The Bunker 

(video game)
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The Bunker

Developer(s) Splendy Games

Publisher(s) Wales Interactive

Director(s) Allan Plenderleith

Producer(s) Cloudtopia Entertainment, Henrik Gwinner

Writer(s) Kevin Beimers

Steve Ince

Allan Plenderleith

Composer(s) Dom Shovelton

Engine Unity

 Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, OS

Platform(s)
X, PlayStation 4, Xbox One

Release Windows, OS X, PlayStation 4

20 September 2016

Xbox One

23 September 2016

Nintendo Switch

9 April 2018

Genre(s) Adventure, horror

Mode(s) Single-player

The Bunker is a full motion video (FMV) adventure horror video game developed by

British game developer Splendy Games and published by Wales Interactive. It was
released on Microsoft Windows, OS X, PlayStation 4 on 20 September 2016 followed
by Xbox One on 23 September 2016 and Nintendo Switch on 9 April 2018.
The Bunker is Splendy Games' first major title as an independent games studio after
having released the FMV zombie horror video game The
Hunting on iOS and Android devices.[1] The Bunker features the writers and designer of
adventure video games, including The Witcher, Broken Sword and SOMA.[2][3][4]

Contents

 1Gameplay

 2Development

 3Reception

o 3.1Critical reception

o 3.2Accolades

 4References

 5External links

Gameplay[edit]
The game's player follows the daily routine of the main protagonist, John (played
by Adam Brown), who grew up in a fallout shelter in Britain following a nuclear war.
When an alarm is triggered, the player has to guide John around the bunker to venture
into forgotten areas, recovering his repressed memories and unlocking the secrets of
the bunker.[5][6] The player is presented with live action footage throughout the entire
game, with a point and click style of adventure gameplay. Utilising a third and first
person camera, the player is presented with both flashback sequences and present day
footage of an underground nuclear bunker. [7][8]

Development[edit]
After releasing The Hunting, Splendy Games set out to create a more ambitious live
action game with an increased budget and significantly higher production values. The
Bunker was filmed entirely at the Kelvedon Hatch Secret Nuclear
Bunker in Essex, England over 15 days, with the entire game development spreading
over a year. For the main characters, Splendy Games hired a cast of actors
including Adam Brown who had played Ori in The Hobbit film series, and Sarah
Greene who played Hecate Poole in the Penny Dreadful TV series and who also voiced
Anne Bonny in Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag. The game also stars Grahame Fox
who had portrayed Ralf Kenning in the Game of Thrones and Jerome St. John Blake
who played various characters in Star Wars.[9][10]

Reception[edit]
Critical reception[edit]
The Bunker received mostly positive or mixed reviews following the launch. Review
aggregator Metacritic shows an average score of 68 out of 100 for the PlayStation
4 version, and 66 out of 100 for the Xbox One version. Praise was particularly directed
at the game's narrative,[11][12] and the actors' performance.[13][14][15][16] However, the game's
lack of interactivity was often criticised.[17]
GamesRadar's David Roberts lauded the game's sound design and music, remarking
that "the John Carpenter-ian strains of its synths and the quality foley work help sell
some of its more distressing moments... Playing in the dark with my headphones in, this
scene got under my skin in a way few games have" [18]
Anthony John Agnello visited the game for GamesRadar and called it "PS4's freakiest
post-apocalyptic game".[19]
After naming the game as "the strangest game played at Gamescom 2016", IGN's Joe
Skrebels said "it's really weird and interesting and exactly the kind of thing you come to
these kind of conventions to see."[20]
Stephen Turner of Destructoid praised the atmospheric mood of the game, "The
Bunker perfectly captures John’s sense of claustrophobia and paranoia with intense
close-ups, security footage, and just a really good use of lighting." [21] However, Xbox
Achievement's Richard Walker disagreed with this concluding "A linear interactive
drama that fails to engender any sense of genuine drama or tension." [22]
A mixed review by Eurogamer's Christian Donlan spoke highly of the production, stating
"it affords this production the means of incorporating a real Cold War bunker which, as
Martin mentioned in his preview, is the true star of the show: a place both echoey and
claustrophobic, and grimly evocative of old-school Britain in its range of institutional
greens and greys". However, he went on to criticise the game's limited gameplay
aspects, saying "The Bunker is a fairly simple-minded game – at most you will be
tasked with finding the odd key in order to proceed through the linear plot – and while
it's often a memorable one, that's more down to its setting and throw-back tech than its
design or its narrative."[23]
Accolades[edit]
The Bunker has received three award nominations at the TIGA Games Industry Awards
2016 for Most Original Game, Audio Design and Game of the Year [24]

References[edit]
1. ^ "gc2016: Interview with Splendy Games (The Bunker)". AdventureCorner. 15 September
2016. Retrieved  28 November  2016  – via YouTube.
 2. ^ "Video interview: Splendy Games (The Bunker) -
AdventureGamers.com".  AdventureGamers.com. 14 September 2016. Retrieved 28
November 2016.
3. ^ "Adventure Gamers video interview: Splendy Games (The Bunker)". AdventureGamers. 15
September 2016. Retrieved  28 November  2016  – via YouTube.
4. ^ "The Bunker is a New Live-Action Horror Video Game". gamerant.com. 5 April 2016.
Retrieved 28 November 2016.
5. ^ "The Bunker Press Kit". Splendy Games. Retrieved 28 November 2016 – via Google Docs.
6. ^ "'Completely live action' horror game The Bunker coming this year".  pcgamer.com. 4 April
2016. Retrieved  28 November  2016.
7. ^ "Game Review: The Bunker l Geeks Of Doom". geeksofdoom.com. 22 September 2016.
Retrieved 28 November 2016.
8. ^ "Review: The Bunker is a legtimately intriguing narrative adventure wrapped around
incredibly simple game mechanics".  GameZone. 11 November 2016. Retrieved  28
November 2016.
9. ^ "Live action psychological horror The Bunker announced for PS4".  PlayStation.com. 30
August 2016. Retrieved  28 November  2016.
10. ^ "The Bunker".  IMDb. 9 August 2016. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
11. ^ Malgieri, Fabrizia. "The Bunker".  GameReactor UK. Retrieved  23 November  2016.
12. ^ Jones, John-Paul. "The Bunker Review – PS4".  PlayStation Universe. Retrieved  23
November 2016.
13. ^ Bell, Alice. "The Bunker Review".  VideoGamer.com. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
14. ^ Croft, Liam (26 September 2016). "Review: The Bunker (PS4)". Push Square. Retrieved  23
November 2016.
15. ^ Snaith, Kim (23 September 2016). "The Bunker Review".  GameSpew. Retrieved 23
November 2016.
16. ^ Hollinshead, Marc.  "The Bunker Review". TrueAchievements. Retrieved 23
November 2016.
17. ^ "The Bunker Review – Horror Beneath the Surface". DualShockers. 21 September 2016.
Retrieved 23 November 2016.
18. ^ Roberts, David (26 September 2016).  "Grab some popcorn and turn out the lights for an
FMV thriller: You should be playing The Bunker".  GamesRadar. Retrieved  28
November 2016.
19. ^ Agnello, Anthony (27 October 2016). "GR+ Live: The Making of The Bunker, PS4's freakiest
post-apocalyptic game".  GamesRadar. Retrieved  28 November  2016.
20. ^ "The Bunker Is the Strangest Game We've Played at Gamescom 2016".  IGN. Retrieved  28
November 2016.
21. ^ Turner, Steven.  "Review: The Bunker".  Destructoid. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
22. ^ Walker, John.  "The Bunker Review". XboxAchievements. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
23. ^ Donlan, Christian (21 September 2016). "The Bunker review".  Eurogamer. Retrieved  23
November 2016.
24. ^ "The 2016 TIGA Games Industry Awards Finalists Revealed". TIGA.org.  The Independent
Games Developers Association. 23 September 2016. Retrieved 23 November 2016.

External links