Mycopunk Review – When Shooting Mushrooms Becomes Serious Business

Mycopunk is a shooter that doesn't try to be more serious than it needs to be. Instead of a sweeping story and dramatic twists, it offers robots, bizarre weapons, enemies made from pieces of household appliances, and a fungal infestation that needs to be stopped. Everything takes place in an offbeat world where a corporation sends a team of robotic mercenaries to do the dirty work, while mission briefings come from a cockroach named Roachard.

At first glance, Mycopunk might not seem particularly appealing. Its visual style is unusual, with a gritty, stylized look, but it fits the game's atmosphere well. More importantly, though, is how everything comes together once the action begins. That's when Mycopunk shows that there's a surprisingly interesting shooter behind its bizarre concept, especially if you have friends to play with.

Enemies Are More Than Just Targets

The basic premise of combat is simple: land on a planet, complete objectives, and eliminate anything that gets in your way. However, the enemies aren't just metal constructs that need to be riddled with bullets. Their bodies serve as armor for fungal brains, meaning you need to destroy what's actually keeping them alive to eliminate the threat.

This detail changes how you approach combat. If you don't finish off your enemies in time, they can keep attacking and collect armor and weapons from the surrounding environment. When large numbers of enemies appear on screen, things can quickly spiral out of control, forcing you to stay mobile and decide which targets to eliminate first.

Combat is fast-paced and packed with action, while the destruction of enemy bodies gives your weapons a satisfying sense of impact. It's not just about reducing an enemy's health until it disappears. There's also something satisfying about watching enemies fall apart under fire as you try to survive long enough to complete your objectives and take down bigger threats.

An Arsenal That Goes Beyond Standard Guns

There are thirteen different firearms available, ranging from classic shotguns and submachine guns to much stranger inventions. One of the more interesting examples is a plate launcher that fires a metal slab you can later recall. Ideas like this fit the game's unconventional personality and prevent its arsenal from feeling like a collection of standard futuristic weapons.

Weapons level up as you use them, giving you another reason to experiment instead of sticking with a single favorite gun. Different playable characters add further variety, each bringing their own abilities and approach to combat.

There are five playable characters in total, one of whom must be unlocked by completing a specific mission objective. Each has a unique mobility ability, utility skill, and upgrade tree. The Wrangler, for example, can perform an aerial dash and use a lasso, while the Bruiser specializes in jumps, ground slams, and creating a protective shield wall.

Grenades with different effects, including fire and corrosion, add another layer to combat. Since abilities have cooldowns, it's worth thinking about when to use them, although there's little reason to save them if they can help you escape a difficult situation.

Upgrading Your Gear Is More Interesting Than It Looks

The augmentation system is one of the game's most interesting features. Weapons, grenades, and characters each have a hexagonal grid where different upgrades can be placed. Every augmentation has its own shape, making the process feel like solving a small puzzle.

That means you can't simply equip everything you find and expect your loadout to become as powerful as possible. You need to decide which upgrades matter most, how to arrange them, and what you're willing to sacrifice to make a particular combination work.

Rarer upgrades often have more complicated shapes, but as you progress, you gain the ability to rotate them and fit them into your grid more effectively. Certain combinations can also unlock additional rewards, so arranging your upgrades isn't just a cosmetic exercise; it can provide tangible benefits.

This system gives Mycopunk an extra layer of depth. Shooting remains the main attraction, but the time between missions isn't limited to selecting your next objective. You can adjust your equipment, experiment with different combinations, and look for ways to get more out of the weapons you use most often.

Missions Offer More Than Just Surviving Waves

Mycopunk features several mission types, so the experience isn't limited to standing in one place and eliminating everything that appears. There are wave-based encounters, roguelike modes, and objectives that require you to assemble, aim, and fire a railgun at a spaceship.

As you progress, you unlock additional options and gain more reasons to return to the planet. Beyond the main objectives, maps contain optional activities that reward exploration. Some are hidden, and discovering them can lead to entire challenges that are easy to miss if you stick to the marked route.

One particularly interesting type of encounter involves platforming challenges that require careful jumping, followed by a boss fight. These activities help break up the routine and reward players who want to explore their surroundings rather than simply complete the main objective.

Progression matters because you gradually gain access to more weapons, upgrades, and gameplay options. However, much of the enjoyment still comes from the combat itself, so how much you enjoy Mycopunk will depend on how appealing its core loop of missions, fighting, and gear progression is to you.

A Game That's Better With Friends

Mycopunk can be approached in different ways, but co-op is a major part of its appeal. When several players are fighting hordes of enemies together, different abilities and weapons have more opportunities to shine, and the resulting chaos becomes part of the fun.

The revival system is an interesting touch, too. When a robot dies, its body splits into two pieces scattered across the battlefield. Another player has to find both parts and bring them together to revive their teammate. If enemies are still around, attempting a rescue can be risky and make an already difficult situation even more complicated.

The game doesn't take itself too seriously outside combat, either. Between fights, players can dance, taunt one another, and mess around. Cosmetic items also let you make your robots look even more ridiculous. They don't directly affect combat, but they fit the game's humor and overall atmosphere.

If you're looking for a shooter with a serious story, a memorable villain, and major narrative twists, Mycopunk probably won't meet those expectations. Its goal is different: to give you and your friends a good reason to jump into a few missions and see what new equipment you can unlock.

Conclusion

Mycopunk has enough ideas to stand out among co-op shooters. Its varied arsenal, five characters with distinct abilities, upgrade system built around fitting augmentations into a grid, and hidden activities make it more interesting than a straightforward series of combat arenas.

Its biggest strength is the combination of simple, chaotic action and progression that encourages experimentation. The unusual visual style and humor won't appeal to everyone, but the game has a clear identity and doesn't try to be something it isn't.

Mycopunk is easiest to recommend to players looking for an entertaining shooter to play with friends who don't need a serious story to stay engaged. If the idea of blasting fungal robots, unlocking increasingly bizarre upgrades, and discovering hidden challenges with your crew sounds appealing, this is a game worth considering.

Proposed Score: 8/10

The game was played on: PS5.