90s Walkthrough: Reliving Total Overdose Mission by Mission
There are some games you play… and then there are some games that live inside your memory. For me, Total Overdose is one of those.
Released by Deadline Games and published by SCi Games, this wasn’t just another action title. Back in the mid-2000s, when we 90s kids were growing up on action movies and cyber cafés, this game felt like someone handed us the controller to a full-blown Mexican action film.
And I still remember the first time I booted it up.
🌵 Stepping Into Ramiro’s Boots
You start the game as Ramiro Cruz, a reckless, charming outlaw who’s nothing like his disciplined twin brother. From the very first mission, the vibe hits differently. Dusty streets, colorful buildings, cartel enemies lurking around corners — it felt alive.
The early missions don’t overwhelm you. They slowly pull you into this chaotic world. At first, it’s simple shootouts in small towns. You’re learning how to aim, how to dive, how to survive. But what made it unforgettable was the introduction of slow-motion “Loco Moves.” The first time I jumped sideways in slow-mo and cleared a room mid-air, I genuinely felt like I had unlocked some secret superpower.
Back then, it wasn’t about efficiency. It was about looking cool. And this game rewarded you for that.
🔥 When the Game Opens Up
As the missions progressed, the scale began to grow. Suddenly you weren’t just clearing a street — you were infiltrating cartel hideouts, chasing enemies across rooftops, escaping ambushes that came from every direction.
I remember one mission where the environment felt almost overwhelming. Enemies firing from balconies, cars screeching into the scene, explosions lighting up the screen. My heart used to race during those moments. You couldn’t just stand and shoot. You had to move constantly. Dive behind cover. Roll out of danger. Trigger slow-mo at just the right second.
Each mission started feeling like a new action sequence rather than a repeated formula. Some levels focused on pure chaos — waves of enemies rushing in nonstop. Others were more focused, requiring you to hunt down specific targets while surviving tight spaces. The pacing kept shifting, and that’s what kept me glued to the screen.
💣 The Mission That Nearly Broke Me
There’s one late-game mission I’ll never forget — the mansion assault.
Tight corridors. Shotgun enemies hiding behind doors. Grenades flying out of nowhere. It wasn’t the open, stylish playground of earlier levels. It felt claustrophobic and unforgiving. I must have failed that mission more times than I can count.
As a kid, I played aggressively. I would storm rooms dramatically, diving in without thinking. That mission punished me for it every single time. Eventually, I had to slow down. I remember creeping through hallways, listening carefully, peeking around corners before committing to a dive.
When I finally cleared that level, I didn’t shout. I just leaned back in my chair, sweaty palms, staring at the screen in disbelief. It felt earned. Like I had matured as a player inside that one mission.
🎸 The Personality of Each Level
What really made Total Overdose special was how every mission carried its own flavor.
Some missions took place in wide-open towns where chaos felt cinematic and almost playful. Others dragged you into warehouses filled with stacked crates and blind corners, creating tension you didn’t expect from such a wild game. There were rooftop chases that made you feel agile and unstoppable. There were defensive stand-offs that tested how long you could survive under pressure.
Even the boss fights had personality. They didn’t feel random. They felt theatrical. The buildup, the dramatic entrances, the way the music kicked in — it all felt larger than life.
Every time a new mission began, I didn’t know whether I was about to experience a stylish shootout, a desperate survival scenario, or a tactical infiltration. That unpredictability made each level memorable.
🔫 My Favourite Way to Play
Looking back, I realize I developed my own rhythm with the game.
I loved starting encounters from above — jumping off rooftops and activating slow-mo mid-air. There was something incredibly satisfying about clearing two or three enemies before even touching the ground. I also became obsessed with using the environment. Shooting gas cylinders at the right moment and watching a chain explosion wipe out enemies felt like cinematic genius — even if it was accidental half the time.
Over time, I learned to conserve my special moves. Early on, I wasted them just for style. Later, I saved them for those moments when enemies surrounded me from all sides. There’s something magical about triggering slow motion just as bullets are flying toward you and turning certain death into a heroic comeback.
🌞 The Final Stretch
The last missions escalate everything. More enemies. Bigger confrontations. Emotional revelations about Ramiro’s father. It felt like the climax of an over-the-top action movie where everything comes together.
The tension builds steadily toward the end. By that point, you’ve mastered the mechanics. You know when to dive. When to run. When to unleash chaos. The final confrontations don’t feel impossible — they feel like a test of everything you’ve learned.
And when the credits rolled… I remember sitting there quietly.
Not because I was bored. But because I didn’t want it to end.
💠That 90s Kid Feeling
Being a 90s kid meant growing up during a time when games felt raw and experimental. Total Overdose wasn’t trying to be realistic. It wasn’t trying to impress critics. It just wanted you to have fun — explosive, ridiculous, stylish fun.
It reminds me of afternoons after school, the room slightly warm from the CPU running for hours, the sound of mouse clicks echoing as I replayed missions just to look cooler than before. It reminds me of calling friends over and saying, “Watch this move,” before attempting some insane slow-motion stunt.
Today, gaming is bigger, prettier, more polished.
But that feeling — that wild, carefree, action-hero fantasy that Total Overdose gave me — is something only we 90s kids truly understand.
And honestly?
I’d replay that mansion mission again… just to feel that victory one more time. 🎮🔥
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