Co-op shooters built around zombie hordes are not exactly rare. Over the years, we have seen countless variations, such as Killing Floor 2, Left 4 Dead 2, and plenty more. Some focused on speed, others lean on tactical survival, and a few try to stand out with a unique twist. So I must say I do love a good zombie theme (hopefully someone will make a Dawn of the Dead simulator).
The latest entry in the genre is here with John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando from Saber Interactive, which clearly drew inspiration from the studio’s successful games, such as Space Marine 2 and World War Z. Plus, John Carpenter is working with the devs on this game, which is why his name is on the title.
For those who don’t know, John is an American filmmaker, composer, and actor, best known for the movies he directed: Halloween, The Thing, and Big Trouble in Little China.
After spending a good chunk of time playing through missions with my wife, I walked away knowing we will continue to play this game. Toxic Commando does a lot right when it comes to cooperative chaos and moment-to-moment action. It also has a few rough edges that become more noticeable the longer you play; however, it does not diminish the overall quality of the game, and I believe that as time goes on and the developer works on it more, the title will be better than what I have played at the time of this writing
Chaos in a Zombie Fight
John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando is a four-player cooperative shooter built around pushing through dangerous missions filled with aggressive undead enemies. You can play solo with bots, but the experience is clearly designed around teamwork.
And honestly, that design philosophy becomes obvious within the first few missions. You will be navigating through a somewhat extensive tutorial, but it will cover enough basics to get started afterwards. You can choose to party up or go on a mission. If you are playing solo, I recommend starting in easy mode to get the feel of having bots on your team and to learn more about the game itself.
The zombies here are not your typical slow shamblers. These things move fast and hit hard. Some of them feel like they are on supernatural steroids, rushing your position in large numbers and forcing your team to reposition constantly. If your squad gets careless or splits up, things quickly spiral out of control. However, trust me when I say these mob weak zombies are the least of your concerns, as they can be easily taken out. You’d better watch for the zombie I like to call the Juggernaut Zombie.
That happened to us more times than I would like to admit. It made me laugh and cry at the same time.
My wife and I jumped in expecting a fairly relaxed co-op experience. We are used to playing shooting co-op games, so we progress pretty well through them. However, there were several moments where we could have easily cleared an encounter if we had coordinated our abilities or focused fire on the same targets. Instead, we ended up overwhelmed by a pile of zombies that should have been manageable.
That is where the game shines. The chaos feels natural rather than frustrating. More often than not, it was because we made a bad call or failed to communicate. Sometimes we lack certain firepower, or we didn’t realize some of these zombies have weaknesses. Resources are not scarce until you’ve taken a lot of beating and you quickly run low on supplies.
Friendly fire is also active, which adds another layer of tension. Careless shooting can easily injure teammates. That might sound like a minor detail, but when four players are unloading into a crowded horde, it forces you to think about positioning and awareness.
This kind of design makes the game far more engaging than a typical run-and-gun zombie shooter. One more thing, the zombies can infinitely respawn in certain places, especially where you may be walking or driving through, so pay attention, as there are cues to let you know.
Building a Team
One of the best things in the game is its class structure. There are four main roles players can choose from: Defender, Medic, Operator, and Strike.
Each one fills a specific purpose in a team composition. However, it doesn’t mean there is a role lock. You can have 4 defenders on the team if you like. It may not be wise, but hey, it’s a game where anything can happen, and who knows, it may work great. As you keep playing, you can level up and gain skill points. You can choose which talent tree you want to select and pick how you like to play with the class itself.
The great part is that the game allows you to switch classes fairly freely. You are not locked into a single playstyle, which encourages experimentation. If a mission is giving your squad trouble, you can easily adjust your team composition. I switch between Operator, thanks to the cool drone companion, and Medic when we fail a mission and can’t get the medkits we need to top off our health.
Some missions clearly benefit from having stronger defensive support, while others reward aggressive damage output. However, don’t let that hamper your play; a good team that communicates well can beat the mission without a specific role. This flexibility helps keep the gameplay from feeling stale.
Loadouts also play a major role. Weapons come with a surprising amount of customization options, along with skins and visual upgrades that allow players to personalize their arsenal. Unlocking new gear as you level up gives a satisfying sense of progression without making earlier equipment feel useless.
The system is straightforward, though you may need to go on a difficult level mission for certain resources to modify your weapons or earn skill points. However, it gives players goals to work toward while keeping the focus on teamwork rather than making it feel like a long, grinding session.
Vehicles Keep the Chaos Rolling
One of the more interesting features in John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando is how vehicles and mission design work together to keep the action moving.
Vehicles are not just simple means of transportation. Different types come with their own abilities and sometimes provide useful items that can help your team survive the mission. In certain situations, they become a lifeline when the undead swarm starts getting out of control.
Instead of slowly backing away from a massive horde, we suddenly had the option to push forward aggressively or reposition to a safer location. Running down waves of enemies or making a quick escape added a nice sense of scale to the battlefield. Though the vehicle does take damage, you can run out of gas, and you can incur some damage while operating or inside the vehicle. The best part is that you or your partner can shoot from inside the car, or if the car has a turret, take control of it to mow down those pesky zombies.
The campaign itself keeps things fairly straightforward. The story gives just enough context to explain why your team is out fighting toxic, mutated zombies without slowing the pace with long exposition. It is easy to follow and stays out of the way so that players can focus on the actual missions.
Objectives are clear and easy to understand. Most missions revolve around pushing through dangerous zones, gathering supplies, completing key tasks, and eventually reaching an extraction point, which you will defend for a certain amount of time to complete the entire mission. Along the way, you can take on side objectives that reward your team with additional resources or gear materials.
Those side tasks are worth paying attention to, especially because resources are not always easy to come by. Spare parts and other materials are needed for upgrades and equipment, so choosing whether to detour for supplies or stick to the main objective can be an important decision.
Failure also carries a bit of risk. If your team does not complete the mission, you can lose some of the resources you collected during the run. The combination of vehicles, side objectives, and constant enemy pressure does a good job of keeping the campaign from feeling repetitive.
Performance and Technical Stability
From a technical standpoint, our experience with the game was surprisingly smooth.
Both my wife and I played on systems equipped with RTX 5070 Ti GPUs, and throughout our sessions, we did not encounter any noticeable frame drops or stability issues. Considering how chaotic some of the larger zombie encounters become, the consistent performance was impressive.
Explosions, swarming enemies, vehicle movement, and multiple players firing weapons at once could have easily caused performance problems. Instead, the game held steady even during the most hectic moments.
That stability goes a long way in a game like this. When a co-op shooter starts struggling technically, it can quickly ruin the experience. Fortunately, that never became a problem during our play sessions.
Controls also feel responsive, though stamina management adds an extra layer of consideration. Running and melee attacks drain stamina fairly quickly, which means players cannot simply sprint endlessly while swinging weapons.
You have to pace yourself.
That mechanic adds tension during intense fights. If you burn through your stamina at the wrong moment, escaping a swarm becomes much harder.
It is a small detail, but one that reinforces the game’s survival aspect. Beyond that, I was unable to get my Xbox controller to work for this game on Steam. I am sure it might be a user issue or something entirely different, but it didn’t stop me from playing the game, as I am used to a mouse and keyboard as well.
Playing Solo Is Not Impossible
While the game technically allows solo play with AI bots, the experience feels noticeably different compared to playing with real teammates.
The bots are serviceable, but they cannot replicate the coordination that comes from actual communication. When facing large waves of enemies or trying to complete side objectives under pressure, having at least one or two real players makes a huge difference.
This became obvious very quickly. As you will experience it quickly. The bots are not quite as robust or smart; they will try to revive you in the middle of a zombie attack, dooming and wiping out the entire squad.
Even with just my wife and me playing together, the game felt far more manageable compared to playing solo. We were able to call out enemy positions, coordinate abilities, and plan how to handle incoming hordes. Though the bot helps, it can also make things worse at times.
Without that communication, missions can become frustrating.
The difficulty curve seems designed for teamwork. Players who jump in expecting a casual solo shooter may find themselves struggling more than expected. But if you bring friends along, the experience improves dramatically. This can also be different playing with other online players, but with the core gameplay, it seems Saber Interactive has struck gold once again with Toxic Commando, and if it receives the same level of post-launch support as Saber’s other multiplayer games, then zombie — and co-op fans — are in for a toxic treat.
- Chaotic co-op gameplay
- Flexible class system
- Vehicles add variety to missions
- Various weapon customization and progression
Verdict
9/10
Toxic Commando becomes exactly what it wants to be. A messy, chaotic co-op shooter that rewards teamwork and laughs in the face of total disaster. Sometimes, that is exactly the kind of game you want to play after a long day, especially if you have a partner willing to dive into the chaos with you.
- Solo play is noticeably tougher
- Resource loss on mission failure can be frustrating
- Stamina management can feel restrictive
John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando was provided by the publisher. You can read MP1st’s review and scoring policy right here.
