Total Carnage is a 1992 action shooter developed by Midway and ported to the SNES. Serving as a spiritual successor to Smash TV, it drops players into chaotic, multi-directional combat as Captain Carnage or Major Mayhem. You must navigate through intense, screen-filling waves of enemies, dodge explosives, and rescue civilians while dismantling the mutant forces of the villainous General Akhboob.
How to Play
Your primary objective is to survive overwhelming enemy forces while collecting power-ups, finding keys, and rescuing hostages. The original arcade game used a twin-stick setup, which the SNES translates by separating movement and firing. Use the D-pad (arrow keys) to move your character, and the face buttons (Z, X, A, S) to shoot in four different directions independently of where you are walking.
Tips
- You can fire diagonally by pressing two shooting buttons at the same time, which is essential for crowd control.
- Prioritise picking up weapon upgrades like the rocket launcher or flamethrower, as the default gun is often too weak to handle large swarms.
- Keys are critical for unlocking different paths and bonus rooms at the end of each stage, so grab them before they disappear.
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