This Flash Game Is About Madness (And Combat)
"Madness Accelerant" is a remake of an incredibly popular Newgrounds movie - but as a video game. Does it work? And what is Madness anyways?
It’s not often that you see an Adobe Flash cartoon remade from the ground up into a full game, yet here we are. Madness Accelerant is such a thing, originally released on Newgrounds in 2009. More specifically, it released on Newgrounds in the nick of time for Madness Day, an annual celebration of one of the platform’s most prolific and widely-recognized series.
Developed by Tom Fulp and illustrated by MindChamber — the very same MindChamber behind Red Baron years prior — Madness Accelerant is a fascinating experiment and a loving tribute all at the same time. Can you really translate the pacing of a movie into an interactive game? Does the movie itself borrow heavily from the medium of video games? And, most importantly, is it fun to play?
What Is Madness?
You can’t really understand Madness Accelerant without understanding the world of Madness itself. Likewise, its existence as a remake of Madness Consternation needs some additional context as well.
Madness originally started life as a nonsensical cartoon that heavily embodied its namesake. Set in a monochromatic world of grey figures with disconnected hands and feet, Madness embraced the nonsensical as battles ensued and mania erupted in a lone plain, set to a hilariously upbeat song that complemented the silliness on-screen. What started as a lone cartoon, however, gradually expanded into a comprehensive action series that featured its key protagonist — Hank J. Wimbleton — taking out specific targets out of revenge. He’d end up battling through hordes of generic goons that would later give way to Matrix-esque agents, terrifying clowns, “Jebus,” and an expanding cast of additional players who have only one goal in mind: to stop the madness for good.
While the story and accompanying lore of the Madness series is vague at best, it’s clearly not the focus. The high-octane action would become the series’ staple feature, gradually expanding from espionage action to massive brawls set in industrial hallways and cramped interiors. You could see, then, how Madness Accelerant could translate itself into the world of video games.
Accelerant is modeled after Madness Consternation, the 7th installment in the Madness series. Arguably one of the most integral episodes in the series, Consternation sees the world beginning to truly unravel as Hank’s quest for revenge kicks into overdrive. After presumably dying following the events of the previous episode, a mortally wounded Hank (who has since taken the appearance of a zombie after several other grievous injuries) is suddenly revived by a mysterious force, just in time to face off against the demonic clown Tricky one last time. The episode sees Hank going to town on just about everyone in his revived form, not only battling and ultimately defeating Tricky, but later going on to fight a gigantic agent and hordes of regular-sized agents throughout. Hank would ultimately perish after getting his revenge, with Jebus taking the wheel in the subsequent episode. But that’s another story.
Playing Madness Accelerant
With some creative liberties, Madness Accelerant not only accurately translates the movie into the world of games, but it does so with a sense of pacing that closely mimics its inspiration.
You play as Hank, being both on the defensive and on the offensive as you fight through agents, survive your repeat encounters with Tricky, and wield a small of variety of guns to do both. Much like the accompanying movie, the game is primarily focused around Hank’s sprawling brawl with Tricky, as the boss’ monolithic health pool is gradually diminished over the course of several phases.
While you do have access to a melee attack, as well as a chainsaw in another homage to the original movie, guns are the big draw here. They’re the only safe and reliable means of damaging Tricky, combining some genuinely powerful staples with a handful of specialty weapons here and there. Pistols, machine guns, shotguns, and even grenade launchers and flamethrowers make an appearance. For all intents and purposes, however, they’re functionally the same.
Is it fun to play? Certainly. Beyond the novelty of recreating one of the best Madness episodes with your own fingertips, the basic combat and ability to juggle enemies with your attacks gives you the same kind of power fantasy that the original movie embraced. The complete visual makeover, incorporating more dynamic shades of greys, reds, and multiple other colors, also helps give the original movie some more creative depth. In a lot of ways, this is what Madness Consternation looked like in your own imagination versus actually watching it.
More than anything, Madness Accelerant is a fantastic example of a game that represents the greater benefits of Newgrounds as a content-sharing platform. I mentioned Madness Day in passing, but this flash game is an excellent showcase of what the holiday is all about. A celebration of all things Madness-related, Madness Day sees users all across Newgrounds submitting their various tributes to the franchise, be they simple art pieces or fully-fledged Madness movies of their own. Accelerant even features examples of art pieces submitted to Newgrounds for such a purpose, along with several music tracks sourced directly from the Newgrounds Audio Portal.
Madness Accelerant, more than anything, is a celebration. It’s a poster child for the kind of community-driven engagement and tight-knit nature of Newgrounds as an art-driven platform. It’s the kind of engaging content endorsed by Newgrounds’ own principal founder, content that not only resonates with the many talented artists who contribute to Madness Day, but even to the wider audience outside of Newgrounds. It’s a fantastic game, both visually and mechanically, and it deserves a fair shot if you’re at all interested.
Where Can I Play Madness Accelerant?
Madness Accelerant is still available to play on Newgrounds. If you’re interested in the greater Madness, series, be sure to check out Krinkels’ Newgrounds page, as well as the respective Steam page for Madness: Project Nexus.