The Bunker Image
Metascore
59

Mixed or average reviews - based on 8 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
5.5

Mixed or average reviews- based on 12 Ratings

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  • Summary: As the last remaining survivor in a nuclear bunker, Johns daily routine is the one thing that keeps him sane. But when an alarm goes off, his mind starts to self-destruct. The Bunker is a live-action psychological horror game starring Adam Brown (The Hobbit) and Sarah Greene (Penny Dreadful)As the last remaining survivor in a nuclear bunker, Johns daily routine is the one thing that keeps him sane. But when an alarm goes off, his mind starts to self-destruct. The Bunker is a live-action psychological horror game starring Adam Brown (The Hobbit) and Sarah Greene (Penny Dreadful) with writing talent behind The Witcher, Broken Sword and SOMA. Expand
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 8
  2. Negative: 2 out of 8
  1. Sep 23, 2016
    90
    The Bunker isn’t a game to rush through but rather savour every moment spent in its incredibly well-crafted setting.
  2. Sep 23, 2016
    80
    The developers have done a great job in creating a tense adventure and if you're simply curious in seeing what it's like to play a live-action game, or if you're up for a little atmosphere in your next title, then The Bunker is certainly worth the trip.
  3. Sep 30, 2016
    75
    The Bunker offers an FMV gaming revival with an intriguing story, good acting and a great location, but with very low interactivity and replay value, for less than a couple of hours of enjoyment. It's worth a run if you're not bothered by the whole "interactive movie" concept.
  4. Oct 20, 2016
    60
    Reviewing The Bunker is a bit like reviewing a movie. I've played it once, but like a good movie, I will want to experience it again sometime in the hopes that I catch a few of the little details that I might have missed first time around. It isn't a fantastic game though, and so I don't have any intention to play it again right away.
  5. Oct 9, 2016
    50
    I had a tough time taking The Bunker seriously. It was an admirable attempt at live-action psychological horror, but the John segments meander on and stumble around like the main character. It's not entirely predictable, but nor is it treading new ground.
  6. Sep 23, 2016
    40
    On paper, The Bunker sounds like a fantastic premise for a taut psychological horror that's both claustrophobic and frightening. As it stands, however, the game doesn't hang together as well as it should, most moments of drama provoking laughter when you should be on the edge of your seat. One instance made me grit my teeth and squirm, but the rest of the game is ineffective in generating any real atmosphere. I really wanted to love The Bunker, but it just doesn't work.
  7. Games Master UK
    Dec 4, 2016
    32
    Further proof that games and movies should just stay the hell away from each other. [Dec 2016, p.83]

See all 8 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 1
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 1
  3. Negative: 1 out of 1
  1. Nov 14, 2019
    4
    I honestly thought FMV games largely died out in the 90's. I picked it up on sale for about 40% off on the Microsoft store (played this on theI honestly thought FMV games largely died out in the 90's. I picked it up on sale for about 40% off on the Microsoft store (played this on the Xbox One). The game is essentially a point-and-click adventure style game within the confines of an FMV game.

    The story, I felt, was good and the acting is done rather well. You play as John who was birthed by his mother Margaret and he has spent his life growing up in an underground bunker since Britain has been ravaged by nuclear war. Fast forward to the present day and John's mother dies of old age, leaving him as the bunker's sole survivour. While going about your daily routine, a failure in the bunker's system triggers an alarm and thus begins the adventure to fix the problem while also learning about the history of the bunker, your childhood within it and why you're the only one left alive.

    You learn about your life and the ultimate demise of the bunker's inhabitants through a series of flashbacks, flavour text left on computers and audio logs played on tape cassettes. The ending has a nice twist and shows just how far Margaret went to protect her son. You're then faced with the choice of leaving the bunker, presumably explore the world and possibly get microwaved by nuclear radiation or stay in the bunker that is also leaking nuclear radiation and honour your dead mother's wishes, even after everything you've learned about what she did to protect you.

    The game has some memorable moments, including one **** hard-to-watch scene which involved the treatment of a serious injury that John suffers while trying to fix an air filter, as well as a rather "troubling" aspect of John's daily routine.

    The game is quite short and I kind of wonder if this would've been better off as a movie, rather than an FMV game.

    I haven't really bothered playing any games that are point-and-click and/or FMV games and I don't think The Bunker has done much to change that any time soon. It's got a good story and it's a technically sound product, but I'm just not convinced this game is for me.

    Overall, The Bunker is a game I'd recommend you take a pass on, unless it's deeply discounted.
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