The dystopian genre has gotten a lot of mileage over the past few years. Thanks to movies, games and TV, I’ve seen so many inventive ways that the world could eventually be destroyed that I’ve lost track. While we could sit and deliberate about how the popularity of dystopic stories could be construed as a psychological byproduct of humanity’s obsession with destroying itself, let’s skip that and play video games instead.
Today’s double feature brings us two inventive games that cast the player as a survivor in a desolate wasteland, which is something we’ve all seen before, but what makes these two standouts unique is how they’ve thrown strategy and simulation into the mix. Trust me, these two indie gems are totally worth your time and monies.
The Final Station
Do My Best Games
tinyBuild
Available on PC (summer)
If you ever get bored with your current video game library, make a mental note to check out tinyBuild. They’re constantly on the lookout for solid games that push the envelope, and “The Final Station” is a great example of the work they’re helping to create. It’s a 2D sidescroller, about a heroic train conductor that is plowing his way through the sprawling ruins of a great metropolis. In order to keep things running, he needs to make periodic stops to various train stations in order to scavenge for supplies and rescue survivors. What makes “The Final Station” fun is the synergy between the two aspects of its gameplay. When you’re not scrounging for food through abandoned metro stations and fighting off shambling infected, you’ve got to make sure your train keeps running and that your passengers are fed. Both of these aspects combine to create a platformer that really starts to feel like an old-school survivor horror game in the realm of “Resident Evil.” Bullets and medkits are scarce, and there’s no escaping a level once you’ve arrived—each level requires you to find a dispatch code that unlocks your train from the station. The demo that I played offered only a taste of what’s in store for the full version that is scheduled for a summer release, but I’m hoping that the developers enhance the simulation mode a bit. It’s a welcome way to break up scavenging missions, and it adds a nice level of realism to the game as a whole, but it does feel a bit tacked on as of now. Either way, fans of unconventional indie titles will want to keep an eye on this one.
Bunker Punks
Ninja Robot Dinosaur
Available on PC
I love a punishing rogue-like as much as the next masochist, but I’ve always felt a bit disappointed with games that blend rogue-like dungeon crawling with an FPS. Enter “Bunker Punks,” a retro shooter that hearkens back to genre progenitors “Doom” and “Wolfenstein.” Not only does “Bunker Punks” play like those aforementioned titles on crack, but it incorporates a cool mechanic that lets you build an underground bunker which can increase your character’s stats and purchase more powerful weapons. The game also features unlockable characters, each of whom cater to different play styles. The gist of the game is that your characters are members of a resistance movement that has declared guerilla war on a megacorporation that has sucked the life out of the planet. The first few stages aren’t too difficult to handle, but the closer you get to the megacorporation’s stronghold, the game starts to forget that you are a human being with feelings and emotions. Hyperactive fans of PC shooters will definitely enjoy testing their freakish reflexes against the waves of robotic enemies that wait around every corner. It’s still an Early Access game through Steam, but even in its current build, “Bunker Punks” has very few bugs to work out. It’s fast, fluid and surprisingly complex. It gives me hope for the future of the FPS/rogue-like genre fusion.