NEW YORK, Nov. 09, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Atari® — one of the world’s most iconic consumer brands and interactive entertainment producers — is delighted to announce the launch of its latest retro-charged reimagining of a beloved gaming classic, Berzerk: Recharged. Available now on Windows PC, PlayStation 4 and 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S, Berzerk: Recharged challenges arcade enthusiasts to fight their way through levels of deadly mazes filled with waves of menacing, vocal robots, blasters trained on any human they sense, all while avoiding evil incarnate: the smiling, bouncing terror known as Evil Otto.
Trapped in a cybernetic synth-wave death maze, players will take blasters in hand and shoot their way through waves of snarky, vocal robots that are devoting their processing power towards one vicious goal: YOUR DOOM. Berzerk is fondly remembered as one of the first arcade games to use speech synthesis, and Berzerk: Recharged keeps the trash-talk going. The robots, with no concept of mercy, have sinister, text-to-speech monologues running through their OS, so players will have to endure “kill the humanoid” and the taunting barb, “Chicken, fight like a robot!” as they fight to survive.
Regarded as one of the prized gems in gaming’s arcade heyday, the original Berzerk was a top-down multidirectional shooter where players battled onslaughts of armed robots within an unending, electrified labyrinth. The standout feature of the original Berzerk was Evil Otto, a menacingly persistent, bouncing smiley face who relentlessly pursued players. Unlike his counterparts Inky, Blinky, and Clyde, Evil Otto doesn’t turn tail, can pass through walls, and is impervious to destruction…and he knows it. Now, Otto has returned, bringing along updated, vibrant visuals, responsive twin-stick controls, and a fresh synth soundtrack by acclaimed composer Megan McDuffee.
Key Features of Berzerk: Recharged Include:
Challenge Accepted: Survive an endless maze of random rooms that get progressively harder the further you get. As intensity ramps up, the increasing difficulty is reflected in the robots’ changing color schemes.
A-Maze-Ing Levels to Tackle: Shoot through 20 hand-crafted mazes that deliver unique gameplay challenges, each with different layouts to test your mettle
Pumped Power-Ups: Pick up weapon modifiers, including a spread-shot, big shot, or a series-staple railgun. There are also player modifiers for speeding up, shield, and placeable mines to use against your rude and relentless enemies!
Co-Op and Leaderboards: Like previous Rechaged iterations, players can recruit a trusty player two to double the firepower and aid in the onslaught if things get too dicey. Then, track your progress on the public leaderboard!
If that wasn’t enough Evil Otto for you, Atari invites you to throw it back old school with Berzerk Enhanced Edition, a 2600 cartridge version of the classic, fully updated with diagonal firing and robot voice sampling. The cartridge launches on November 17, 2023, alongside the new Atari 2600+, a faithful recreation of the first commercially successful home video game console.
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Developed by Sneakybox and published by Atari, Berzerk: Recharged is now available on Windows PC, PlayStation 4 and 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and comes to Atari VCS later this year. To learn more, visit the official website.
Review Coming
Old School Gamer has a review going online with our November issue of Old School Gamer, coming out digitally early next week!
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