We were able to enjoy the beta of Toxic Commando and we explain the reasons why you will have to make space for it in your library.
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There are artists who, in various fields, leave an unparalleled mark. I think of Maradona in soccer, leaving behind rows of players to score with an impossible left foot, the same with Messi in this modern era, or Jordan penetrating between giants to score a point that no other human would have even considered feasible. In the film industry, there are also many examples of these unique talents, one of which is John Carpenter, whose directing style has given us incredible works of art such as Christine, the Halloween saga, The Fog, Escape from Los Angeles, and many other projects that would be too extensive to list.
But this is, after all, a video game website, so why am I talking so much about Carpenter? It’s because the creative has taken on the challenging task of collaborating on a title loaded with positive elements that we had the chance to try out a few days ago on PC, and the name of this proposal is Toxic Commando. When you enjoy it, you’ll notice the director’s touch from the very first frame.
The game’s story takes us to a future where the company Obsidian, in search of a very valuable resource that can produce infinite energy, accidentally releases a subterranean demon that quickly takes control of the bodies and minds of all the project’s employees. Leon Dorsey, CEO of Obsidian, manages to devise a solution to the problem, but to execute it, he’ll have to hire a group of rather peculiar mercenaries.
A cooperative FPS with traction
The game allows for up to four players per team, although I took on this challenge alone, with the rest of my teammates replaced by the AI’s good disposition, which did a great job, and cross-play is available from the start.
Behind the development, you can see the hand of Saber Interactive, a team that seems to have done nothing but great work since Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2 and has also deepened its knowledge of its Swarm Engine, which powers Toxic Commando.
One aspect that caught my attention during the time I spent with the game is the interaction and the almost necessity of using vehicles to move around the screen, but also how well the vehicle physics are done, how they get stuck, and so on. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Focus Home was the game’s publisher, a company that also worked on titles like Roadcraft, Snowrunner, and Mudrunner, which is noticeable in these particular details.
Each member of the mercenary quartet has a assigned class that divides into Attacker, Medic, Operator, and Defender. Each class can be improved by obtaining seeds from special plants that appear throughout the map, which must be collected after eliminating the dangers that always surround them. Leveling up provides skill points that translate into over 30 available improvements for each character, all represented in a beautiful tree that leaves no room for doubt.
The arsenal can also be improved, in fact, the weapons include the possibility of adding up to 8 attachments, such as different types of scopes, larger magazines, grips with more grip, and even changing the color or aesthetic style of the firearm.
The squad members can also be customized with different clothing options, bulletproof vests, colors for the outfits, and various variants of hats and caps.
The missions are individual instances, and when they’re completed, the team returns to the base, where achievements, other recognitions, and experience are shared. When the game is released, if nothing changes, it will feature a total of 9 maps, which, although it may seem like a low number, are truly gigantic and will have several missions within each one.
The number of enemies on screen is often overwhelming, but not impossible, even in a higher-than-normal difficulty mode. Most missions, at least in the beta, included the need to resist hordes of enemies while repairing a structure or opening a door. These defensive sections also allow for creating traps, placing machine guns, or even electrified doors, all possible in exchange for spare parts scattered throughout the level and easily located thanks to the map, which doesn’t omit details about locations and objectives, a detail that is greatly appreciated.
Regarding localization, the game will feature subtitles and on-screen text in Spanish from Spain, and the voices will only be in English, at least according to the information published to date and what was seen in the beta.
A game that deserves a place on your future shopping list
Despite not being a hardcore fan of shooters, I think this proposal with Carpenter’s seal is well worth waiting for, both for its cooperative value and for the innovative details that can be seen in its gameplay, which can make a difference in a genre that seems to have seen it all.
The official release date was revealed at The Game Awards and will be March 12, 2026, at least for Xbox Series X/S and PC, where it will be available on both Steam and the Epic Game Store.
Translator and video game localiser with a passion for retro titles and simulators. He has never let go of a controller since he was given an Atari 2600. He collaborates with different developers in the localisation of their titles into Spanish through Camelot Translations.
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