Total Chaos, the survival horror based on one of Doom's best mods, is getting a New Game+ mode featuring an Alien: Isolation-style persistent enemy: 'It does not patrol. It does not follow rules. It adapts'

Large, humanoid creatures stand in silhouette over a graveyard inside what appears to be a cave. — (Image credit: Trigger Happy Interactive, Apogee)

When I played Total Chaos at the end of the last year, my main takeaway was, 'This is scary, but could be scarier'. There are some fear inducing moments in Trigger Happy Interactive's remake of the Doom total conversion of the same name—particularly a bowel-quaking mid-game section involving a library. But compared to the dynamic terrors of Alien: Isolation and Amnesia: The Bunker, it didn't quite reach the same heights.

But Trigger Happy Interactive has taken a leaf from the rulebooks of those two terrifying games. The next update for the survival horror game will introduce a New Game+mode that aims to radically shake up the experience for veteran players.

It seems this persistent-hunting mode will land on the extreme end of such mechanics, with Trigger Happy emphasising that "there are no safe zones. No scripted encounters. No comfort." Typically, Total Chaos' enemies leave you alone in areas that contain a record player, which acts as a save point much like Resident Evil's typewriters. But Trigger Happy's statement strongly implies the Hunter won't wait for you to step away before attacking you.

Total Chaos – New Game+ Official Teaser | Arriving March 2 - YouTube

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This isn't the only change New Game+ will bring. Trigger Happy says that the first seven chapters of the game have been "transformed into far more hostile gauntlets." Not only does this mean scarcer resources and more aggressive enemies, the levels themselves have been tweaked so that "routes are less predictable". Total Chaos' mazey maps weren't exactly straightforward in the base version, so I'd expect New Game+ to offer a stern navigational challenge.

While the first seven chapters are merely adjusted, Trigger Happy says that the final chapter is "completely new" in New Game+, and will lead to a different ending. "Reckoning reveals more about Fort Oasis, the forces that consumed it, and the true meaning behind your journey."

It sounds like an ambitious rework of the initial experience, akin to what Konami did in Silent Hill f. In any case, there's definitely room to up the challenge in Total Chaos. The base version tends to be overgenerous with its resources, so a run that makes you think harder about conserving weapons and equipment would certainly enhance the tension.

Rick has been fascinated by PC gaming since he was seven years old, when he used to sneak into his dad's home office for covert sessions of Doom. He grew up on a diet of similarly unsuitable games, with favourites including Quake, Thief, Half-Life and Deus Ex. Between 2013 and 2022, Rick was games editor of Custom PC magazine and associated website bit-tech.net. But he's always kept one foot in freelance games journalism, writing for publications like Edge, Eurogamer, the Guardian and, naturally, PC Gamer. While he'll play anything that can be controlled with a keyboard and mouse, he has a particular passion for first-person shooters and immersive sims.

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