Indie games have become the talk of 2025, as the gaming industry struggles as a whole. Mycopunk is another new indie game set to release in 2025, and it should help to fill the void left by a lack of new IPs coming out from the larger AAA studios. Remakes and remasters become the norm for these studios, while they take four or five years or more to release their new entries. Indie studios challenge the status quo and bring new spins to classic genres, which big studios are more afraid to do. Mycopunk does just this, bringing a unique style to the co-op shooter genre.
Mycopunk: The Co-Op Shooter Gives Players The Reigns In Customizability
Mycopunk joins the growing ranks of indie games looking to pave a path in the gaps left open by AAA developers. While the industry struggles as a whole, indie games continue to push out new and different content. Mycopunk has not yet been released, but several industry insiders have had the opportunity to play parts of the game early, and there is now a demo available for all players on Steam.
Mycopunk offers many different elements, but at its core, it is a classic co-op shooter. From the dance emotes to rude hand gestures, the game picks up the essence of what has made the genre so popular recently. The mission-based game tasks players, controlling robots, to enter space and rid it of deadly fungi monsters. The missions at the beginning are fairly basic, but as the game goes on, the tasks will get more complex.
The best elements of the game are likely the customization and art direction. Mycopunk manages to balance lo-fi imagery with a colorful and endearing setting, making for a compelling and eye-catching visual experience. This balance is something that indie games tend to be best at, taking low-tech graphics and still appealing to modern sensibility. Adding in the opportunity to customize, loot, and even use dropped limbs from destroyed fungi enemies offers a unique spin to the genre.
That does not mean Mycopunk is without flaws. The enemies tend to be relentless, leaving players to be forced into a certain playstyle to survive. GamesRadar gives their synopsis. “The structure of Mycopunk – dropping in to clear variation co-op mission types – will be familiar to a lot of players. It’s the same rhythm of play as something like Helldivers 2 or Deep Rock Galactic, with the tongue-in-cheek anti-corp tone along the lines of Lethal Company. Mycopunk brings a colorful aesthetic to the table alongside pleasingly responsive action, but from just these mission types, I’m still not completely sold on how well it stands out from the competition.”
That said, the game is not complete yet, and it appears Mycopunk has a lot more to offer than what is available thus far. The team offers a description of what to expect from the game on their Steam page. “Join the New Atlas Hazard Crew, a squad of odd robots with unique gadgets, and rid the galaxy of a deadly fungal menace in this hyper-customisable mission-based co-op shooter.”
Developer Digital goes on to offer more specifics on different elements of the game that could offer a unique experience for players:
A ragtag squad of robot rejects is hired by the SAXON corporation and given one last shot at profitable glory (and avoiding the scrap heap). They are the New Atlas Hazard Crew, a ramshackle squad of exterminators sent to uncover the mysteries behind a planet-wide fungal catastrophe.
Embark on a series of dangerous planet-side missions to drive back the mycological menace. Could this be a simple natural disaster like they claim? And did SAXON really misfile your taxes? Or was that your own fault?
FUNGICIDAL TENDENCIES
Choose from an outrageous arsenal of advanced futuristic weaponry (and some power tools), then supercharge them in a one-of-a-kind grid-based upgrade system to create the ridiculous sci-fi super-weapon of your dreams.
BREAK THE MOLD
Slaughter hordes of enemies as they corrupt and weaponize the planet’s technology against you. Pick crawlies apart piece by piece — but be wary, whatever they drop could be grabbed up by another enemy.
VISIBLE RESULTS IN 1-2 MISSIONS
Alone, these rickety robots aren’t up to much, but together they become more than the sum of their parts. Combine upgraded abilities and customised weapons to create synergistic builds and achieve strategic co-op mayhem. Or just shoot each other.
ROACH MOTEL
Let off steam between missions in an orbital dropship packed with toys and games. Hang out with your friends, uncover more about the galaxy, and shoot the breeze with the insectoid SAXON veteran Roachard Cox.
Mycopunk should be an enjoyable game, just based on their choice to lean into the classic elements that define the modern co-op shooter genre. The art style, storyline, and customizability are what provide the game a chance to be unique, and its ability to hold the interest of gamers over the long haul will likely hinge on its ability to set itself apart. Given the description the developers provide, there is a lot of potential for the future of the game, as long as they deliver on the promise.
Final Thoughts
Mycopunk was only recently announced, with a trailer dropping only a week before this writing. Developer Digital has not yet set a release date, although the target is to launch at some point in 2025. Fans currently have the opportunity to play the game for free on Steam, the game’s launch-day platform. Hopefully, players are drawn in by the colorful spin on a class shooting experience, and stay for the customization and content offered. Stay tuned for more information regarding the release of this intriguing new indie offering.
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