Home » Maximum Thunderness (Preview)

We had the opportunity to test drive Berzerk Studio’s upcoming game, Maximum Thunderness, during our time at PAX West. It’s a fast-paced, roguelike game that puts players in a position to constantly test their skills, or it’s game over.

Packing Heat

The game’s storytelling and colorful visuals resemble the classic cartoons you find when you wake up on a Saturday morning to watch them. Heck, even the theme song screams the ‘90s with an animated scene! What makes the story feel like a cartoon on a Saturday morning? Aliens from an organization called S.K.U.L.L. have invaded Earth and are looking to take over the planet. It’s up to the heroes of Maximum Thunderness to stop their evil invasion.

There are three characters you can choose from, and each carries their own set of abilities. For example, one hero can shoot an array of projectiles simultaneously with their short-range blaster, another uses a rifle for powerful shots, and a tank-like character that’ll punish enemies when coming too close. You can play solo, though we recommend playing with friends after experiencing the demo. These friends can be anyone local or online. Just don’t be picky.

During the demo run, we tried out the sniper and the short-range blaster. The hero equipped with the blaster felt more balanced to use, and they could fly over objects with their jetpack for a short time. The sniper, while carrying powerful long-range attacks, proved to be more challenging. You can’t overuse the sniper, as it’ll overheat, making you temporarily unavailable to use it, but you can avoid it if you reload your weapon prior to overheating. However, you can generate a small radius of hurtful electic currents during overheating that hurts enemies if they are too close until your weapon cools off. Based on the demo played, the hero you choose determines the weapon you will use.

Fast ‘n Furrrocious

Each stage provides a complete burst of energy. A drill tank drives furiously onto the stage, where you and your friends in arms jump out and begin running in this side-scrolling level. The scrolling is automatic, and the visual effects make it feel like everything is going over 60mph.

Enemies will spawn from all angles and will shoot projectiles to deplete your health. Keep your eyes peeled if you want to keep your adventure going or if it’s a game over. Deplete the enemy’s health bar to extinguish them. Your goal is to survive the stage, and when you do, you earn a set of random skills to choose and equip for your character. You can stack these skill cards, giving it that roguelike feeling, but you can lose them if you perish.

The game offers a map of various paths you can take. Some routes are more tedious than others, and some offer more rewards. If you’ve played games like Castle Crashers, the gameplay will feel familiar. The map design uses creative ideas that resemble sketchbook-style designs that you would see in a child’s school binder. One map was available during the short demo run where a boss awaits at the end. There are some spots where you can land in safe areas. These locations allow players to purchase health items to replenish their health immediately or later when needed during battle, as well as access another shop that offers power-ups and enhancements. Once you are done, you don’t have the chance to go back and keep the ride going.

Blazing Through

The Maximum Thunderness demo run showcased that it can offer some fun roguelike adventures where teamwork is important and cheesy cartoons are still cool. We’re looking forward to how the rest of the game will shape up and what new additions await.

Maximum Thunderness is set to launch this fall for PC. Fans can visit the studio’s official website for additional information about the team and their games. We appreciate the Berzerk Studio team for giving us the opportunity to test out their game at PAX West.