Turbo Overkill Review on Xbox
Turbo Overkill is Apogee’s most outrageous Retro FPS since Duke Nukem 3D.
The premise is you enter Paradise as Johnny Turbo—half-metal, half-human, all-murder machine. Clean up the streets with a chainsaw leg and your hovercar, as you battle the rogue AI Syn, rival bounty hunters and cyberpunks aplenty.
The game boasts 15+ weapons plus upgrades, 5 difficulty settings, augments, wall running, arcade and horde modes, and unlockable mods.
Accessibility
With regards to accessibility, the developers have added in a variety of options, FOV options, button remapping, screen / death flash options, enemy highlight and subtitle options. Audio options are basic however, so those with auditory issues may struggle.
Gameplay
Anyone who is familiar with Apogee, will know of their pedigree with the likes of Duke Nukem, Rise of the Triad, Wolfenstein 3D and Death Rally. So hearing that they have created a new retro styled FPS, got me excited to see if the old team could bring new life, to a somewhat stagnating genre. Turbo Overkill is a game that embodies the ethos of collecting guns and door keys to access other locations, whilst murdering enemies as creatively and uniquely as possible.
To that end the biggest selling point of the game is the chainsaw leg, which is by hands down one of the funniest things to do in a retro shooter. With the click of a button, you launch yourself, chainsaw-leg first into enemies tearing them to pieces. Now whilst this does exactly that to the grunts, the bigger enemies will only loose some health and not fully be torn apart. This ensures you just can’t spam the unique attack over and over again, but carefully choose when to do so, especially when it’s paired up with augments.
Augments for weapons, your body and ammo are brought using cash dropped by enemies at a variety of mod stations placed within the levels for you to access. As you progress the story, your head, body, left & right arm and left and right leg sections become unlocked for you to buff in some way. There is a limit on the number of augments though, with two per body part being the limit. Of course for me, I gave my chainsaw leg the option to give me health and armour when ever I whipped it out.
Augments can also be found in chests, often one per level, with a key for the chest often hidden pretty close, but in an obscure location. Combine this with the 14+ weapons on offer, and you will soon be bouncing around the screen in a bid to gib as many an enemies as possible.
Movement is a another delight here with the mechanics fluid and simply to get. Wall running, triple jumps, double dash and others are soon unlocked showing you the true versatility of the levels that are being created. They are similar to Ghostrunner in some sections, with one being in a fully automated crusher where the walls and floors are variations of spinning blades.
Set pieces are also a stapple, from flying your car in a semi open arena, breaking into skyscrapers and killing all those who inhabit. To riding a minigun covered motorbike in another semi open arena as a huge eye blasts the world around you as you make your way through it.
Your be hard pushed to be ‘’bored’’ with this game, and those who are long time fans will see the plethora of nods to previous title hidden about if you do a small amount of exploring.
Graphics
Visually this game looks gorgeous with high-polygon models covered with pixelated textures. There are three huge chapters showcasing varied locations, different size of maps with varying routes, and differing numbers of enemies, all making each battle a joy to behold. It truly gave me that nostalgia feel of Duke Nukem with some of the levels that just oozed quality and style.
That said there was more than a couple of times, that there was some screen tearing or clipping through the scenery which didn’t bother me as much, did sometimes break the immersion. Hopefully a few patches are on their way to ensure this is rectified.
Enemy variations are also plentiful, with the chunks of enemies being added as you make your way through the game. The first chapters enemies may seem a nice, selection but once you get to the later ones, it’s a feast of different brutes hunting you down. And of course those would be enjoyable if you didn’t have a nice selection of weapons to blast them into chunks of gore. Another nice touch is the Bestiary which shows off all the numerous types of characters ripe for dismemberment, and an option I wish more would add in their games!
Weapon variation is equally impressive with each weapon having an unlockable alterative mode. My favourite by far, is still the pistols lock-on mechanic, similar to that of Titan Fall. The SMG’s removing one gun and going full hardcore mode, saved my bacon more than once, and the miniguns alternative flamer destroys all those it touches. And to capture those awesome deaths, why not use the games in-built photo mode too, which is a pleasant surprise found under the pause menu!
But that isn’t all, you soon get access to having missiles shoot from your arm, with a swift middle finger once fired. Plus other body mods that I wont spoil here, but will tell you that the game cranks up to 11! It’s this over the top style that will engage you and keep you moving forward where other boomer shooters may not. It asks only one thing of you, do you want to kill things in fun and creative ways? If so, this is here to scratch that itch.
Overall framerate and stability was superb in all of my gameplay, aside of the odd tearing or odd visual pop-ins.
Sound
Whilst the protagonist is mute, the game is fully voiced relating to the characters and your favourite Car AI sidekick. I won’t spoil who is the voice actor here, but if you’re an Apogee fan, you will know. Whilst the story is nothing to really home about, the npc characters you meet and along the way sell its narrative exceedingly well.
The music is fantastic and expertly pumps your blood within minutes of playing the game, that provides you with that epic battle scores regardless of locations. A variation of electric guitar, synth wave, heavy bass and lift music, makes the music excels in every way that I would personally compare to the latest doom score in terms of enjoyment.
The games sound effects, also ooze depth, and again showcases the pedigree of Apogee ability to just get it right. Every weapon weightiness cements it ability to connects with every gibbed npc, that ensures the players senses are excited. It just works and feels right on every level and every location, that instils that connection of movement with sound.
My recommendation here would be a good quality headset to really enjoy of the amazing tunes as you blast your way through enemies regardless of their size.
Verdict
This leads me onto the rating of the game:-
Now I rate games in order of, avoid, on sale, great purchase and must own. My rating for Turbo Overkill is a ‘’Great Purchase’’.
The price is perfect for what’s on offer, and gives all boomers shooter fans out there another amazing FPS to enjoy for many many hours. It really is something that I believe will appeal to vast array of players regardless of if you are into Retro FPS’s.
The game is currently priced on Xbox at £16.74 or approx. $20 and depending on skill and patience would give you from 15+ hours worth of gameplay. Once the story is complete however, there is still a huge amount of replay ability with a number of higher difficulty settings, hidden collectibles, arcade mode and endless mode, to keep you more than occupied for another 10+ hours.
The games at its best when you turn off your brain and enjoy it for the crazy ride that it is. Will this be the best Boomer shooter in your life, maybe not, but you won’t forget it anytime soon either.