It’s very rare for me to be interested in a base building game, but when one does pique my interest there’s a reason for it. There needs to be a unique hook that grabs my attention or else I’ll quickly overlook it. The premise behind Life in Bunker certainly fits what I look for. In a nutshell, it’s a “vault building simulator” where you take on the construction of an underground bunker and expand it so that the survivors of some apocalypse can continue to survive and thrive.
This type of game is hardly unique and there are plenty of titles to choose from. It’s also not the first game to go underground for the survival of the species. But, it does have quite a strategic value as there are eight “layers” of earth that you can dig down and expand upon. Plus, being underground and presumably toxic up top you’ll need to make sure that everyone is kept fed, hydrated, and (most importantly) breathing.
In addition to making sure everyone’s happy and kept alive you’re also tasked with making sure that there’s a wide variety of tasks to perform. By assigning each member of the colony a profession they’ll continue to do their daily work and then unwind with whatever recreational devices you build. Also, be warned that everyone will age during the game meaning that at some point they’ll become pretty much useless.
Death is also inevitable. Not just due to growing old. There wouldn’t be any fun in that. Creatures can sneak in and start wreaking havoc, attacking everything they see, or some other random event or disaster. Life in Bunker isn’t a pretty game, with a more blocky look to everything, but the gameplay looks pretty solid and fun if you’re into base building games.
Track the progress of the Life in Bunker Kickstarter in our Campaign Calendar.
