Indie developer and publisher Retroware has revealed new gameplay features and information about their upcoming beat ‘em up Toxic Crusaders. Revealed in a brand-new trailer, the developer has detailed new gameplay features, and physical editions and has also announced a new release window for Toxic Crusaders. The new trailer is actually a deep dive into the game’s development where the developers reveal new information about the game and talk about different aspects of the game such as upscaling the original cartoon, new combat features, playable characters, and more. Check it out below:
Apart from working on the new title, the developers also assisted in upscaling the original cartoon from the 90s to an HD format and it is now available on Blu-ray. The 90s cartoon was itself based on an R-rated 80s movie and it only received 1 season. Season 2 of the cartoon was never released. The Blu-ray release includes tons of original content as well such as ads, and trailers from the original release.
Some of the new gameplay mechanics revealed in the trailer include a wide variety of characters and to assist in this, a tag-in, tag-out system which will allow you to switch between characters during gameplay. Using this system, you will be able to switch between two previously used characters. The developers are also paying special attention to designing enemies and many of the enemy designs in the game were inspired by different toys based on the cartoons.
Each boss in the game follows a unique behavior which gives them a unique personality. Each boss has some cool attacks. For example, Dr. Killemoff can jump between zones and fire toxic projectiles, Muffey can grab you and kiss you to regain her health back while Noxious Offender can hide in plain sight using his Shadow Step signature ability.
Music composer Psychostick is creating music for the entire video game, and it means that you will be listening to some great tunes while beating up the radioactive enemies. The composing will ensure that their high-energy level compositions will keep your combo flows going. The band was featured at Too Many Games recently as well where they played the game’s theme song to a large audience. Fans of physical collections will be happy to know that the developers are teaming up with Limited Run Games to release a physical edition as well which will come with plenty of goodies. It will be detailed later.
Toxic Crusaders is based on the 90s classic cartoon and is a throwback to classic side-scrolling beat ’em-up games of the 90s. You have seven characters to choose from and each character brings with them unique moves and abilities. You can play the game solo or couch co-op modes where up to four players can jump into the game and experience the story at the same time while beating the enemies senselessly. By teaming up with other players, you will be able to take on hordes of Radiation Rangers, mutated thugs, zombie chickens, and tons of different enemies.
If you have seen the cartoons, you will find familiar faces in the game such as Toxie, No-Zone, Junkyard, Major Disaster, and Headbanger along with brand-new characters Yvonne and Mrs. Junko as well. The game continues the story from the point where the cartoon season ended, and you will find plenty of references to the story of the first season as well. You will be happy to see different cameos and Easter Eggs in the game referencing some fan-favorite moments. The game also features fully voice-acted motion comic cutscenes which further adds to the flair.
Toxic Crusaders is slated for release on PC via Steam in Q2 2025 as the developer has slightly pushed the window further to allow more time in development and a Steam page for the game is now live. If you are interested in trying it out when it launches later this year, you can head over to its official Steam page and add it to your wishlist.
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Would you be interested in playing Toxic Crusaders when it comes out and what do you think about its new trailer filled with new information? Let us know in the comments section below.
