In a dystopian future where the word “privacy” becomes routinely lost in a company’s updated terms of agreement, corrupt corporations deviously tighten their reins on societal control. While many citizens become impartial and fall to complacency under the overarching authority, there’s always the brave few who are willing to take a stand. Released yesterday, Bunker Punks is a game for those ready to take the long road in fighting against crooked regimes. Per the game’s website:
Bunker Punks is a retro FPS with roguelike and basebuilding mechanics. Bunker Punks mixes the fast paced gameplay of classic First Person Shooters with procedural generation, permadeth and customization of roguelikes.
After the fall of civilization, you run a group of revolutionaries, raiding corporate strongholds for supplies to bring back to your underground bunker. Customize your bunker to strengthen your gang and overthrow the corporate government.
Bunker Punks is the brainchild of Vancouver-based indie game developer Shane Neville, who develops and publishes his works under the company moniker Ninja Robot Dinosaur. The game’s audio design comes from Power Up Audio, team that’s expertly worked on titles such as Into the Breach and Celeste. Additionally, the fitting original music for Bunker Punks was composed by Gordon McGladdery (Rogue Legacy & Night in the Woods) and Réal Cardinal (Mass Effect 2 & Gears of War 4).
Giving strong 90’s vibes with its Doom-like first-person perspective, the running and gunning in this game seems quite fluid and satisfyingly explosive. Choosing the roguelite mechanics of permadeath and procedural generation meshes well with the theme of guerilla warfare that Bunker Punks houses. This sense of brutal realism cleverly exemplifies the trials and tribulations that come with the struggle against a corrupt higher power.
A refreshing aside: Bunker Punks main developer Shane Neville is another perfect example of what makes the indie games development community so great. Rather than take the glory of this impressive release for himself, Neville is thankful to everyone who’s inspired and helped him along his journey. His most recent Twitter feed is filled with humbled shout-outs, including the following:
Bunker Punks is available now for PC and Mac on Steam for $12.74 (sale price until June 4) and the Humble Bundle Store for $14.99.