builds tension,withflickeringlights,
an eerie ambientsoundscape,and
objects clatteringtothefloorasyou
turn blindcorners.Thesearetricks
that plentyofhorrorgamespull,of
course, butthey’redonewellhere
- and, again,it’sworthremembering
that this isaDoommod.TotalChaos
also showsimpressiverestraint,
taking timetosetthesceneandpull
you into itsbleakworldbeforethe
action starts.Andthroughoutthe
mod therearequietermomentstolet
you catchyourbreath.
As youexploretheminingfacility
you’ll oftenseebriefflickersofthe
lives of thepeoplewholivedthere
before thingswentbad– shadowy
silhouettesofminersgoingabout
their business,whichis another
example ofWadaholicusingthe
foundationsofDoomtodothingsthe
game wasnevermeantto.It’sa little
derivativeofBioShockandother
horror games,whichappliesto
almost everyaspectofthemod,
actually. ButTotalChaoshasenough
personalitytofeellikemorethanjust
a pasticheofothergames.
My firstencounterwithoneofthe
creatureshauntingFortOasis
happens about 25 minutesintothe
game, in theformofa screeching,
skull-facedzombiewithglowing
white eyes.I’mtrappedina seriesof
narrow corridorswithit,withonlya
pickaxe todefendmyselfandfive
breaker switchesI havetopullto
access thenextarea.Ratherthan
attack themonster,I decidetojust
avoid it, runningaroundit incircles,
luring it awayfromtheswitchessoI
can safelyyankthem.
After outsmartingmyzombie
pursuer Islipintoa newlyopened
room that’sbeenplungedinto
darkness exceptfora flashingred
light. I hearmorescreechingand
look behindme,onlytoseeanentire
group of thebastardsshambling
towards me.Thisis oneofseveral
tenseset-piecesthegamethrowsat
you,andthey’renicelyscripted
consideringthelimitationsofthe
engine.Aftera maddashthrougha
networkofmaze-likecorridors,
chasedbyhordesoffiery-eyed
demons,I emergeoutsideandI’m
relievedtofindmyselfona desolate,
foggycoastline.
Therearecratesscatteredaround
theislandcontaininghealthitems
andfood,whichfactorintothe
game’ssurvivalelements.Youhave
severalstatstokeeptrackof
includingstamina,hunger,bleeding,
andradiation,allofwhichhavetobe
managedwithitemsscavengedfrom
theworld.Butafterbreakinga few
openmypickaxeshatters,whichis
themomentI discoverthegamehas
breakableweaponstoo.Witha namelikeTotalChaosI wasexpectingthis
modtobesomethinglikeBrutal
Doom,butit’sactuallya pretty
hardcoresurvivalgame.
There’sa storytoo,toldthrough
radiotransmissionsfromthat
mysteriousvoice,aswellasscattered
notesanddocuments.And,naturally,
beinga horrorgame,there’sa fair
amountofenvironmentalstorytelling
toointheformofsinistermessages
scrawledonthewalls.Themoddoes
a goodjobofbuildinga senseof
mystery,andit’sobviousthere’smore
toyourarrivalontheislandthana
randomshipwreck.Theending(well,
theregularending– there’sa secret
one)is alsoincrediblydepressing,
whichfitsthegenerallydownbeat
atmosphereofthegame.Other monsters I encounter
include a floating demon that can
phase in and out of existence and
shoot bolts of lightning, and a
creature with a split, teeth-filled head
like a mutated piranha plant, which
looks like something out of The
Thing. They aren’t as scary as
something like, say, the monsters
from Amnesia or SOMA. But when
you’re trapped in the tight confines of
some underground mining facility
with them, hearing their shrieking
through the walls, is unnerving.
Luckily, later on, you can fight
back. Total Chaos’ Doom roots are the
most apparent when you get a hand
on a weapon, although ammo is
limited by design to force you to
think carefully about each enemy
encounter. There’s a punchy pistol, a
chunky shotgun, and an obscene
super shotgun. But, for the most part,
you’ll be using melee weapons found
scattered around the environment.GOING SOLO
If you like the sound of Total Chaos
and want to try it for yourself, the
good news is that you don’t need
doom2.wad or even GZDoom to play
it anymore. The game is now totally
standalone and can be played
immediately after downloading and
unzipping it. I had no problems
running it straight out of the box at
4K, and there’s a vast selection of
options to tweak the experience as
needed, including a developer
console that supports all your
favourite Doom commands.
Wadaholic has also announced an
official director’s cut, which is
currently scheduled for a June
release – although it has been delayed
once already, so don’t hold me to that.
This will expand on the storyline and
add eleven new weapons, seven new
enemies, and three new chapters.
‘Madness’ will see you battling
through a submerged prison and a
coastal town. ‘Forgotten’ takes place
in a suburban district and promises to
be the mod’s largest map and
‘Crossroads’ is set in a forest. I can’t
wait to get this expansion.
Total Chaos is the most impressive
mod I’ve played in some time, taking
the essence of Doom and mutating it
into something completely different.
You can still feel the evil presence of
Id’s legendary FPS there, bubbling
under the surface, but in an exciting
and grimly beautiful new form.
Wadaholic has hinted at a couple of
new projects on his website,
including a standalone horror game
he hopes to release. But whatever
he decides to do next, you can bet
I’ll be playing it.MAJORMODS,ANALYSED
MOD SPOTLIGHT
IT’S OBVIOUS
THERE’S MORE TO
YOUR ARRIVAL ON THE
ISLAND THAN A
RANDOM SHIPWRECKFEAR FACTOR Other spooky mods
THE WORRY OF
NEWPORT
A mod that turns Crysis
into a moody, understated
horror game. It’s almost
entirely story-based, with a
focus on atmosphere over
interaction.HUMANE LABS
EXPERIMENTS
This mod takes the
Humane Labs research
facility from Grand Theft
Auto V, which is part of a
heist in the main game, and
fills it with zombies.INTO THE DEPTHS
There are a lot of
horror-themed add-ons for
Skyrim, but this is one of
the best. This begins like a
standard dungeon crawl,
but shifts into something
more unsettling.CLAUSTROPHOBIA
Set in a condemned
apartment block, this
Silent Hill-inspired mod
brings a dash of
psychological horror to the
post-apocalyptic
wasteland of Fallout 4.