Evaluation: Berzerk: Reenergized

Since Berzerk was released as an arcade game in 1980, it predates the development of high-quality visuals. Although most people would argue that Pac-Man is a superior game, Berzerk did have one advantage: the robots could communicate. 

They would select from a list of terms and expressions that would be combined to create jests. Phrases such as “Get the humanoid!” or “Chicken! Fight like a robot!” Back then, a lot of the graphical gaps in games were left up to the player’s imagination, and the inclusion of dialogue between the robots and their active taunting of the player helped set the mood.

What on earth are we doing here, if there are no robot voices?

I so inquired about it with the PR representative for Atari and Sneakybox. They explained to me that there was an issue with the volume levels. You had to fully turn down the music in order to hear the voices. Well ahead of launch, they released a fix for it.

Though not very difficult, keep in mind that Berzerk was released in the same year as Pac-Man and two years after Space Invaders. 1980 was still rather early in the history of video games, but during the following twenty years, things would really pick up speed.

For the most part, the game just required you to shoot at enemy robots (in eight different directions!) while navigating electrified mazes. Stylish!) Clearing a screen before moving on to the next would get you extra points, but it’s usually preferable to duck via a doorway if things get too heated. 

Evil Otto might appear if you stayed on one screen for too long. Funny enough, Otto was only shown as a happy-looking ball, but you could only actually flee from him since he was unbreakable.

Berzerk: Recharged is still essentially that. You’re a little guy that shoots robots while in a labyrinth. Here, the addition of power-ups and twin-stick shooting is the largest change. And cooperative, but in this economy, who has friends? 

Does that really have a big impact? I wouldn’t say so. It isn’t the significant improvement that Quantum: Recharged provided. Yet, Berzerk’s straightforward gameplay outlasted Quantum, so perhaps it needed it more.

Bring on the humanoid!

I’m taken aback by Berzerk: Recharged’s sights. Although I think they’re a fair rendition of the original’s graphics, I’ve always thought the Recharged series was more fashionable. Sneakybox has often used a lot of neon-heavy minimalism designs to reimagine previous games as being more Tron-like. 

Berzerk: Recharged, on the other hand, is far more cartoonish. It seemed like a Flash game from the 2000s, if I were being very harsh. Since I’m not, I’ll just state that it lacks the competitive advantage of the other Sneakybox remake series games.

Still, the soundtrack is excellent. Megan McDuffee of River City Girls renown has written music for Sneakybox’s Recharged games on several occasions, and this time she has surpassed herself. The sound is still cyber-pop, but the hooks are very great.

In the meanwhile, the gameplay doesn’t significantly alter the formula. Power-ups and dashes are available, however you may disable these extra features to raise your score. To be honest, Berzerk: Recharged doesn’t need them, and I played without them. If you utilise human legs and a regular peashooter, it plays much the same.

Grab the trespasser!

It’s no secret that Atari created the Recharged series primarily with fans in mind. In addition, they’re working on more feature-rich remakes, such as Haunted House and Lunar Lander Beyond. 

In general, they’re enjoyable snack games. You can probably finish it in a day, even if you delve in and try to uncover every one of its accomplishments. You should enjoy yourself as long as you know what you’re getting into.

However, I believe that most of the Recharged games surpass their source of inspiration in some manner. They serve as a suitable alternative even if they aren’t clearly superior. That’s not how I truly feel about Berzerk: Recharged. 

It’s not a replacement for the original, in my opinion, which despite its flaws was nonetheless entertaining and oddly atmospheric. Unfortunately, I was unable to get an arcade-quality version of Berzerk, so the recreation is less meaningful.

For the duration, however, Berzerk: Recharged is an enjoyable experience. It doesn’t quite have the same allure as the original, and there are a lot of better twin-stick shooters available these days. Those games don’t, however, have a lethal smiling ball that tracks you until it sees you die. 

Its triumphant smile, gazing down at your robot-ravaged body, exudes joy. No, your pitiful human games will protect you from that nightmare.