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A Time For Comebacks
TOXIKK joins in on the trending resurgence of niche gaming that was once popular near the turn of the century. More importantly, it is equipped to quench the thirst of many arena/twitch shooter fans that have been left wanting more after playing DOOM's new multiplayer. The fans I'm referring to, by the way, are other Millenials that have been dying to play a new Unreal Tournament clone. Now I'm not saying that TOXIKK is without fault, or that it is capable of bearing the title of UT's illegitimate successor (excluding UT4), but TOXIKK presents an admirable effort and foray into a genre that was once forgotten by many. It deserves a chance to prove its worth to the arena veterans, and newcomers alike, waiting for UT4 to finish development – which is currently in pre-alpha.
Free vs. Full Versions
The developers have provided a free version of TOXIKK for anyone to enjoy, for as long as they like. Their reasoning behind this, and differences between the full version can be seen here. Bottom line, TOXIKK is not F2P, and the free version will only have access to the core experience. As an Early Access supporter (full version owner), I am perfectly satisfied with their decision to release a free version in order to help bolster the online community, spread awareness of the game, and ensure longevity of community support. If this fact isn’t enough to sway you into at least trying out the game, or if you are on the fence about purchasing the full version, feel free to read the rest of this review.
What to Expect
Online multiplayer is, of course, supported offering classic deathmatch, team deathmatch, capture the cell, and area domination modes. A server browser helps you navigate custom, private, and public matches alongside a quick join feature. Game customization options include: mutators (Instagib!), # of combatants, score, time, etc. A single-player mode is also available for play, tasking you to complete contracts to advance your career.
There are no classes, loadouts, weapon carry limits, or health regeneration as seen in many modern FPSs. Going back to the good ol' days, every weapon or item must be picked up after the game starts (excluding a common starter pistol). As expected of an arena shooter, some of the types of weapons you will see include: automatic assault/sniper rifles, rocket launchers, plasma blasters/shooters, flamethrowers, and a razor blade thingy. Also, every weapon has a primary and secondary fire mode, effectively doubling the variance of gunplay.
Some maps offer the ability to operate futuristic vehicles, such as: an assault bomber, battle mech, 4x4 SUV, hoverbike, and hover jet. These vehicles are extremely satisfying to use, yet do not cause any major balance issues gameplay-wise. And don't be alarmed, it isn't that difficult to take down a vehicle, especially if multiple allies are helping.
The Arenas
12 available maps, a few taking heavy inspiration from classic Doom and UT arenas, provide varied battlegrounds for you to wreak havoc. They each have so much style and themed scenery, ranging from: jungles, ancient Italian strongholds, Canadian Rocky Mountains, Cambodian temples, Bolivian Andes, sci-fi Chicago, Hong Kong slum districts, to a secret research facility in Moscow. In the same vein as the classic arena shooters, the map design tends to incorporate 3 levels (upper floors, ground, underground), multiple staging areas for hostile engagement, and various hidden/side-paths for flanking. Also, a native level editor is provided for use, and synchronization with Steam Workshop allows for the creation and sharing of amazing maps!
Standard arena shooting controls are utilized; however, advanced movement controls derived (with changes) from UT2K4's system are also implemented, including: WASD movement, jump/double jump, 4-directional dodging, crouch (avoid falling off edges), high elevator jumps, wall-dodges, slope jumps, and so much more depending on how well you can utilize the combinations of moves. I have seen some straight up high-tier Lucio movement going on, making me think that I was in the wrong game for a moment. These fluid combos are made possible by retaining velocity after jumps (unlike in UT2K4). If you seem to be lost in the wealth of information, or scared that everyone will be Spiderman'ing around you, worry not. There is a competent movement tutorial and everything will become second nature after a while.
Verdict
Going back to my previous statement that TOXIKK is without fault, I would definitely love to see a better UI. It is very minimalistic as is, and detracts from the futuristic sci-fi immersion that everything else manages to put forth. I also need to see bunny hopping servers (obstacle courses) to be able to finally replace UT as my go to arena shooter. But other than minor personal preferences, TOXIKK seems to be one of the best arena/twitch shooting experiences (multiplayer) that is currently released, especially on Steam. Until UT4 is released, which may be a very, very, long time, I can easily recommend fans of the classic shooter genre to tryout TOXIKK, at least the free version, and support the full version.
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Community review by silversuriv (September 10, 2016)
silversuriv loves to review games as an escape to reality, preferring to stay on the analytical side of the spectrum. Steam |
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