A new title that draws on World War Z and SnowRunner from the studio that produced them both, wrapped up in a tribute to horror maestro John Carpenter? Who says we can’t have nice things? John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando, out now for PC, blasts a bloody path through Saber Interactive’s legendary catalog, with nods to 1980s genre cinema and campy Carpenter classics. Ready for more? Cue the synths…
Saber Interactive consists of 13 studios across the Americas and Europe. With over two decades of development partnerships already behind them, as well as titles such as Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, and Expeditions: A MudRunner Game, they have little left to prove, but continue to strive to put out the best of the best. Intel Gaming Access caught up with Saber to learn how this title came together under the influence of a cinema legend.
“The concept for Toxic Commando emerged from blending two of Saber Interactive’s most successful titles: World War Z and SnowRunner,” Saber Interactive tells us. “The core idea was to combine large, navigable open environments with intense zombie horde combat and vehicle-based survival gameplay. On the creative side, heavy influence was drawn from director John Carpenter’s filmography—Escape from New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Thing, They Live, and Prince of Darkness—as well as other genre classics, such as Return of the Living Dead, Demons, Re-Animator, and The A-Team.“
The ‘A’ team at Saber clearly knows the 1980s inside out, and they’re using their references to expand the co-op FPS, not limit it to nostalgia. “This four-player co-op first-person shooter [was] developed as a new IP designed to echo John Carpenter’s broad creative portfolio,” Saber Interactive adds. “It blends intense horde combat with vehicle-based gameplay across open environments, and is aimed at fans of co-op shooters looking for a fresh, more expansive take on the genre. While Left 4 Dead served as a gameplay reference, Toxic Commando deliberately steers away from linear, corridor-heavy structure in favor of open, dynamic environments.”
Open dynamic environments full of zombies. A nod to World War Z comes in their sheer numbers: At times it looks like the dam broke at the zombie reservoir. So what chance do you have on foot? Not a bad one, actually, as you are one of four toxic commandos, loaded with weaponry and attitude. (There is a solo option where the other three are AI-controlled.) But it’s good to have options.
“Players can expect a mix of on-foot combat and vehicle-based gameplay across large, open maps,” Saber Interactive explains. “The infected swarm system creates dynamic and unpredictable encounters. Vehicles can be used strategically to survive, navigate, and engage with hordes, but are never forced on the player. The design goal was to make vehicles beneficial and enjoyable without making them mandatory, so players are free to tackle missions on foot, behind the wheel, or a combination of both.”
Music is not always the first or second (or third) thing to be talked about in a game, but then not every game has an original score composed by John Carpenter, king of the synth-dread soundtrack. “John Carpenter’s original score gives the game an authentic genre atmosphere throughout,” Saber Interactive affirms, “[while] terrain deformation and mud physics add a layer of immersion not typically found in the co-op shooter genre.” The immersion is sometimes literal, as you sink into the infectious muck generated by the Sludge God, a kind of zombie super-spreader.
“One of the game’s most distinctive features—the mud and terrain deformation system—was actually one of the last major elements to be added,” Saber Interactive shares. “Originally developed for the MudRunner series, the technology required significant adaptation to function within a fast-paced action game. The core challenge was rebalancing how much friction the terrain should impose: in Toxic Commando, getting endlessly stuck would break the action pacing entirely. Finding the right balance required extensive iteration before the mud felt impactful without becoming an obstacle.”
That sweet spot has been found, and the action just flows, much like that tumbling river of zombies coming right at you. But be grateful, it’s because of them the game performs as it does. “PC offers the highest fidelity experience for showcasing Saber Interactive’s Swarm Engine technology,” Saber Interactive says. “It powers the massive infected hordes at the heart of the game. High PC performance allows the full scale and density of those swarms to be rendered at their best, making it the recommended platform for players who want to experience Toxic Commando at its most visually impressive and technically ambitious.”
Who wouldn’t want it like that? John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando is out now on Steam.