It wasn’t so long ago that Atari revealed the next in their line of Recharged games, Berzerk Recharged, but now they’ve announced a release date for it. It will arrive for PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Atari VCS on November 9, 2023.
Berzerk Recharged is an updated version of the classic 1980 arcade game by Alan McNeil. It’s maybe not as well-remembered as titles like Pac-Man or Space Invaders, but Berzerk is pretty great in its own right. The 2600 port is among my favorite games on the system, even though I’m not a huge fan of that era of games. There’s just something about the feel of Berzerk that gets my endorphins pumping.
If you don’t think you’ve ever heard of the game, it was referenced in Futurama’s season one episode, “Fear of a Bot Planet.” Two robots quote the game, saying, “Get the humanoid. Get the Intruder.”
As part of Sneakybox’s Recharged line of games, Berzerk Recharged will be updated with new visuals, leaderboards, and power-ups, and progression. Most importantly, I feel, is the addition of a twin-stick control scheme. 1975’s Gunfight was the first game to use the control scheme, while it would later be popularized by 1982’s Robotron 2084. I really started digging it after I played 1990’s Smash T.V., which was a spiritual successor to Robotron. I’m getting off-track here, but twin-stick is a great control scheme and should definitely benefit Berzerk’s formula.
Berzerk Recharged will release for PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Atari VCS on November 9, 2023. Also, as a reminder, Berzerk Enhanced Edition will launch on Atari 2600 on November 17th alongside the Atari 2600+.
