The Bunker (PC) Second Opinion Review

The Bunker places the player in the role of John, a man both born and raised in a nuclear bunker after a unspecific but devastating atomic war. As you might expect, he has some issues. John is guided over the course of some significant days in the bunker, helping him overcome problems both physical and mental, while simultaneously revealing the back-story of how he came to be alone. This can be achieved through simple actions - clicking hotspots - that essentially just determine what video clip plays next. Technically speaking, this makes The Bunker more or less a flowchart of clips linked together by interactions.

At first, the interactions, although basic, could be seen as a simple way to help people embody the character - basic actions to sustain life, choosing what book to read to someone, and so on.
Later on, some of them might seem unnecessary, feeling more like clicking to advance through a film, but not really too much of a bother. However, near the end, there are an increasing number of interactions based around clicking rapidly - possibly what could be deemed "Click-Time Events" or "CTEs" and they are rarely a good idea. The concept behind them normally is to emulate times of extreme strain on the protagonist. To be fair, this is how it's used in The Bunker. The problem is when they are used a lot - especially in quick succession - they lose any sort of emotional effect and just become bothersome. This is multiplied when failing repeatedly and the video before they occur can't be skipped when retrying.

Also of note on the interactive side, is collectables that can be clicked to pick up if spotted. Collectables, while sort of obligatory these days, work fairly well here as they are somewhat integrated into the tale. They are a personal part of the character's story, rather than just random items left lying about in odd places, so they fit into the universe better than most. Just don't question how you can pick something up in a flashback…

This is all dancing around what really matters, though, and that's the story itself. If this is, essentially, an "indie movie," then how well does it deliver on its narrative? Well, that probably depends on how soon you guess the main twist, or rather the reveal. If guessed early on, then it is just a case of going through the motions, uncovering what is already known. While there might still be some interest from John's current struggles, the flashbacks just confirm or fill in minor details of what has already been worked out in the first half hour. There might be hope for a second twist, or more complexities to come, but be prepared to be disappointed by their absence. There is a sense of "That's it?" and worse, very near the end repeat flashes of the past confirm, for the third time, what happened, which kind of seems a little insulting.

To end on a positive note, however, the production values of the filming is superb. Sets, lighting, acting, set dressing.....you could take a clip of this and it wouldn't look out of place as a scene on TV or in a Hollywood movie. Everyone involved must have worked very hard on creating the look of things.