Turbo Overkill 1.0 review – Move through the splatter with ease

There are a lot of titles trying to recreate the feeling of classic arena shooters, with many going as far as to recreate the retro-visuals in top-notch quality. Turbo Overkill is no different, with this cyberpunk indie title evolving on the action hero formula that titles from the 1990s like Duke Nukem and DOOM thrived, while also making the most out of the current-gen technology.

While nailing the aesthetic and feel of your world is extremely important, it’s more important to make sure that your guns and movement are unique after the years of simple arena shooters gamers have seen. The best of these titles make each level feel like a breeze as you dodge around the enemies while dealing damage in a variety of ways, with Turbo Overkill largely delivering on this.

While it’s not evenly spread throughout, most of Turbo Overkill is fast-paced and energetic as you dash across levels and fly through the sky to take out whatever unfortunate being stands in your way. Many of the issues the game has are minor with developer Trigger Happy Interactive clearly putting its entire heart and soul into the design and specificities of each level.

Johnny Turbo, Paradise’s hero

The story of Turbo Overkill feels like a love letter to action movies with a lot of layers and different names that I had a hard time following in the segmented level-by-level format. Thankfully, the game offers a logbook and other data tracking services, so I could look something up if I was curious, but that takes you out of the action and is antithetical to the rest of the gameplay.

That being said, the monster and character design is out of this world in how impressive it was for me. Each new environment or world introduced something I wasn’t expecting, whether that be large-scale arenas, simulations with walls I had to shoot through, or other grandiose set pieces, I was constantly taking screenshots due to the awe I felt at how pretty it was.

There are dull moments in the story, especially in the first two episodes, but these are often little compared to the addition of a new weapon or ability that allows you to fully take advantage of Johnny’s many augments and weapons. A fool might say there are too many ways to kill your enemies in this game, but the freedom of choice often leads to unique moments and solutions to enemy hordes.

If you’re a big fan of the splatter mechanics and a silent protagonist with the weight of the world on his shoulders, then you’ll likely appreciate the darker themes in Turbo Overkill. While the darker themes aren’t really all that prevalent, there’s a grungy and gory feel that may make some players feel like they need a shower after playing for too long.

Emphasis on the Turbo

One of the things that stuck with me from early on in Turbo Overkill was how fluid and smooth the movement was, as I often felt like I was skating across the ice as I slid around enemies. It was quick and effortless, almost feeling graceful as I added in the occasional jump or dodge amidst my hail of bullets. It’s a good feeling, especially when you learn how to properly use the chainsaw slide.

Paired with the exceptional movement, the guns and their alternate fire abilities all felt pretty distinct. Whether that be the light machine gun that’s also a flamethrower or the sawed-off shotgun that doubles as a grenade launcher, your biggest issue will be making sure that you pick up and buy ammo as you need it, which only severely affected me once or twice. Most enemies drop bullets of some kind.

The way that Turbo Overkill plays with verticality is also a major accomplishment, even if it takes practice to get the right height or learn where the game is trying to direct you. The moments where I was able to zip through a level by wall-running, jumping, and using boosters to get higher felt really cool and it would be interesting to see Trigger Happy evolve on the movement in a future title.

Thankfully, Turbo Overkill avoids some of the issues of this 3D arena FPS genre, providing levels with varied requirements, rewards, and secrets to be found. On top of having a beautiful design, it’s also a lot of fun to play for those who are fans of standard FPS or just like good movement in their games.

Try Hard Guides was provided with a PC review copy of this game. Find more detailed looks at popular and upcoming titles in the Game Reviews section of our website!