Bunker Invaders

Social horror has gained serious traction as a genre these past few years. Bunker Invaders continues to prove that some frights are better shared with friends. The game invites you and up to three other players to delve deep into a mysterious bunker, where the strange creatures roaming the place might want to chat with you. And by chat, I mean killing. They definitely want to kill you.

Bunker Invaders keeps a style similar to classics like Lethal Company, though I found the game much more closely related to Content Warning. The oppressive setting and satirical humor will surely resonate with fans of those two social horror games, though we'll have to discuss how "original" Bunker Invaders is later in this review.

Unique or not, fans of shared horror experiences will find lots to love about Bunker Invaders. Still, is that enough to justify adding it to your library, especially when the genre has become so competitive? Let's find out!

Survive the Bunker

The game takes place in a dystopian setting where humanity has been forced to live in underground bunkers. This comes after the Earth has become uninhabitable, leading to the emergence of bizarre creatures everywhere – including deep within your bunker. The bunker managers, in their wisdom, sent you and your team to maintain the refuge. Fail, and you'll be kicked out, left to die in the wastes.

Your tasks are usually pretty simple, like maintaining valves and looking for missing equipment. However, you won't be alone in the depths of the shelter. Menacing creatures roam the depths – and their only goal is to eat you and your companions. Suddenly, changing a lightbulb doesn't sound so simple, right?

Oppressive Depths

Bunker Invaders' visual design takes more than just a few cues from Lethal Company. The game uses a very similar visual style, complete with the low-fidelity PlayStation One rendering techniques that gave Lethal Company its unique look. Even the characters' yellow hazmat suits look similar to the ones from Lethal Company.

The bunker itself, however, feels more like the depths from Content Warning. Despite taking place entirely in an underground bunker, the game has a healthy level variety. It's also worth noting that some environments can be genuinely scary, with gloomy ambiance and great audio design that ramps up the tension. It ends up being noticeably scarier than either Content Warning or Lethal Company, which is perfect for survival horror lovers.

Copy and Paste

Beyond the obvious nods to other games, something that gamers might notice is that the game uses quite a few assets that break the immersion. I was completely flabbergasted when one of the monsters turned out to be the Demogorgon from Stranger Things – no changes, just the same creature from the series.

Hopefully, the lackluster enemy design is just a placeholder as the developers find a better 3D artist to populate the bunker. Still, it feels like a missed chance for Bunker Invaders. Horror games live or die by their enemy design, and it's sad to see they dropped the ball in this department.

Pros

• Genuinely terrifying level design
• No major glitches or bugs
• Great for short horror sessions with friends

Cons

• Unoriginal monster designs
• Some tasks get repetitive after a while
• Could use some more level variety