Berzerk: Recharged

About

"Berzerk: Recharged is a thrilling reimagining of the 1980 arcade classic, where you must navigate a maze filled with evil robots and defeat their invincible overlord, Evil Otto. With twin-stick control, power-ups, and local-co-op, players can chase high scores in arcade mode or complete hand-crafted challenges. Megan McDuffee's original soundtrack adds to the intense atmosphere of this exciting space station shootout."

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Local Multi-Player Play with friends in the same physical space using split-screen or multiple screens
2-Players Play with one other player, either online or locally, in a cooperative or competitive game mode
Multi-Player Compete or cooperate with other players online
Co-Op Team up with friends to complete levels or missions together
Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo
Split Screen Play with multiple players on the same screen, often with divided or shared screen real estate

60%

Audience ScoreBased on 40 reviews

music4 positive mentions

story3 negative mentions

The game offers fun and fast-paced gameplay, reminiscent of classic arcade shooters.
The graphics and music are vibrant and enjoyable, adding to the overall experience.
The arcade mode provides endless gameplay, allowing players to continuously challenge themselves.

The game lacks replayability and feels too easy, with repetitive challenges that don't add much value.
There are significant issues with controls, including a lack of joystick support and unresponsive hitboxes.
The absence of iconic elements from the original, such as robot taunts and a cohesive atmosphere, detracts from the overall experience.

graphics
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
40%
30%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the vibrant and fun style, while others find them bland and generic. There are suggestions for a darker, more dystopian aesthetic, but overall, the graphics are not considered offensive or subpar. While the visuals may not impress everyone, they are seen as a step up from older systems like the Atari 2600.
- “The music is great and the graphic style of the game is popping and fun.”
- “Firstly, the graphics and sound blow away anything on the 2600.”
- “The graphics could be darker though and be more dystopian.”
- “While I don't think the game looks ugly, the graphics are pretty bland and generic.”
- “The perspective is weird and the type of artwork just does not fit the game.”
gameplay
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
40%
30%
The gameplay of "Berzerk: Recharged" is characterized by its fast-paced, bullet-hell style, offering a fun and engaging twin-stick shooter experience that pays homage to the original arcade classic. While the game introduces new mechanics gradually to accommodate both newcomers and seasoned players, some reviewers feel that these additions detract from the core gameplay experience that fans of the original may expect. Overall, it provides a refreshing take on the genre with cooperative play and enjoyable music, though opinions vary on the effectiveness of its modern updates.
- “However, if an action game that takes the themes and gameplay elements of the arcade classic and works with them just enough to be similar to the source material but also manages to feel like a unique experience and still be a heck of a lot of fun to play sounds interesting to you, then I encourage you to give Berzerk: Recharged a try.”
- “The players and some of the robot enemies can shoot projectiles, and the game can often feel like a bullet-hell title, which makes gameplay feel tense and fast-paced.”
- “It's honestly refreshing to play an overhead shooter that doesn't have a ton of complex mechanics, a story mode, or meta progression.”
- “I'd argue most of the new twists they added negatively impacted the gameplay experience.”
- “What developer SneakyBox tried to do here actually distracts from gameplay.”
- “Some of Berzerk's (and even Frenzy's) mechanics aren't present until later levels (including electric and destructible walls), which is a fair trade to help newcomers and seasoned players adapt to the new gameplay style.”
story
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
29%
43%
The game's story aspect is minimal, focusing primarily on an endless arcade mode and straightforward mission levels that revolve around defeating robots. While some players appreciate the simplicity and lack of complex mechanics, others criticize the absence of a coherent narrative or clear objectives in the missions, leading to a less engaging experience. Overall, the game offers a nostalgic yet basic approach to storytelling, lacking the depth and atmosphere of its source material.
- “It's honestly refreshing to play an overhead shooter that doesn't have a ton of complex mechanics, a story mode, or meta progression.”
- “Someone has seen the source material and put a modern twist on it, adding a mission mode without fully capturing the foreboding and ominous atmosphere of the original.”
- “Someone saw the source material and put a modern twist on it with blur and bloom effects, adding a mission mode without even implementing the foreboding and ominous atmosphere of the original. This, along with the aforementioned issues, is quite disappointing.”
- “While the mission levels in other games have tended to have varied goals, in this one you are only tasked with killing all the robots on each level.”
- “You can play arcade or missions, though there's no explanation of what you're supposed to do in the missions.”
music
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
Overall, the music in the game receives mixed reviews; while some players appreciate its quality and fun vibe, others find it difficult to hear and not particularly memorable. Despite these criticisms, many agree that the music complements the gameplay well, contributing to an enjoyable experience.
- “The music is great and the graphic style of the game is popping and fun.”
- “Fun fast gameplay, 2 players option, good music, feels just like any other conversion of the recharged series.”
- “However, it is not a deal-breaker and the music, controls, and gameplay are great.”
- “Evil Otto still speaks, but in a low monotonous tone that you can barely hear over the music, and the music isn't that good.”
- “I will occasionally hear the game's attempt at something like 'Destroy the Intruder', but it's so difficult to hear even with the music dialed all the way down.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
While the remake offers enjoyable gameplay and additional challenges, many users feel it lacks significant replayability, even with the inclusion of local multiplayer and achievements. Overall, the game is fun but could benefit from more content to encourage repeated play.
- “It's a fun remake of the original, but it lacks replayability.”
- “They also added a bunch of challenges and local multiplayer, but there isn't much replay value here, even with achievements.”
- “I feel the replay value could be a bit higher, though it's not a bad game.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game experiences notable stability issues, including bugs when entering rooms and various glitches, suggesting it may have been rushed in development. However, players are hopeful that future patches will address these major problems.
- “It's a little buggy entering into rooms.”
- “There are a few glitches, and the game feels like it was a little rushed, but I'm sure a patch will come out to fix some of the major bugs.”
- “Glitches.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by the tension created through the mechanics of damage and invulnerability, where players must navigate perilous environments and confront formidable foes, evoking feelings of vulnerability and urgency.
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is perceived as repetitive and lazy, with phrases like "fight like a robot" becoming tiresome rather than amusing, especially for a title released in 2023.
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The atmosphere of the game has been criticized for lacking the foreboding and ominous qualities of the original source material, with some reviewers feeling that modern visual effects detract from the intended mood. Additionally, the introduction of a mission mode is seen as a poor fit that further undermines the game's atmospheric integrity.
- “It feels like someone took the source material and added a modern twist with excessive blur and bloom effects, but completely missed the foreboding and ominous atmosphere that made the original so compelling.”
- “The atmosphere is lacking; it seems like they added a mission mode without capturing the tension and dread that the original game had.”
- “Despite the visual upgrades, the game fails to evoke the same sense of unease and immersion that the original atmosphere provided.”