The Bunker
Green Man Gaming, Wales Interactive, & All 4 Games
Splendy Interactive & Wales Interactive
Director: Allan Plenderleith
Writers: Allan Plenderleith, Kevin Beimers, Steve Ince, & Ian Thomas
Producers: Simon Sparks, Michael Richards, Last Chance Films
Editor: Brin
Composer: Dom Shovelton
You are John, a boy born in a secret government nuclear bunker in England on July 3rd, 1986, the day the bombs fell. 30 years later, everyone you knew and loved has died. You are the last remaining survivor. But when an alarm is triggered, you must venture deeper into the bunker, uncovering dark and repressed memories that finally reveal the terrible secret of the bunker.
Completely live action gaming experience, filmed in a legitimate decommissioned bunker, where you control John, played by The Hobbit's Adam Brown
Xbox One
PS4
PC (Steam)
90 mins to 2 hrs, dependent on your explorative inclinations
September 20th, 2016
$19.99
In the TV series Lost, we see a character named Desmond Hume residing in an underground facility, driven borderline insane by the monotony of his daily routine. Desmond is required to regularly enter a series of numbers on a computer every 108 minutes. While nothing as redundant occurs in The Bunker, the game’s tone, setting, and non-linear storytelling feel directly inspired by a show like Lost.
The Bunker, developed by Slendy Interactive in partnership with Wales Interactive, begins in a post-nuclear war era with the birth of our protagonist, John. He’s born in an underground shelter that houses less than 60 people. However, we quickly flash forward 30 years later to find John alone with his mother. Thus the central mystery reveals itself: what happened to everyone else?
An Alarm Sounds
What separates Slendy Interactive’s first outing from other titles is its aesthetics: everything is live-action. With a runtime of roughly 90 plus minutes, you essentially have yourself a movie. Now the industry hasn’t mastered manipulating a real human being completely. The Bunker is simply a point-and-click thriller, but is still impressive for a developer’s debut game. Unless you’re slow to select the next location and make John stand around looking clueless, the gaming experience itself doesn’t distract from the cinematic quality.
In the midst of John’s daily routine, an error message indicates a system failure somewhere in the facility. This is where the conflict and John’s unease begins. He hasn’t traversed from his floor with his mother much, if ever. Visiting other floors to resolve a mechanical problem sets his nerves off. Actor Adam Brown‘s performance, especially his facial expressions, effectively communicate John’s dread with his predicament.
Repressed Memories
As you take John along on his mission to repair the electrical and air filter systems, Brown moves timidly along each darkened hallway. With each floor you explore, a seemingly repressed memory rears its ugly head. We begin to see what unfolds with the shelter’s previous occupants via flashback, culminated in the game’s final moments. It’s as disturbing as it is gratifying.
Actress Sarah Greene plays John’s mother and she covers every range of human emotion fathomable by the game’s end. However, I’m intent on avoiding spoilers, so I’ll reference these specifics no further. If you ever throw up your hands during The Bunker‘s story, which can take a stretch to get into, be assured there’s absolutely a pay-off.
Lesser Demons
Outside of our two leads, the minor characters deliver their lines in a most uncomfortably wooden fashion. Then at certain points where John is simply standing in a hallway, the musical score swells as if hinting at a big reveal or jump scare, but nothing comes.
Mechanically speaking, the game is ultimately not intended to be any sort of challenge. It’s rather unfortunate though, as glimmers of a Quick Time Event (QTE) appear all-too briefly. However, the average gamer will pass these QTEs with flying colors and then some.
Despite any criticisms I levy against The Bunker, the story and high production value compel you to forgive them. This feels like a full-fledged Hollywood production but occasionally the actors arbitrarily stop and wait for a button click. They even filmed this in a real decommissioned bunker. This pays off as it makes your environment feel legitimately previously occupied.
It might be too early for declarations, but I’m predicting this title could see the same success as last year’s live-action mystery game Her Story.
Grade: B
- Immersive as both a movie & a game
- Intriguing mystery
- Brilliantly-constructed non-linear story
- Adam Brown's unforgettably vulnerable performance
- Quick Time Events lack difficulty
- Some supporting performances are wooden
- Musical score's dynamics occasionally didn't match visuals
- Main story doesn't reveal itself promptly