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1426640cookie-checkToxikk Goes Free-to-Play On Steam, Rekindles Arena FPS Gameplay From 1999
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2016/09

Toxikk Goes Free-to-Play On Steam, Rekindles Arena FPS Gameplay From 1999

Unreal, Quake, SiN, Starsiege: Tribes and Redline were fast-paced shooters back out in the late 1990s. They each helped bring something a little bit different and new to the table of first-person shooter titles. One of the most notable aspects of FPS games back then was the highly competitive arena-based combat for multiplayer. Well, one company wants to bring back that style of gameplay with their free-to-play title, Toxikk.

The game features mutators, open maps, challenging gunplay, vehicles a campaign mode and plenty of multiplayer options. In the free version you get official server support, skills for the classes and matchmaking, bots and the single-player mode, leaderboard rankings, all the weapons, all the mutators, some of the maps, some vehicles, aspects of the campaign mode and some achievements.

What you don’t get in the free version is a server browser, the ability to vote for the next map, no character customization, no ability to join or host custom servers, no Steam Workshop or mod support and no level editor.

Essentially, you get all the important stuff in the free version, but it ultimately tempts you to upgrade toward the full version of the game.

According to Reakktor Studios, they liken the free version to a game from out of 1999 being moseyed around as shareware, mentioning on the FAQ page

“It basically boils down to this: The Free Edition of Toxikk features the full core experience of the game and has no competitive disadvantages versus the full game. It let’s you play TOXIKK for free, for as long and as often as you like. So, in many aspects it is like a shareware version of the game or a demo.”

It really makes you long for the days of shareware again… back during a time when gaming felt fresh, and there was always some studio looking to push the limits. These days everything feels so stilted and confined; a lot of creative stifling going on due to the intensely divisive political elements hovering over the industry like buzzards over a dying corpse in the desert.

Nevertheless, if you’re curious about Toxikk but you don’t really want to put in a lot of time or energy if the game isn’t good, there’s an 18 minute gameplay preview available from Skylent Games that gives you a nice overview of how the gameplay mechanics work and what some of the vehicles are like. Check it out below.

Even though Toxikk recently went free-to-play on Steam, there are already thousands of reviews filed in with a mostly positive view on the game.

If you want to give it a try and your PC meets the minimum system requirements, feel free to hit up the Steam store page for more info.

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