Upcoming Release ‘Infinite Onslaught’ Is Like A Light-Gun Arcade Game Of The ’80s But Unique In Its Own Right
Modern games are often used as mediums for political and cultural agendas. In prioritizing these messages, developers and publishers have left players out of pure entertainment. Infinite Onslaught is a perfect indie escape which breaks this mold, and by doing so, brings back the adrenaline-fueled fun of retro light-gun games such as Operation Wolf, but with a twist of its own.
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But, instead of a light-gun seen in retro games, Infinite Onslaught brings a new technology called ‘keyboard-basher’. This innovative system lets players mimic light-gun gameplay using just their keyboard. Each key corresponds to an area on the screen, and pressing the correct key allows players to shoot enemies in that area. However, it’s not as simple as pressing a button.
Basically, the area that is covered by the button is often larger than any of the characters. Enemies’ spawn locations may overlap two or more buttons and areas at the same time, so when a button is pressed, it doesn’t automatically kill the enemy in the area.
This has been done in a way to emulate the imprecise aiming of real-life gunplay, such as shaky hands or external factors like the wind, or just stronger than anticipated recoil. This means players must shoot more often to compensate for potential misses.
Moreover, the game allows one enemy hit per bullet, prioritizing the one closest to the player, and most enemies have higher health that requires multiple hits to defeat. Each stage will introduce new mechanics to keep the gameplay as fresh as possible, implementing different keyboard gestures, such as holding a button, double-tapping, dragging, or even selecting an area by pressing two corners.
This keeps the gameplay in the constant frenetic action just like in classic light-gun games. Additionally, Infinite Onslaught is full of 80s and 90s nostalgia through its story. With a slew of playful nods to classic action films of the era, it is set to interest many. Players take on the role of Matt Johntrix, an obvious homage to Arnold Schwarzenegger’s iconic John Matrix from Commando.
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After being betrayed while on a covert mission, Matt is left alone to plow through the hordes of enemies. Armed with an arsenal of powerful weapons, he takes players through the over-the-top cartoonish violence reminiscent of classic arcade shooters with the help of a catchy soundtrack, combined with smooth animations thanks to modern technology.
Infinite Onslaught is developed by Bonkers Builders, an indie one-man studio on a mission to bring nostalgic, action-packed experiences to players worldwide. The game is set for release in early 2025 through Steam.
Being the first of its kind with ‘keyboard-basher’ technology based on light-gun mechanics, retro visuals, and gameplay that keeps throwing enemies at players it is a fantastic homage to classic arcade shooters. Players can expect a unique twist and mix of old-school fun and modern technology once the game goes live in 2025.
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