Total Chaos represents a very interesting niche of horror games in general and independent horror in particular. These are games with the ambition to create a complete, seamless experience and be able to stand “on the same plate” as blockbuster horror products, only… from twenty or thirty years ago.

These are often extremely low-cost projects, developed by tiny independent teams, sometimes only the size of a finger, and built on game platforms (engines) that have been considered “outdated” for a long time.

Even when placed in the mainstream of these “late” games, Total Chaos is still a rather unique phenomenon. The game was released later than most products in the same niche, but chose a much older platform.

Total Chaos started out as a mod released in 2018, operating on GZDooman engine based on Doom original, with an age of more than twenty years.

But MarkGame today is not here to learn about the original mod, but to talk about the version Total Chaos Remade on the Unreal Engine 5 platform.

Will this remake retain its special identity due to the limitations of the engine? GZDoom bring? Can it expand on game mechanics limited by an engine over two decades old?

What are you waiting for… pick up the gas stove and explore the abandoned island of horror Total Chaos right here!

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Dark heart

Total Chaos The original (2018) surprised at first sight, not because it was beautiful by modern standards, but because the visual quality was far beyond what one could expect from a game made with the engine. GZDoom.

The Trigger Happy team has exploited this engine in an extremely skillful way, balancing lighting effects, smart perspective construction and a large amount of graphic assets designed by themselves, from environments to characters.

It is the way the perspective is handled and the meticulousness in each space that makes it happen Total Chaos The original (2018) no longer has the feel of a game that was originally a mod Doomwhich evokes the impression of a product that came out much later, with image quality capable of being placed next to games that were considered “top graphics” 10 to 15 years ago like Rage good Dead Space 2.

So, the most interesting thing about the remake on Unreal Engine 5 lies in the way Total Chaos almost… humbled myself. Instead of taking full advantage of the power of a modern engine to push details and effects to overwhelming levels, the Trigger Happy team chose a more conservative direction, focusing on the art style and overall atmosphere. Unreal Engine 5 in this case acts as a support tool, helping the process of realizing artistic intentions become smoother, not as a platform to show off technology.

Fort Oasis – the monstrous island where the entire game plot takes place, already possesses a thick atmosphere on GZDoom, and when recreated on Unreal Engine 5, that atmosphere seems to be even thicker. The space in the game is always surrounded by a feeling of dust, darkness and dampness, as if every surface is rotting over time. Weak light creeps through the gaps, floating fog and dense shadows give each area a lingering, claustrophobic feeling.

This feeling is most evident in strange dungeons and abandoned residential areas. The already uneasy spaces in the original have now become heavier, with the depth and density of the image enhanced, but still not losing the inherent roughness.

This also applies to enemies in the game. Despite being built on a more modern technology platform, the monsters in Total Chaos still retains a certain sense of roughness in movement and form. They are not smooth, not “alive” in the way often seen in modern horror games, but present as distorted, uncomfortable blocks of objects, making players always feel uneasy when facing them.

The awkward Zombies, four-legged spiders with half-soft, half-hard leg joints, make encounters in the game much more tense because of their horror.

It is this intentional roughness that highlights the creepy feeling and strangeness of the enemy. Instead of causing fear through details or effects, they create fear through deviation, as if they do not belong to this world. Plus much more carefully mixed sound effects, enemies and environments Total Chaos as if merging into one, creating an incredibly attractive and realistic world.

It is the harmonious combination of advanced technology and the roughness of an old-school game that makes the game's strongest point – the plot, even stronger.

Total Chaos is the type of experience where the player knows as little information before entering as possible, so it is difficult to discuss in depth without losing the surprise. However, it can be said that the graphical limitations of the original made it easy for players to miss important plot details, but in this version, they become more obvious than ever.

The harmonious combination of advanced technology and the roughness of an old-school game has made the game's strongest point – the plot, even stronger.

Environmental traces, spatial layouts and small details that were only faintly visible before are now emphasized enough for players to recognize and connect them to each other. Thanks to that, following the story line and gradually approaching the true nature of Fort Oasis becomes more coherent and easier to grasp, without losing the sense of mystery that is the soul of the game. Total Chaos.

My hell!

The most impressive point in Total Chaos The original, which has been “transplanted” almost intact into the new version, is a very comprehensive survival horror gameplay system.

First of all, in terms of resources – like many other survival horror games, players have to constantly think about their choices: keeping blood, keeping food or keeping space in the equipment bag are all tactical decisions, because this is a complex game.

In addition to the usual basic resource elements, the game also applies a relatively detailed equipment system, with weapons of different durability, armor… with different durability, bad statuses such as bleeding, poisoning, hunger, illness… In other words, the game always finds ways to “wear away” the player.

It is this scarcity of resources and constant erosion that creates a clear cycle: explore – collect – craft – survive, where every mistake has long-term consequences – especially when the monsters in the game are both fast and strong. The player can wear an armor with exceptionally high stats and a particularly good weapon, but if he accidentally misses a spider, or locks himself in the corner of a room,… no matter how good the guns, bullets or armor are, they cannot save the player.

It is this continuous erosion that creates a very unique pace Total Chaos: a flow that always flows clearly and naturally, without the need for clearly arranged climaxes.

Unlike many survival horror games, where the “survival” element only really appears in pre-arranged clashes, Total Chaos is a true survival experience. Even when players think they are safe, resources are silently being drained: hunger, fatigue, degraded weapons, consumable supplies.

Safety is temporary, and the price of standing still is always present.

That pressure forces players to keep moving, to keep fighting, and to continue to survive. Not because the game dictates, but because if stopped, Fort Oasis will slowly crush the main character.

The most impressive point in Total Chaos The original, which has been “transplanted” almost intact into the new version, is a very comprehensive survival horror gameplay system.