Total Carnage
| Industry | Video games |
|---|---|
| Founded | February 23, 1958 |
| Founder | Lyle R. Hall |
| Headquarters | Chicago, Illinois , United States |
| Products | Total Carnage, Smash TV, Mortal Kombat, NBA Jam |
| Website | www |
Total Carnage is an arcade multidirectional shooter created and distributed by Midway in North America in March 1992. The storyline unfolds in the fictional nation of Kookistan in 1999, where players assume the roles of Captain Carnage and Major Mayhem from the Doomsday Squad. Their mission is to depose the tyrannical General Akhboob and his mutant forces while liberating prisoners of war.
The development team largely consisted of members who had worked on Williams' 1990 arcade success Smash TV. While Total Carnage retains the twin-stick shooting style, it distinguishes itself through expansive scrolling levels and bonus rounds instead of confined single-screen arenas. A new gameplay element includes bombs that detonate a few seconds after deployment, requiring tactical use.
The title was adapted for various platforms, including Amiga, CD32, Jaguar, Game Boy, MS-DOS, and the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It is also featured in collections such as Midway Arcade Treasures 2, Midway Arcade Treasures Deluxe Edition, and Midway Arcade Origins.
Although the arcade edition was met with favorable critical acclaim, its commercial performance fell short. The home versions received a range of responses from critics. Designer Mark Turmell later found significant success with NBA Jam.
In Total Carnage, a multidirectional shooter akin to Smash TV, players control Captain Carnage (player one) and Major Mayhem (player two), members of the Doomsday Squad. The gameplay covers three stages, each culminating in a boss encounter. The objective is to overthrow General Akhboob—whose character draws inspiration from Saddam Hussein—and his mutant army by infiltrating his "Baby Milk Factory" stronghold while rescuing captive soldiers. The protagonists’ designs are reminiscent of John Rambo, and the setting reflects themes from the 1991 Persian Gulf War.
Movement is managed via the left joystick, with firing controlled by the right joystick. A password feature enables players to jump to any point within the game. If all lives are lost, the game ends unless additional credits are inserted in arcade versions to continue.
Expanding upon Williams' earlier work, Total Carnage introduced simultaneous two-player gameplay, scrolling stages, massive enemy vehicles, bomb placement tactics, and a broader variety of gameplay elements.
Development
The majority of the team responsible for Williams' Smash TV also developed Total Carnage, including individuals who later contributed to Midway franchises like Mortal Kombat and NBA Jam. Mark Turmell led programming efforts alongside Shawn Liptak and Eugene Jarvis. Pixel art was crafted by Jim Gentile, John Tobias, and Tony Goskie, while sound design was directed by Jonathan Hey. Notably, Ed Boon—co-creator of Mortal Kombat—lent his voice to the antagonist General Akhboob.
Initially, the game offered two different endings following the Pleasure Dome bonus stage: a "good" ending featuring female characters and playable figures from Smash TV if all treasures were gathered, and a "bad" ending without these visuals that encouraged players to collect every treasure. However, a glitch caused the "good" ending images to appear alongside the "bad" ending text regardless of treasure completion. This bug was uncovered during testing for 2012's Midway Arcade Origins. Turmell recalled programming both outcomes but speculated he may have deliberately left the glitch as a prank.
Ports
The UK-based International Computer Entertainment handled the conversions for the Amiga and CD32 editions, with programming led by Keith Weatherly and Simon Fox, while Ellen Hopkins and Mike Jary were responsible for modifying the artwork. Weatherly and Fox recounted that the Amiga adaptation took place between 1993 and 1994, spanning over a year under Midway’s guidance. Although there were initial plans to integrate discarded arcade features, these ideas were eventually abandoned. Midway supplied both the original artwork and source code; however, adapting the graphics proved difficult due to hardware constraints, which necessitated a reduction in color palettes and animation frames.
Cancelled ports
Black Pearl Software was developing versions for the Sega CD and Genesis platforms, with Malibu Games set to publish them. Despite previews in magazines and promotional materials, neither version reached official release for reasons that remain undisclosed. A prototype cartridge for the Genesis version is reportedly in the possession of collector Jason Wilson.
Release
Total Carnage debuted in arcades through Midway's distribution in January 1992. The game was later adapted for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System by Black Pearl Software, with publishing handled by Malibu Games in late 1993. This port emulated the arcade’s dual-stick control by assigning the SNES’s four primary buttons (A, B, X, Y) similarly to a directional pad, enabling players to move and shoot independently. In February 1994, Malibu Games launched a Game Boy edition across North America and Europe. By mid-1994, International Computer Entertainment released versions for both Amiga and Amiga CD32 systems, while British developer Hand Made Software produced a MS-DOS adaptation.
The arcade original was reissued in 2004 within Midway Arcade Treasures 2 for PlayStation 2, Xbox, and GameCube. An unreleased Atari Jaguar port by Hand Made Software surfaced in 2005 when Songbird Productions published it globally, nearly ten years after its initial development started. The arcade classic saw further re-releases in 2006 as part of Midway Arcade Treasures Deluxe Edition for PC and again in 2012 within Midway Arcade Origins for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
Reception
In May 1992, Total Carnage ranked third among arcade games in popularity across the United States according to RePlay. However, it did not meet Midway’s expectation of selling 2,000 arcade units. This shortfall prompted designer Brian Turmell to redirect his efforts towards a new venture that ultimately became the hit title NBA Jam.
The arcade edition garnered widespread praise; Sinclair User awarded it a score of 96%, commending its vibrant cartoon-style gameplay and declaring it the "best game of 1992." Conversely, reviews of console and computer ports varied significantly across platforms such as SNES, Amiga, Game Boy, and Atari Jaguar. The trademark associated with the game was officially abandoned in 2009.