Unleashing Mayhem in a Retro Rampage Simulator
In the early GTA games, I was playing them not so much for the 3D or 2D open worlds that the developers so beautifully created, nor for the number of missions and storylines conceived for these vast cities.
Nope, what was really impressive to me was the amount of chaos you could accumulate in just a matter of minutes. If you went on a rampage, the star system would go up, and soon you would have every helicopter, cop car, and even the army after you. It was nothing short of pure amazing mayhem.
Now, with MANIAC, the teams at Skystone Games and Transhuman Design have taken that concept from those games and made a whole rampage simulator. And you know what? It’s a lot of fun.
Drunk Santa and Nuke countdowns
The setup is simple, and the gameplay works as a bit of a mixture of top-down GTA and Vampire Survivors. You pick from a series of characters, but to begin with, you have only unlocked a drunk Santa Claus.
You are placed at the start of the game in a city with a few objectives, the main one being to survive for 20 minutes before the whole place is nuked. There are other sub-objectives like ‘drink some pina coladas with some babes’ – whatever that means.
Automated Anarchy
Now, all you need to do is cause chaos, rake in dollars, and achieve that final objective. As you move, you will automatically punch or fire a gun at any folk who may be passing by. Soon, you are knocking down and running over everything in your path, mostly as you can steal any car you see and then mow everything down as you try to escape.
Of course, very quickly into your run, the law will begin to chase you. Soon you have a horde of police and helicopters, and then even more law enforcement descending upon you. The key here is to watch your health and keep moving, all in hope of being able to stay alive.
Enhancing Your Rampage
What keeps MANIAC tense is that you have markers on the screen for your next level-up, with an arrow pointing the way. If you reach this fabled area, you go up a level and, like in the aforementioned Vampire Survivors, you now get to choose a gift or buff. These can be simple things, such as allowing vehicles to be hijacked quicker, or you might get extra weapons like flamethrowers, or you could gain followers who will help you in the chaos. These buffs are brilliant and add an additional layer of fun to the proceedings.
Permanent Perks and Playable Mayhem
Once you die in the game, which I did a lot, you start again. But you can use your hard-earned cash for extra support in the next run. Neatly, you can gain a perk that makes it harder for you to be killed, or even delay the time when law enforcement turns up, getting you closer to that nuke detonation.
There are also six different characters to unlock, all of whom have their own unique playstyles and different starting weapons attached to them.
Moral Mayhem
My main criticism is that MANIAC does feel old-school in terms of its themes and lack of morality. Is it right to just go about mowing down everyone? Maybe I am getting too old and up myself, because it is just a game, and a really fun one at that. But throughout my time with MANIAC, I have had to consider ‘things’.
Following on from that point, the top-down, cartoon visuals make the game’s style more fantasy than reality. This perspective sort of separates you from the violence and chaos happening around you. The framerate is smooth, and when the screen gets busy, the game doesn’t stutter. Further, the characters are fun, and the city design is fantastic. In fact, fun and fantastic are great ways to sum up the soundtrack too, with some limited voice-over snippets from the main characters.
A Bargain Blast of Mindless Carnage
MANIAC will roll back the years, whisking you away to those early experiences with Grand Theft Auto. It has a very arcade-like feel to it, with quick gameplay loops and exciting action. I’d say that Vampire Survivors is the closest to MANIAC in terms of DNA, with its buff system and that compelling one more go energy. But another big plus is the price – it very much feels a bargain for something this polished and addictive.
If you want to cause some mindless chaos, then MANIAC will be your first stop into madness.
Important Links
ReAdY tO gO iNSanE?! MANIAC Unleashes GTA-Style Chaos on Xbox, PlayStation, Switch – https://www.thexboxhub.com/ready-to-go-insane-maniac-unleashes-gta-style-chaos-on-xbox-playstation-switch/
Buy MANIAC on Xbox – https://www.xbox.com/en-gb/games/store/maniac/9n07nglhl0r5
