Mycopunk Early Access review: This is how you do a co-op shooter

When I first got a code to review Mycopunk last week, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I trust Devolver Digital; they continue to publish great games one after another. I enjoyed the chaotic robot/fungus aesthetics; however, first-person shooters aren’t usually my favorite genre. Then, when I learned I wouldn’t get the chance to experience the multiplayer during this review period, I thought this was a strange way to play what I thought was a multiplayer-focused shooter. That may still be true, but I was blown away at how much fun I still had playing Mycopunk solo.

Mycopunk is the debut title from developer Pigeons at Play, and their name sums it up nicely. This is a great game to spend half an hour in, whether alone or with friends. It’s shamelessly goofy, humorous, and taps into that satirical anti-capitalist sentiment that games like Helldivers 2 and Lethal Company have brought to the forefront. But it’s not just about the aesthetics. The gameplay is snappy, smooth, and creative. Even though this is just the Early Access launch, there’s a ton of variation to the missions, there’s a creative upgrade system to both weapons and characters (or employees as they’re called in-game), and most importantly, it’s still a lot of fun to play on your own. I don’t see many multiplayer-focused games that can pull that off as well as this one.

This unique shooter launches today in Early Access on Steam, and even if co-op first-person shooters aren’t your jam, I still recommend taking a look. The various abilities and weapons in Mycopunk are inherently fun and cooperative. If the phrase “Early Access” is giving you pause, I don’t blame you, but let me explain how Pigeons at Play is using the time.

How is the Team Approaching Early Access

Mycopunk launches in Early Access on Steam today. Let’s make sure we all understand what that means. There’s a reason Steam added a feature that alerts users when a developer has not updated a game in a while. Thankfully, I’ve read the Mycopunk developer’s statement on Early Access before posting this review, and I will share the key details with you.

The developers, Pigeons at Play, have written on Steam that they are “treating [their] early access release as a 1.0 with all of the content [they] want to see in a finished game.” Rather than push significant updates throughout the process, “[they’ll] be using early access to balance and make changes based on your feedback and add MORE STUFF…” emphasis added by developers, not me.

Pigeons at Play “plan on expanding Mycopunk’s narrative during early access (and after 2.0) and bringing new content that expands the world and gives you cool gear to play with.” While most Early Access games will refer to their game as 1.0 when they leave Early Access, the Mycopunk team refers to it as 2.0. Other than balance updates based on community feedback, the only significant change you can expect with the end of Early Access is that the price will increase. The development team has said, “Yes, we plan on raising the price for the full launch.” So, if this sounds like an interesting game, don’t let the fear of balanced abilities and weapons deter you. Save money now and potentially shape the future of the game by partaking in early access.

Mission Mayhem

In many ways, it’s hard not to see Mycopunk as a hero shooter. There may only be four heroes, but they all have unique abilities that are useful on their own, but helpful to teammates as well. While Overwatch comes to mind, I think a more accurate representation is a game like Risk of Rain 2. Both games are cooperative shooters set in a 3D space open space, where players work together against swarms of enemies. But Mycopunk manages to stand out even from those noteworthy games.

It would be easy for players to take on swarms of enemies in procedurally generated biomes. But each mission has specific objectives that change the goal every time. One of my favorites was a mission that tasked me with bringing a satellite down from orbit and extracting data from it. This, in and of itself, wasn’t a highlight, but how the mission’s gameplay went about it was. To prepare the satellite for extraction, I had to connect long power cables across the map. At first, this could almost feel like a chore. Then I realized you could grind along the cables you created, like a custom Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater grind rail. This changed how I approached the rest of the mission entirely, making it significantly more enjoyable.

Another mission was shooting a spy space station out of orbit. Throughout the mission, I had to set up an orbital strike and ensure it was accurately targeted. Then, when it finally took the shot and I had fought off hundreds of enemies, the destruction began to rain down on the planet. I had to avoid incoming meteors of debris as I fought off more enemies, waiting for a dropship to arrive and take me to safety. The way this unfolds in the mission is not only dramatic but also hilarious. This was not the intention of the company that employs me, but it’s also very clearly a risk they are willing to take.

The Various Heroes, I Mean Employees

There are four playable heroes available in Mycopunk, also known as employees. Each of them has two functional abilities; usually, one ability is related to mobility, while the other deals damage, but this isn’t a hard rule. The Scrapper, for example, has two mobility options. One, a Jetpack, is like a double jump that can last longer. The other ability creates a tall pole that all allies can grapple to, causing them to swing around as needed. The Bruiser, on the other hand, has a jump and slam attack, and then can also deploy a temporary shield.

The customization doesn’t end there. Unlike a hero shooter like Overwatch, each character is not limited to one weapon option. Any hero can use each weapon, so the preference is on the player, not the in-game character. Thankfully, even at an early stage, the choice is easiest based on personal preference. For each mission, you can choose one primary and one secondary weapon. The game starts you out with a shotgun that deals burn damage with any ricocheted bullets. The second starting weapon is a semi-automatic rifle. After the first mission, you unlock my personal favorite, a rifle that charges up with each successful shot, turning into a temporary laser beam after it has been fully charged.

Throughout the game, you can unlock new passive abilities for both the hero and the weapon. This varies based on how often you successfully use the hero and weapon. Unlocked abilities have a specific shape that must be fit onto a hexagonal grid. Eventually, this turns upgrades into a unique puzzle. Do you fit ricocheting bullets into the corner while also keeping extra elemental damage? Each upgrade has a unique shape that must fit onto a grid alongside other upgrades. During my time trying out every character, I didn’t reach a point where I had to make a serious choice, but it’s easy to imagine the puzzle of creating the ideal upgrade map for each character and weapon.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I’m excited for the future of Mycopunk. Usually, I wouldn’t encourage a small indie studio to take on the task of creating a cooperative shooter like this, but Pigeons at Play seems to know what they’re doing. I also rarely feel as confident about a studio diving into Steam Early Access. Rather than use the feature for funding, to finalize mechanics, or add content, the developer already has a solid vision, funding through Devolver Digital, and has built an audience with a Steam Next Fest demo. Apparently, over 120 thousand people played the demo.

One last thing I want to mention is the variety of enemies. While they may not seem entirely different at first glance, there is a clever balance of difference and similarity among them all. Every enemy has a “nucleus” that is their weak spot. The common enemies have a nucleus with legs that branch out, allowing them to strike with melee attacks. Other enemies introduce shields, ranged weapons, and different abilities. But no matter what is thrown at you, it’s easy to figure out how to respond. More complex enemies typically appear only at a few specific points in a mission.

Mycopunk is some of the most fun I’ve had with a first-person shooter all year. Even though I’ve mostly played on my own. I look forward to convincing my friends to play with me. Maybe, since Pigeons at Play and Devolver Digital sent me a review code (thank you for that), I will buy some copies for my friends on Steam during Early Access. From their Early Access statement on Steam, the team behind Mycopunk “plans to be in early access for 6 months. But you know how things go…” The game is already a ton of fun, so hopefully the community doesn’t convince them to change anything for the worse between now and then.