Grab The Games: Gravebound

Another day, another review for our fans! Today we’re stepping into a post-apocalyptic world where the machines have taken over, and somehow even the appliances in our homes have decided that humanity has had enough. Welcome to Gravebound, a chaotic co-op extraction shooter that combines shooting, looting, progression and plenty of mechanical madness. Gravebound immediately caught my attention with its unusual setting. Instead of facing the usual zombies, monsters or soldiers, you’re fighting against machines that range from murderous household appliances to much larger mechanical enemies. Fridges, microwaves, toasters, vacuums and other ridiculous creations turn the wasteland into a battlefield that doesn’t take itself too seriously.

The core gameplay loop is straightforward and satisfying. You enter a run, explore the wasteland, fight enemies, complete objectives, collect valuable loot and try to extract before everything goes wrong. The deeper you push, the greater the potential rewards become, but naturally the danger increases as well. That risk-and-reward structure gives each run a reason to keep going a little further. The co-op aspect is another important part of the experience. Gravebound is designed around teamwork, with players able to coordinate their builds, revive one another and deal with the increasingly chaotic situations together. When everything starts happening at once, having teammates around can turn a dangerous encounter into one of those moments that you end up remembering after the session. I also enjoyed the progression system. During runs you can find Relics and Augmentations, improve your weapons and experiment with different combinations, while persistent progression gives you reasons to return for another run. The idea of building a character around different synergies gives the gameplay some variety and makes experimentation an important part of the experience.The visual presentation also fits the game’s personality nicely. Gravebound goes for a colorful, stylized post-apocalyptic world with a comic-book feel, which works particularly well with the absurd enemy designs. Seeing an ordinary household appliance transformed into something that wants to destroy you gives the game an identity of its own.

If I had to mention a negative, playing alone can be quite difficult. Without teammates to help you deal with enemies and revive you when things go wrong, encounters can quickly become overwhelming. There are moments when several enemies surround you at once, making it difficult to keep up and forcing you to be much more careful with every move.

Another thing worth mentioning is that Gravebound is still in Early Access, so some areas of the experience could use additional polish and development as the game continues to grow. With more content, balancing and refinements, I believe the overall experience can become even stronger over time. 

To sum it all up, Gravebound is a fun and unusual take on the extraction shooter formula. Its combination of co-op combat, loot, progression and ridiculous rogue machines gives it a personality of its own, while the different Relics, Augmentations and weapon upgrades provide plenty of room for experimentation.The game is still in Early Access and has areas that need more development, but the foundation is there for an entertaining co-op experience. If you enjoy playing with friends, collecting loot, creating different builds and fighting enemies that can make you laugh as much as they can make you panic, Gravebound is definitely worth checking out.

Dionysis Spinos

For a visual glimpse into the game’s atmosphere and mechanics, check out this gameplay video: