Ever since Doom returned to audiences in 2016, the old ways of first-person shooters have resurfaced for a brand-new market. Boomer shooters have not reached the same financial heights as other recent sub-genres like battle royales or extraction shooters. However, they have managed to stand the test of time and appeal to players of all skill levels and interests.
Those who want a more traditional experience can stick with the Doom franchise. For those wanting a little more visual flair combined with a unique gameplay style, there are games like Mullet Madjack. On the other hand, if you want a game that takes the genre to its limits, there is the wildly popular Ultrakill. What makes this era of intense, high-speed shooters so special is how they manage to celebrate the past while looking to the future. These games are clearly inspired by the Doom franchise, alongside Quake, Wolfenstein, and other retro shooters, yet they still manage to do several things differently in regards to story, gameplay, and visuals.
I’ve personally adored the genre ever since I played Doom‘s soft reboot in 2016. Each time a new entry is announced, I tend to keep my eye on its development and debate if I should invest in it at launch. Turbo Overkill is one of the many games that would come up in conversation as one of the best post-Doom Eternal boomer shooters. I briefly tried the game on PC, however, in my time with the game, I didn’t immediately click with it.
That said, with the recent release of the game on PlayStation 5, I figured I would finally give the game its full due. Upon playing Turbo Overkill for nearly fifteen hours, I can safely say that the game represents some of the best highs and some of the most crushing lows of the boomer shooter genre.
A Fun, Yet Cliched, Story
Turbo Overkill‘s narrative is very clearly inspired by films and TV shows from throughout the 1970s and 1980s. The game takes place in the corrupt corporatocracy of “Paradise.” Corporations like Teratek run rampant, until their AI, SYN, decides to stake her claim on the world. She creates mutant abominations that are nigh unstoppable until Teratek decides to hire Johnny Turbo, a cybernetic mercenary with an AI buddy by the name of S.A.M.
As Turbo, you fight SYN’s forces throughout the cities of Paradise as her invasion continues. You rip through her many creations with your arsenal of weapons, as well as your cybernetic “chainsaw leg.” Later, you’ll encounter more horrific creatures and corporate bounty hunters, like Maw, who plays the role of Johnny Turbo’s rival. Gianni Matragrano plays the role of Maw, who brings his trademark versatility to the role and delivers a great antagonistic performance in opposition to the silent protagonist.
There are some very clear homages to Six Million Dollar Man and Knight Rider, as well as other popular TV shows, movies, and video games. In many ways, this adds a lot of charm to the narrative, especially if you’re familiar with these references. While not entirely complex, Turbo Overkill‘s story feels much like an episode of one of the aforementioned shows, and the absurd brutality of Turbo and his chainsaw leg often got a chuckle or a smile out of me.
On the other hand, though, there were just as many times when the reliance on references felt more like a detriment than a strength. There are references in nearly every line of dialogue, every frame, and most of the game’s main cutscenes. If you’re unfamiliar with the references, these nods start to become confusing. Even if you are familiar with the reference, like me, they can break the immersion and take you out of the experience.
There are so many nods to beloved shows and movies, but there isn’t anything that stands out as new or unique about Turbo Overkill‘s story. The use of an AI as antagonist has been done in Terminator and the use of bounty hunters hunting the protagonist can be seen in Total Recall. Even the idea of an AI creating cybernetic mutants isn’t too dissimilar from SHODAN in System Shock.
Turbo Overkill‘s story isn’t bad, but its entire identity seems to revolve around its references. At some point, you start to wonder why you aren’t playing those games or watching those films/TV shows instead. It’s also worth mentioning that boomer shooters have had some incredible stories in the last few years, such as with Doom and Ultrakill.
Further, it’s definitely possible to make a Cyberpunk story that doesn’t reference the usual suspects. Cyberpunk 2077 is such an example, in that it manages to have its own identity separate from Blade Runner and Akira. As it is now, though, you’re certainly not going to be playing Turbo Overkill for the story. Even with the tease of a sequel at the end, I unfortunately have little to no interest in seeing the narrative heights that Johnny Turbo could reach in the next entry.
However, all of this would be moot if Turbo Overkill had a satisfying gameplay loop with great visuals. A boomer shooter can afford to have an uninteresting story because it lives and dies off of its mechanics and how fun the actual game is. Certainly, Turbo Overkill has some great moments and sequences that are some of the best in the genre. Unfortunately, there are just as many moments that serve as some of the worst in the genre, partly due to the same problems with the narrative coming up in the gameplay.
Blinded by the Light
At its best, Turbo Overkill is an absolute blast. The visuals are usually very good and the gameplay loop is very fun. Starting with the former, the art style is clearly inspired by Doom and Quake. However, compared to the hellish and industrial aesthetics of those games, Turbo Overkill has a more cyberpunk/retro-futurist style. There are many bright neon lights, billboards, holograms, and other trademarks that you’d expect from the style.
One of the best parts of the game is how the visual style evolves as SYN’s invasion progresses. There are three major arcs, and in each, Paradise becomes more dilapidated and filled with infection. It helps keep the levels unique and exciting, at least visually. The physics of the blood spatters that explode from enemies after death add a lot to the overall style as well, making interior areas look like a literal bloodbath after an encounter.
The PlayStation 5 port really makes the visuals pop even more than they did when I first played it on the Steam Deck. The music is also great. Chipper Hammond, Nikola Nikita Jeremić, and Tim Stoney are the composers, and they help bring unique sounds that rely more on synthesizers than the typical guitars you’d expect. I especially liked the jazzy and bombastic late-game track, Sunset Synthetica, in particular.
Of course, gameplay is the most important factor in a boomer shooter, and Turbo Overkill‘s formula is quite good as well. Combat is fast and frantic: you’ll be sliding along the floor, tearing into enemies with your chainsaw leg, then flying around the arena, as you use your rocket launcher, magnum, and other instruments of destruction to destroy SYN’s forces of evil. It can be so satisfying, especially with the mechanics that the game introduces as you continue playing.
The grappling hook for instance adds some extra dimension to Turbo’s verticality. The Turbo-Time ability is great for slowing down the action to create more destruction and the micro missiles help create even more mayhem. The movement speed is appropriately fast and requires your reaction speed to be at its very best in every encounter. The difficulty can fluctuate but if you’re familiar with the franchise, you should be able to keep up with the action.
Plus, there are occasionally some vehicle segments. Sometimes you’ll control a motorcycle that has a low durability but makes up for it with high speeds. There’s also the flying car, which has missiles and a minigun, alongside the ability to fly through tight spaces. Players will be more than happy with these sections, especially as the game continues.
With all that being said, there are still some major issues. Going back to the visuals, those bright lights can sometimes look obnoxious. Certain areas are consumed by so much color to such an extent that they are almost blinding. When I was moving fast through these areas while ripping apart enemies, I would frequently feel nauseous and sick to my stomach. This could be fixed by a brightness setting or motion blur toggle. However, at least on PlayStation 5, there is no adjustment for these settings. If you have motion sickness or light sensitivity, this is certainly not the game for you.
There were some other, similar issues with the performance. When you kill enemies during the slow-motion ability, the game lags significantly. At some points, my game crashed, twice during a loading screen, and once at the end of the game that was so bad, it froze my console. I also noticed some issues with the sound design. Certain sound effects sound really choppy and static. Initially, I thought it was part of the retro style. However, none of the other sounds have this issue. The sounds made by enemies are also non-existent.
Even the pacing is rough. While most boomer shooters will have levels around twenty minutes or so, Turbo Overkill has levels that are thirty minutes. This may not sound like a lot, but with the aforementioned visual issues, backtracking, and enemies that lose their intrigue after a few levels, you’ll feel the length of each level.
It doesn’t help that, unlike other entries in the genre, the music isn’t dynamic (as in it won’t introduce new instruments and elements of a track as the level continues). Instead, it loops after two minutes. While some levels have multiple tracks, in most cases, as a result of the thirty-minute levels, you could hear some songs sixty times in a single mission.
The main problem at the heart of Turbo Overkill is the aforementioned reliance on homages. If you’re reading this and notice similarities to classic Doom, the recent entries in the series, or the countless other boomer shooters that have been released over the past five years, you wouldn’t be alone. I noticed them all throughout my playtime, and while they started out charming, as I played more, I was left with one question: why aren’t I playing those games instead?
That’s the problem with making a game that wears its inspirations on its sleeves: if it can’t reach those same heights, you’re always going to wonder why you aren’t playing the inspirations. The grappling hook feels better in Doom Eternal and Ultrakill. The music is more dynamic in those games, even basic mechanics such as sliding are better in other recent boomer shooters. Regardless of if all the technical issues were fixed, Turbo Overkill still never quite reaches the same levels of its predecessors.
Inspiration Can Be Costly
Spiritual successors are all the rage nowadays, and for good reason. They take concepts and visuals that were first created in the past and rework them with modern ideas, gameplay, and music-making. The boomer shooter and Cyberpunk genres are the best examples of this style, as they are simultaneously nostalgic and fresh. This is why these genres have become favorites of mine, and it’s why Turbo Overkill is so disappointing to me.
They are nostalgic without doing anything fresh. The few things that are fresh, such as the chainsaw leg being used in the slide, are undercut by the noticeable elements reused from games, movies, and TV shows that handle them better. This issue applies to both the story and gameplay.
Even if you’re playing Turbo Overkill without any knowledge of the media that inspired it, you’ll instead be distracted by visual issues, sound design flaws, crashes, and poor pacing. Don’t get me wrong, the game has some phenomenal set pieces, great music tracks, and a very fun gameplay loop. Its highs are definitely worth mentioning, the PlayStation 5 port is great, and if you’re a hardcore fan of the genre, you may enjoy the experience far more than I.
As for me, though, I couldn’t help but constantly compare it to other entries in the genre because of just how similar they are. Mechanics, weapons, story, even the idea of a silent protagonist has all been done before. However, because Turbo Overkill doesn’t do them as well as its predecessor, and as a result of the many technical issues, you’d be better off putting your thirty dollars elsewhere.
Disclaimer: Apogee Entertainment provided Final Weapon with a PlayStation 5 copy of Turbo Overkill for review purposes.
