A Ridiculous New Take on Horde Survivors
Megabonk is one of those games that sounds completely unhinged on paper but somehow works brilliantly in practice. It is a fast paced 3D auto attacking action game where you roam procedurally generated arenas, mow down hundreds of monsters, and race against a ten minute timer before a deadly spirit swarm rolls in.
You play as a growing cast of absurd heroes, including Calcium the skateboarding skeleton in sunglasses, Sir Oofie the knight, and Megachad the shirtless hunk. Every character brings a slightly different twist to the basic loop of movement, dodging, and build crafting while the game handles the actual attacking for you.
Megabonk wears its inspiration on its sleeve. If the developer claimed never to have heard of Vampire Survivors, nobody would believe them. But instead of simply copying the two dimensional formula, Megabonk gambles on a fully 3D world and justifies it with smart level and encounter design that keeps runs tense and replayable.
Fast Runs, Smart Level Design, And Endless Unlocks
Each run drops you into a messy, handcrafted feeling procedural level. These are not flat open fields. You get:
- Drops and cliffs that punish careless movement
- Bottlenecks that can either save you or trap you
- Rewards just out of reach that tempt you into risky routes
You have ten minutes to explore, power up, and most importantly find the boss gate. Trigger the boss too early and you might get obliterated. Find it late and you will be under serious pressure from constantly spawning enemies that close in from every angle.
Along the way the map is littered with things to poke at:
- Chests that hand out power ups and weapons
- Shrines that offer strong buffs if you are brave enough to stand still for a moment
- Shady merchants who insult you after every purchase
- Optional bosses, desecratable graves, and secrets that unlock new tools or characters
The more you roam, the more ways you discover to break the game in your favor. Extra jumps for Calcium the skeleton turn traversal into a mini platformer. A monkey character that throws deadly bananas and climbs anything opens up new routes across the same levels. Even characters that seem weak at first often hide some late unlocking payoff if you stick with them long enough.
Megabonk is constantly throwing rewards at you. Weapons evolve, mystical tomes level up, and milestones trigger achievements and unlocks. There are 108 Steam achievements, but even that list does not cover every bonus or secret the game doles out. Early hours are almost suspiciously generous. It feels like the game is bribing you to keep playing and it works.
Once you push past the easy challenges, the real hook sets in. Despite only having three main levels, Megabonk stays surprisingly replayable because every run is a slightly different combination of character, build, route, and optional objectives. Runs where you become a whirling storm of damage that slices through hundreds of enemies feel earned rather than guaranteed, which keeps that power fantasy fresh instead of routine.
Performance, Steam Deck Play, And Where It Stumbles
Visually, Megabonk goes for a deliberately lo fi look. That choice pays off where it matters most performance. The game can push hundreds of enemies on screen without chugging, which is crucial for that satisfying Dead Rising style feeling of carving paths through giant crowds.
The reviewer played on an Asus ROG Ally and the game is Steam Deck Verified, which is excellent news for handheld PC gamers. The simple controls and short ten minute runs are perfect for portable play sessions or for zoning out with a podcast while you bonk your way through monsters. Despite the jump to 3D, the core loop remains accessible and easy to grasp even if you are not usually into complex action RPGs.
Runs are tightly structured around the time limit so you almost never end up in the classic survivor style rut of being completely untouchable for long stretches. Even in the strongest builds there is always another chest to hunt, a shrine to risk, or the approaching end of the timer. Many successful runs end in chaos, with your character regenerating health as ghosts ricochet them across the map. It is goofy, satisfying, and very streamable if you like sharing runs with friends.
On the downside, a few design choices can feel unfair. There is mention of a late game boss with a surprise instant kill attack that tests patience more than skill. Some indoor temple areas lean hard into precise platforming over lava, which clashes with the otherwise fluid horde dodging focus and can get old on repeat visits.
Challenge modes boost replay value even further. Some are straightforward, like extra enemies or speed focused runs. Others are intentionally brutal, such as trying to survive the full ten minutes without being able to move. These are the kind of silly optional challenges that will appeal to players who love pushing systems to their limit or showing off absurd runs on social platforms.
Despite a few rough edges, Megabonk lands as a standout in the crowded survivor and auto attack genre. It proves that with the right level design, reward pacing, and character variety, moving from two dimensions into three can actually make this kind of game feel fresh again. For PC and Steam Deck owners looking for a cheap, endlessly replayable time sink filled with skeletons, memes, and absurd builds, Megabonk is very easy to recommend.
Original article and image: https://www.pcgamer.com/games/roguelike/megabonk-review/
