In a time where horror game remakes are popular, Trigger-Happy Interactive’s remake of the “Doom II” mod “Total Chaos” has crawled out from the darkness and made a satisfying impression. Everything is phenomenally upgraded from the original, making it a feature-complete experience instead of an HD remaster of a mod.
Once again, you play as a Coast Guardsman investigating an S.O.S. at an abandoned mining colony named Fort Oasis. Led by the distress caller via radio, you soon realize that you both aren’t the only living things on the island, but rather, the only humans left.
Exploring Fort Oasis will keep your heart pounding, because darkness is everywhere. Whether you’re inside the caverns, the catacombs, or derelict buildings, you will constantly feel endangered. Even the tension of something simple like turning a corner in a hallway is dreadful yet palpable.
This is thanks to the lonely atmosphere created from the astounding visuals that greatly utilize depressing shades of gray and black and disturbing scenery. Alongside that, there were no technical problems, which kept me immersed in chaos.
Madness is a new aspect of gameplay that tremendously makes this game more horrifying than the original.
Being plunged into a state of madness bends the world before your eyes—sometimes without you noticing. Grotesque, fleshy tunnels could open in the blink of an eye, which could lead to supplies or horrors beyond your imagination. This, however, is the upside compared to split-second flashes of people in compromising positions and disembodied voices that make your protagonist hyperventilate in fear. You can only exit madness by grounding yourself back in reality at a save station.
Like the original, the remake puts “survival” back in “survival horror.” Note that this game focuses more on melee combat, forcing you into close quarters with nasties you would rather shoot from afar. That’s not to say there aren’t firearms, but since ammo is scarce, it’s best to save your bullets for emergencies.
Emphasis on melee combat makes crafting more important, which is now done at a workbench. With the right materials, you can build devastating weapons like a spear made from a knife and a pole, or improve their stats with nails, tape, or barbed wire.
Survival elements make a return. You must maintain your health by eating and healing when needed. Doing so offers stamina bonuses that keep you fighting longer. In the end, it becomes a game of choosing what items to use since most have downsides that affect other statuses, but also which ones to keep since there’s significantly less inventory space. Although, the clothing slot feels slightly redundant since you don’t find too many things to fill it with.
Additionally, the narrative of “Total Chaos” has greatly expanded. Funnily enough, that’s also the game’s biggest flaw. What’s truly happening becomes increasingly obvious before the plot twist actually occurs due to the overuse of symbolism. However, I did like the inclusion of voice recordings and one new character.
Luckily, by exploring and making different choices, you can receive an alternate ending. Sometimes, this route is extremely difficult, especially since you can’t miss a single step. That sounds painful, but it actually makes thematic sense. Without spoiling anything: sometimes to get the better things in life, you have to struggle first.
RATING:
All in all, “Total Chaos” is an awesome and horrifying remake of a total-conversion mod that made its base game unrecognizable. Its environment and atmosphere combined are nothing but disturbing nightmare fuel. Therefore, you definitely get what you pay for.