The Bunker is a full-motion video (FMV) game published by the noteworthy Green Man Gaming Publishing, and developed by both Splendy Interactive and Wales Interactive; the latter of whom are the masterminds behind the psychological sci-fi thriller title, Master Reboot. Taking place in an unknown year, The Bunker follows a man named John and his mother, the sole remaining survivors of an underground nuclear fallout shelter. John was born just as the nuclear bombs were landing, his mother giving birth during the catastrophic event.
Right at the start of the game, his now elderly mother succumbs to an unknown ailment, leaving John completely alone and isolated. The only thing that he has left to keep him going are his daily tasks, which include maintaining the bunker and checking the radio for any possible signs of life outside of his only-known home. Events soon take a turn for the worst when the systems begin to fail, and John must venture into the deeper and long forgotten levels of the shelter, revealing the deep, dark secrets as to how he ended up by himself.
It should first be said that if you're looking for anything more than a semi-interactive movie, then you're better off looking elsewhere. As most FMV games have heavy puzzle elements to them, The Bunker does not. The gameplay sometimes tasks you with finding objects to proceed, but they're always close by, and the rest is mostly made up of button-mashing QTEs. Indeed, it is not a title that you play for any notion of gameplay, but rather for the story and atmosphere. This is the primary reason why many people have been disappointed when purchasing this game, so just keep this in mind. It should also be said that if you fail one of these QTEs, you will be forced to restart from the beginning of the cutscene, which could equal several minutes of lost time.
The entirety of the interactive movie was filmed in an actual decommissioned government nuclear bunker, and the creators make this very well known. The concrete walls, titanium steel doors, industrial machines, and overall metallic coldness could not be so easily recreated if it were any other location. This fact alone makes The Bunker deeply interesting, but add in the plot that was written by some fantastic team members from The Witcher and SOMA and you've got yourself one heck of an intriguing post-apocalyptic psychological horror game. In terms of gaming, the cast is pretty all-star as well, consisting of actors and actresses who played parts in Dark Souls III, Pirates of the Caribbean, Penny Dreadful, Assassin's Creed III, and The Hobbit.
To put it in a simple and underwhelming term, the acting is fantastic. John's struggles are deeply felt, from the time that his mother dies all the way up until his end choice. There are two endings, neither of them superb, but the events leading up to the two choices have an entirely unexpected plot twist. There are also some semi-unique camera shots that add to the eerie, psychological nature of the title, and contributing to the cold, dark, and truly isolated atmosphere, the neo-retro soundtrack is an outstanding feature. It gives subtle hints of sci-fi, while overall encompassing droning, dreadful, and foreboding horror tracks.
The bottom line is that if you're looking for a good movie with very minimal interactive features, then The Bunker won't disappoint you. If you're looking for an FMV game that has more puzzle elements, you will definitely want to look elsewhere. The game lasts just a bit over two hours if you take your time and grab all of the collectible toys and documents, as well as listen to all of the cassette recordings and visit each of the computer terminals. The pricetag of $21.99 CAD is understandable, given the excellent cast and genuine filming location, but most people will probably feel that the short lifespan of the game, coupled with little to no replayability, will cause them to hold out on purchasing it until a sale.
Rating: 4.0/5.0 - Excellent, highly worth playing.The Horror Network
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