Evil Otto is Back in Atari Berzerk: Recharged

Atari has been crushing it lately between their releasing a new Atari 2600+ and new games as well as the VCS.  Well, today another game in Atari’s recharged lineup is heading right for us.  Atari is digging in the crates and bringing back Berzerk: Recharged.

Before the Mad Bomber, Zachary Graves, Madame Q, Dr. Wily, and Bowser, There Was Evil Otto, One of the First and Most Menacing Big Bads of All Time.  Considered one of the crown jewels of the 80’s gaming golden era, the original Berzerk was a top-down multidirectional shooter that saw players fighting hordes of armed robots through an endless, electrified maze.  The highlight of Bezerk is Evil Otto, who manifests as a bouncing smiley face that mercilessly hunts down players.  Unlike his contemporaries Inky, Blink and Clyde, Evil Otto won’t run away, can travel through walls, and is indestructible.  Now, Otto is back, bringing with him updated graphics, deft twin-stick controls, and a new soundtrack by the acclaimed Megan McDuffee.

In Berzerk: Recharged, players will fight through a deadly maze filled with menacing, vocal robots with one thing on their processor-driven minds: your doom.  Fans remember the original Berzerk as one of the first arcade games to use speech synthesis, and Berzerk: Recharged keeps the dialog going.  The robots chasing you have a sinister, snarky monologue running through their OS, so you will have to endure “kill the humanoid” and the taunting barb, “Chicken, fight like a robot!” as you fight to survive.

Of course, we can’t forget the villain of the hour: the malevolent, ever-looming, smiling visage of Evil Otto. Though he sports an ominous grin, Otto is a deadly, invincible, ever-present threat presenting only one real survival solution: RUN. Paired with Megan McDuffee’s original soundtrack of sci-fi synths, Berzerk: Recharged captures the ambiance of a harrowing space station shootout – and a very groovy 80s arcade.

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.

Berzerk: Recharged is developed by Sneakybox and is published by Atari.  The game will be launching on WIndows PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and Atari VCS.  What do you think about Atari dropping Berzerk: Recharged on us?  Are you collecting the recharged line?  Will this be added to your collection?   Let us know in the comments below or hit us up on our Twitter account (X).  As always stay tuned to Culture Splat for more content coming your way!