Originally a very successful mod for DOOM II, Trigger Happy Interactive and Apogee Entertainment’s Total Chaos is bringing the horror this holiday season.
See whether players should take this distress call with our review…
Total Chaos Review
Total Chaos kicks off with players picking up a distress call, heading out to sea to investigate.
Taking on the mantle of a Coast Guard, things quickly go wrong as one’s boat almost sinks.
Luckily, an old abandoned mining fort is nearby – players then dock up there to get supplies for repairs.
While things got weird out on the water, Total Chaos’ island fort is where the terror begins.
Total Chaos’ horrors are slowly introduced, starting with the odd spooky noise and some quick hallucinations.
When finally encountering an enemy, players will learn a dodge move to get past without much trouble.
After proving yourself, a man comes over the radio offering to help you find what you are looking for.
All you need to do is head into the mine and go down to its depths…
To do this, Total Chaos will have players getting through hordes of monsters and demon-like creatures out to kill you.
There are a few guns to obtain and use, but the best way to fight back in Total Chaos is with melee weapons.
Combat in Total Chaos focuses on the fundamentals with a charge attack, a quick attack, and a dash. Those looking for a dash of risk can also throw weapons; just be sure it’s going to get the kill.
Do note that one can craft or find more weaponry as things progress!
All melee weapons in Total Chaos have a durability meter, with blueprints allowing players to craft more.
On that note, Total Chaos is generous with resources for weapons, with pickaxes and shivs always on hand for us to use.
There is a caveat, however: Some of Total Chaos’ enemies can’t be killed.
As a result, players could very well waste time on a weapon before realizing running is in order – or a machine gun in one instance.
As long as you play smart in Total Chaos, the combat is enjoyable.
Claustrophobia in Total Chaos also plays a big part when it comes to its tension.
Each of its corridors are tight, feeling like they are closing in while exiting stage left from the freak shows.
This proves to be a double-edged sword, since players can easily take multiple enemies on at once while using the halls.
On the other hand, if one or two enemies get behind you, say good night. Even if you do spam the hallway trick, the enemies start to pick up rocks and bottles to throw.
Total Chaos is also a very dark game.
Players will eventually get a lighter, which somewhat helps with the darkness…until it goes out.
Combining darkness with the tight corridors got me turned around a few times.
Total Chaos does feature maps, but there are no map markings to show where you are. Be warned that you might waste time retracing your steps by mistake.
It definitely took a little while to get used to the lack of waypoints…
Outside of Total Chaos’ monsters, players will also have to keep an eye on their food, blood, and sanity meters.
Finding food is simple, and we were completely loaded up until the end of our playthrough.
Bleeding proved to be a little trickier – I could use a bandage to cure it, but then if I healed with a syringe, I also caused myself to bleed a bit.
It never got me killed, but finding the balance between healing and bleeding did make things more tense on more than one occasion.
Then there’s Total Chaos sanity meter.
As the name implies, this is the “Am I going crazy?” bar.
There are a couple of instances during Total Chaos’ story where the meter HAS to be filled, and those were the only times I really faced it.
When that happens, the sound changes, noises seem to come from weird directions, and the walls start to become fleshy and filled with nightmarish creatures that kill if one gets too close.
It might get worse than that, but I cured it ASAP and moved on.
Occasionally, Total Chaos would have items fall through the floor, but nae bother – I didn’t need 15 rotten apples anyway.
Fans of tense melee terror – or old-school DOOM games in general – shouldn’t hesitate to check out Total Chaos this holiday season.
Total Chaos Review
Reviewed On: PC (A digital code was provided)
Release Date: November 20, 2025
Platforms: PC
Developer: Trigger Happy Interactive
Publisher: Apogee Enertainment
Aggregate Scores: Metacritic / CriticDB / OpenCritic
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