Turbo Overkill is a modder-made Synthwave boomer-shooter by the modder behind Total Chaos. We reviewed its first episode a while back and the second has now released, providing even more environments, enemies, and weapons with which to cause utter mayhem. It's not the first leap into the industry for a modder, though - we've reviewed three other indies, BEACON, Title_Pending, and Remorse: The List- and there's plenty more where that came from, so here's five mod cases of modders going commercial to prove modding's as good a way as any to break in!
In Sound Mind
In Sound Mind is a psychological horror complete with fast paced puzzles, unique boss fights and original music by The Living Tombstone. From the creators of the cult game Nightmare House 2 - explore, fight through and unravel the eerie and unsettling story of a town through memories. Wake up in the corridors of an impossible building, only to find its odd design and hallways are guiding you to solve the mystery behind a therapy experiment gone wrong. Made to rewrite painful memories, an unconventional method seemed to have caused more chaos than harmony.
Squad
Squad is a 50 vs 50 multiplayer first-person shooter that aims to capture combat realism through communication and teamplay, emphasizing both strong squad cohesion mechanics as well as larger scale coordination, tactics and planning. It features large open maps, vehicle-based combined arms gameplay, and player-constructed bases to create a heart-thumping, visceral gaming experience which mixes organized tactical multi-squad planning with split second decision-making in real-world scale firefights. If that all sounds familiar, then it may not surprise you to hear Squad was developed by many of the modders behind Project Reality: Battlefield 2, a remarkable (and still alive to this day!) mod for BF2.
The Forgotten City
Mods are often times the gateway to incredible user created experiences, but few reach the pedigree of The Forgotten City - a mod turned indie that produces a story so compelling and mystery so enthralling that we challenge you to put it down once you start playing. With no shortage of incredible moments, this is one indie that bats with the best of the best, and found a great start as a Skyrim mod of impeccable quality and gigantic size.
Day of Infamy
Experience intense close-quarters battles in iconic WWII settings. Day of Infamy is a teamwork-oriented shooter which aims to be a continuation and evolution of the original Day of Defeat mod released in 2001 - brought to you by the creators of Insurgency, itself a Half-Life 2 mod once upon a time. The game features huge multiplayer and co-operative action, with NWI's trademark intense, deadly action. Raise your head for a second too long and you might lose it, so work with your team and victory will be yours.
Killing Floor
We tried not to pick the obvious ones for this list - your Counter-Strikes, DOTA 2s, and so on - but we'd be remiss not to mention Killing Floor, a breakout case considering many of the most famous examples of mods going commercial can be found under the Valve umbrella in one capacity or another. This is a case of an early foray by modders into the commercial world without Valve's aid and Tripwire's continued success in adapting mods into standalone titles, then expanding upon them with sequels, shows they've never forgotten their roots.
Kicking Ass And Chewing Neon
Turbo Overkill is the blood-pumping, synthwave-soaked retro shooter that came out in early access earlier this year to rave reviews from retro shooter fans and 80s enthusiasts alike. Drenched in style, it's a fast-paced shooter with parkour and mild RPG mechanics, as well as being a throwback in all the best ways with keycards, arena-based combat, and buckets of zany action. If you couldn't tell, we loved Turbo Overkill when we reviewed it back in April, and now, the game's got a second episode to grind your way through.
Turbo Overkill is full of violence, gore, and non-stop action
Chainsaw Leg, Electric Heart
A new set of weapons - like a "telefrag" rifle - join your arsenal in eight new levels, traversed via grappling hooks and even a chainsaw bike that can carve up enemies but good. The game's currently 10% off at £13.94 GBP/$17.99 USD, and if we haven't quite convinced you yet, there's a demo you can try for yourself first.
Nice read.
Good article! Going to have to try out a few of these that I haven't played :D