Atari announces Berzerk: Recharged for Switch

Original (10/5): Yet another addition to Atari’s “Recharged” line is heading to Switch with the just-announced Berzerk: Recharged. It should be out by the end of 2023.

Berzerk was originally released during the 80’s and was a top-down multidirectional shooter in which players fought hordes of armed robots through an endless, electrified maze. Evil Otto, who manifests as a bouncing smiley face, mercilessly hunts down players in the game. Berzerk: Recharged now updates the experience with refreshed graphics, twin-stick controls, and a new soundtrack by Megan McDuffee.

More information is available in the following overview:

In Berzerk: Recharged, players will fight through a deadly maze filled with menacing, vocal robots with one thing on their processor-driven minds: your doom. Fans remember the original Berzerk as one of the first arcade games to use speech synthesis, and Berzerk: Recharged keeps the dialog going. The robots chasing you have a sinister, snarky monologue running through their OS, so you will have to endure “kill the humanoid” and the taunting barb, “Chicken, fight like a robot!” as you fight to survive.

Of course, we can’t forget the villain of the hour: the malevolent, ever-looming, smiling visage of Evil Otto. Though he sports an ominous grin, Otto is a deadly, invincible, ever-present threat presenting only one real survival solution: RUN. Paired with Megan McDuffee’s original soundtrack of sci-fi synths, Berzerk: Recharged captures the ambiance of a harrowing space station shootout – and a very groovy 80s arcade.

Key Features:

• Challenge Accepted: Survive an endless maze of random rooms that get progressively harder the further you get. As intensity ramps up, the increasing difficulty is reflected in the robots’ changing color schemes.
• A-Maze-Ing Levels to Tackle: Shoot through 20 hand-crafted mazes that deliver unique gameplay challenges, each with different layouts to test your mettle
• Pumped Power-Ups: Pick up weapon modifiers, including a spread-shot, big shot, or a series-staple railgun. There are also player modifiers for speeding up, shield, and placeable mines to use against your rude and relentless enemies!
• Co-Op and Leaderboards: Like previous Rechaged iterations, players can recruit a trusty player two to double the firepower and aid in the onslaught if things get too dicey. Then, track your progress on the public leaderboard!

Announcement Trailer

Update:10/26 Atari have now given us a definite release date for the title: it will launch worldwide on Switch on November 9, 2023.