The Bunker

The Bunker weaves a decent plot, is well cast, and certainly has its moments of intensity. This was a genre that people thought was dead and buried back in the early era of CD Roms, thanks to the inaccessibility of talented actors, cinematographers, and story writers leading to trash like Night Trap dominating the genre. What a difference a few decades make. If The Bunker is anything to go by, there might be a bright future for these experiences yet.

The Bunker puts legacy FMV games to shame, delivering a slickly produced psychological horror experience for the price of a trip to your local cinema. The Switch release offers both the touchscreen comfort of the mobile version and the cinematic immersion of the home console versions, so there’s no better place to catch up if you skipped it first time round. However, lack of pointer control is a sorely missed opportunity to improve on the original release.

The Bunker won’t appeal to players looking for a long, deep experience. It’s short, and the interactive elements are sparse, with little punishment for making any mistakes. Horror film buffs will likely appreciate the game’s strong narrative and its atmospheric tension, though. If you fall into the latter category, The Bunker is certainly worth checking out on Switch.

All in all, The Bunker was a fun ride. It grabbed me in the beginning with it’s presentation. The great cast, and direction of the movie shown showcased a lot of effort that paid off. There wasn’t a moment I ever cringed, or raised an eyebrow. It’s short, and replayability is pushed for because of the insertion of collectibles and a branching path ending. But I didn’t find these enticing enough to come back. Once in the Bunker, was enough for me.

The Bunker absolutely nails the tense, oppressive atmosphere that it works so hard to build, but the limited interactivity makes it feel more like an interactive movie than a game. The story is fantastic and surprisingly grounded, but the tension the game works so hard to build is eroded by a distinct lack of interactivity and consequence.

The Bunker is a genuinely scary insight into loneliness and isolation. The setting and cast of characters really help bring its unsettling story to life, but the minimal interaction may put off a few people. I do wonder if it would've been more successful as a movie.

The Bunker on Nintendo Switch is a little hard to recommend, but will certainly find an audience in those who love horror films and want something dreary and dark on their console. While visually impressive and ambitious, it unfortunately falters with its execution and replayability.

It doesn’t work as a video game and it doesn’t work as a movie. While it looks great, the acting leaves a lot to be desired and there just isn’t any involvement for the player as you’re just pressing the A Button a couple of times here and there without ever really having to make choices. It had potential and any future games can certainly learn a lot from this, but my advice is to stay well away unless you’re absolutely desperate for something to do for an hour or two.