TOXIKK Preview

“TOXIKK will remind a lot of different people of a lot of different games, but what all of them will have in common is that they will love it!”

TOXIKK is an early access first person arena shooter with a late-90s to early 2000s inflection. Being both developed and published by Reakktor Studios, the game seeks to bring old-school mechanics and modern gaming technologies together in order to bring about a rebirth of a more traditional style of shooter. Doing away with much of the evolved (and in the opinion of the developers, senseless) logic and features of what is now the norm in FPS games, TOXIKK offers something quite different to the now standard models we are used to seeing. And, as is becoming increasingly common in these blast-from-the-past-inspired games, it’s really very good too!

To me, this game feels a little bit like the infamous classic that is Goldeneye crossed over with the original Halo, with the combination of the two having been forged in shiny, modern-day high definition. Now if that description alone isn’t enough to sell it to you, I don’t know what will be! Nonetheless, I shall of course elaborate. Perhaps the first thing to note though is that TOXIKK is purely multiplayer. There is no story mode to play through, however you can play offline against bots if you wish. Some people will no doubt be put off by this fact, but if a multiplayer arena shooter is exactly what you are looking for then TOXIKK is very much the right place to be. Well, that is true aside from one small fact; there aren’t that many people playing online right now…

If you ignore the issue of there being very few online games to jump into at the moment, assuming for the time being that this is due to the game still being in early development, then there is a lot to be appreciated about TOXIKK. In fact, the game sells itself remarkably accurately on its Steam page, which frankly is a nice change. So first off, this is a game built around traditional arena shooter ideas, and it really shows! You can double jump, you can pick up shield boosts and health packs, it has jump pads, you can carry nine guns as once… It basically has everything in it that made old shooters awesome. It also has a mix of map types, with smaller arenas for games such as free-for-alls or team deathmatches, or much larger ones for strategic games. This means that you don’t get stuck in an 8-player match on a map which is far too big to find anyone, and equally you don’t only have 50 metres to walk in order to capture a flag. Some genuine thinking has gone into putting the maps together, and it makes a huge difference when compared to other modern shooters.

TOXIKK also has ridiculous vehicles, which are great fun too. Imagine the Warthog from Halo with a speed boost function – yep, that’s in this game, and so are some pretty badass planes, not to mention your personal hover bike-type vehicle as well! Basically, the game likes to allow you to get things moving on some of the bigger maps, and actually gives you the tools to do so. Speaking of tools, you also have a great range of weapons to play with too. Essentially, you are offered futuristic spins on traditional weapons, so you can pick up a sniper rifle, a rocket launcher, a grenade launcher, a railgun, a flamethrower, some assault rifles and light machine guns, a pistol and some sort of saw-type melee weapon thing, and you can carry all of these around at once. Many of the nine guns in the game have secondary functions too, which opens up your options even further. Oh, and you can also turn temporarily invisible, and that is pretty cool too.

Cool is pretty much the name of the game with TOXIKK. It is fast paced, gives you loads of toys to play with, and on top of that it makes everyone EQUAL. Some fans of modern shooters may not understand that term, but it basically means everyone has the same tools and chances no matter how much they play the game. This is refreshing in a world where increasingly the best players are rewarded with the best weapons and advantages, while newer players suffer as a result. There is a rank system in the game so that you are able to achieve something by playing frequently and winning games, but it does not overload you with bonuses for doing so. Everyone enters the arena with the same pistol at their side, the same amount of health, and the same chance of reaching the gun they want as everybody else who is playing. This makes gameplay FAIR, and consequently things are a lot more fun too. Everyone is able to customise their character in the same ways too, choosing from a couple of appearances, colours and patterns for their armour and then going out and getting down to business. Everything is fair and everything is fun.

This is the point at which we reach the few negatives that the game has. The main one which I found was that it does not help you learn to play. You can go out and play against bots, or if you have a startlingly good memory you can memorise the key mapping for every control before you jump in, but there is no insightful tutorial to help you. This meant that even when I was a few games in, I was discovering things that I could do in the game by complete chance or by accident. I didn’t know to begin with that I could double jump, or turn invisible, or indeed summon a hovering motorbike thing to get around on. So if you are new to the game, that does put you on a slight back foot, and it does make learning to play a harder process. There is also no controller support right now. Fair enough, the game is designed for PC, but some people simply find that easier, and a lot of gamers will have played their traditional shooters with a gamepad, so it would be a nice thing to include. Otherwise, the only issues are simply down to early development stages – there are only a few maps, a few game types and a few players online to have a game with. These things will no doubt continue to resolve themselves as the game moves towards its completed form.

On top of all of its other fantastic features, the last thing to note is that the game looks great. The developers have done a perfect job of creating varied maps in terms of shape, style and setting, and the level of artistic professionalism behind them truly does bring a classic style of gaming into a modern age. TOXIKK will remind a lot of different people of a lot of different games, but what all of them will have in common is that they will love it! I love it, and will continue to play it in early access and after development has been completed as well. It is fast paced and exciting, it is simple yet effective, it makes all players equal and offers no options for pay-to-win features. The maps are very good and well varied, the weapons are equally as strong, and the vehicles, although complicated to get the hand of driving, are pretty awesome as well. Anyone who ever enjoyed a traditional arena-style shooter should play this game! Aside from the few less positive features which I have noted, the game is fantastic, and truly deserves to do well. Personally, I am very much sold.

The Good:

• – Traditional arena shooter action offers an alternative the more modern model.
• – Great fun to be had with the game’s classic mechanics (DOUBLE JUMPING!).
• – Varied, working and cool arsenal of weapons and vehicles available to all.
• – Different map styles, sizes and themes compliment each of the game modes.
• – Every player is equal; no better weapons upon levelling up or paid extras.
• – Graphically the game looks amazing – a true upgrade to a traditional style.

The Bad:

• – No story mode available in the game; it is purely multiplayer.
• – There aren’t that many people online to play with right now.
• – No tutorial to help you get the ropes; you are left to try and learn for yourself.
• – No controller support might put some players off.
• – Only a few different maps and game modes at this stage of development.