Total Carnage

Game Details:

Total Carnage inherits and expands upon the classic twin-stick control scheme of Smash TV: one stick controls movement, and the other controls the direction of fire, allowing players to move and shoot in eight directions simultaneously. Unlike its predecessor, the game moves away from fixed-screen arenas to large, scrolling levels, offering more expansive environments and greater room for tactical maneuvering.

The game's core mechanic is balancing firepower and survival. Players face a relentless onslaught of mutant soldiers, tanks, and aircraft, and must constantly pick up temporary power weapons like rocket launchers and flamethrowers to maintain their combat effectiveness. The game encourages exploration, urging players to find keys, dog tags, and POWs hidden behind scenery objects. These collectibles are crucial for achieving the game's "best ending." The game's style is filled with satire and dark humor, presenting themes from the Cold War and the Gulf War in an exaggerated, cartoonish manner. Its iconic voice lines have also become classics.

Game Guide:

Survival and Combat Tips

• Twin-Stick Coordination: Mastering the separation of movement and shooting is the cornerstone of survival. When facing large groups of enemies, keep your character moving quickly to dodge projectiles while locking the firing stick in the direction of incoming enemies or concentrating fire on the most dangerous targets.
• The Art of the Bomb: The bombs in the game are not just for clearing the screen; they're also an emergency survival tool. When you drop a bomb, your character gains a short period of invincibility. When you're surrounded by enemies or a boss unleashes a wide-area attack, you can use a bomb to trigger these invincibility frames (i-frames) to avoid instant death, even if there aren't many enemies on screen.
• Weapon Priority: All special weapons have limited ammo, so they must be used effectively. Rocket launchers and flamethrowers are key for taking out heavily armored enemies and bosses. The three-way spread shot is most effective for clearing groups of mobs. Try to avoid wasting high-value ammunition on single, regular enemies.

Perfect Ending Collection Strategy

• Collecting Keys: The game's best ending requires players to collect 120 keys. Key drops are semi-random. They usually drop from destroying specific objects in the environment (like sandbags, bushes, and crates), but they can also drop randomly from defeated enemies.
• Delaying Screen Scrolling: A key technique is to slow down the screen's scrolling speed. The more enemies on screen at once, the higher the chance of a key drop. In non-forced scrolling areas, try to stay at the edge of the screen, killing only the enemies that appear in your view. This stalls for time, allowing more keys to drop before you advance.
• Using Passwords: In the arcade version, players can enter specific passwords (like the developers' names) to skip levels, but this will interfere with key collection. For the perfect ending, you must complete all levels, including bonus stages, and not miss any interactive objects.
• Before a Boss Fight: Before taking on a boss, be sure to check your current key count. If you don't have enough, you might need to sacrifice a life to replay an area and farm for more keys, ensuring you meet the requirement before entering the final level.