so it's alright. But the cast... I'd be damned if I end up remembering anyone, despite the voice acting itself being just fine. It makes you wonder: why is the Left 4 Dead cast so memorable compared to what came after? Was it just because it was a novel experience? While Toxic Commando's cast is in the same vein (no deep backstories or personal goals, and they could have been described with traits that people can latch onto), they just aren't fleshed out contextually. I can't recall much good banter or memorable dialogue that gives enough context clues to develop their personalities. There are some moments, and they can be very fitting, but they're rare. For a corny action game with room for stereotypical characters, I'm not sure what traits truly define the ones we're playing. Maybe that's just me. On the bright side, the gunplay is tight, and most of the weapons I tried felt impactful. The downside, probably, is the fact you'll be sticking only a few weapons while trying to prestige them. Driving is certainly decent, and I do like that each vehicle has its own abilities. If you don't mind spending time traversing compact-sized semi-sandboxy maps (which change slightly each run) and hunting for points of interest, Toxic Commando is a well-polished game that looks and runs well — it's just also pretty vanilla. ★ ★ ★ ½ ☆ ☆ [url=https://steamcommunity.com/groups/theDeusExFox/curation] Please take a moment to check out my curator for more in-depth reviews [/url]
• Recommended Posted March 22, 2026 on Steam Alright, I finally got all achievements and finished everything. Maxed out every class & weapon, and now it's time for me to review this beautiful game. Is it perfect? No. But is it good? Absolutely. These devs clearly had a limited budget. They had to sacrifice some things to still make this game work. But what’s the most important thing in a game like this? The shooting. Is the shooting good? YES IT FKN IS!!! Weapons have a solid punch and behave exactly how you’d expect. Unlike WWZ or L4D2, there’s no random spray. If your aim is good and you can control your weapon, you’ll absolutely shred zombies and specials to pieces. Shooting zombies just feels satisfying. The gore is impressive, the physics are solid, and the way zombies react to getting hit makes every encounter feel alive. You will notice the budget in some areas. Some actions you do repeatedly during missions could be smoother. Filling gas into your car, for example, requires standing very close and aiming carefully at the fuel cap. Same thing with healing teammates. If they move even an inch, the heal gets cancelled, and you end up chasing them around trying to heal them while they don’t even realize it lol There’s also no toggle ADS option, which can be annoying, and while the guns sound good, many of the rifles sound quite similar. But none of these issues ruined the fun for me. The core gameplay is just that satisfying. I played all the way to 100% completion, and I still enjoyed every minute. Every class, every weapon, and every achievement felt rewarding. The music is SO DAMN GOOD. At the end of the day, John Carpenter's music cannot be bad, and it perfectly sets the tone for every mission. If you love zombie shooters and want something that actually feels good to play, this game is worth your time. It’s not a AAA masterpiece, and it has its quirks, but it nails what really matters. The price is fair, making it an easy recommendation for anyone looking for a fun, satisfying zombie shooter. Between the solid shooting, the detailed gore, and the iconic music, this game will make you laugh, scream, and blast through zombies like a total legend. That’s exactly why this game is awesome. Just because I’ve finished everything doesn’t mean I’m done. I’m planning to help other players and I’m excited for new updates and content to come. And I have one dream for this game, one request that would make me the happiest guy on earth: add the Repeating Rifle from WWZ with the same sounds. I’d unleash mayhem like never before. That weapon is just perfect and pure satisfaction. <3
• Recommended Posted March 14, 2026 on Steam i waited 2 years for this game to play it with my friends... well no contact with any of them anymore now i just sit in menus... pls improve these bots because there are some introverts that would rather play solo then with randomes <3 keep it up guys EDIT: i figured out how to cope with the bots even on hard but i haven't tried very hard yet and don't really want to, also very nice people in the comments thank you but usually noone sees my reviews so i didn't expect this reception and it wasn't meant to get so much attention but love you guys <3
• Recommended Posted March 12, 2026 on Steam Good game. It's fun, gorgeous, bloody, and brutal. The missions are diverse and quite original for the genre, there is a massive arsenal and adding those little Mudrunner-style vehicle segments in the mud is seriously cool. I definitely enjoyed this more than Back 4 Blood or WWZ. This game is basically a love letter to zombie co-op at a reasonable price. I imagine Carpenter himself in his gaming chair having a blast playing it. Hell yeah.