So I Tried… Megabonk

Each edition of So I Tried… I will try a game that I have never played before. Will I find something new to love? Will I find something new to despise? I'll take a full half hour, no matter how bad it gets or how badly I do, to see if this is the game for me. This time, I went for Megabonk.

Developed and published by vedinad, this 500 MB indie game is the latest viral sensation to sweep the internet space, essentially being a 3D version of Vampire Survivors. Despite not being part of the Steam Autumn Sale, I decided to pick it up and see if I can resist going over the half-hour time limit.

What I thought it was

I’m going into this thinking it’s just 3D Vampire Survivors. I didn’t really watch much footage of the game other than seeing that it was trending, so I just wanted to check it out myself. I’ve played so many bullet heavens ever since I got addicted to Vampire Survivors, and I’ve been chasing that high ever since.

While other games have iterated on the formula and done a lot to differentiate with varying results, they never held me for more than a week before I moved on. Seriously, there was just something about VS that made me buy it before its official release, which I rarely do even to this day.

Anyways, 30 minutes is probably just one complete run. I’ll just go in, do my thing, then get out. How hard can it be?

What it actually is

Okay, it's way more than 3D Vampire Survivors! And uh, at least on the forest level, it's 10 minutes, not 30.

The main difference, besides being 3D, is actually the movement options you have. You don't just walk around — you can jump and slide, and it adds a ton of depth to the game that I didn't expect. Suddenly, you aren't just mindlessly wandering around, letting your weapons do all the work for you. You have agency over your position, able to leap over and dodge attacks. You can slide down slopes and ram into enemies, making a quick getaway from a sticky situation.

It does all that, while still igniting the part in my brain that likes the bright lights, colours, and “numbers-go-up” that made me fall in love with the bullet heaven genre to begin with. Even though I was limited in weapons (being restricted to two), I still felt crazy powerful towards the end of the time limit… then kept going as an infinite number of ghosts spawned. Hey, it's better than the jumpscare that was Red Death.

Will I keep playing?

Look, the only reason this article is being written at all right now is because I paused the game to write it. As soon as I stop, I'm going back in. The addiction is real, and I am all for it! I’m looking forward to unlocking all the characters and equipment because there’s so much content here it’s not even funny. I mean, I just unlocked Megachad! I have to try him out.

And can I mention that the indie scene is having a very good year in 2025? With a bunch of titles becoming potential Game of the Year material priced under £40, we are eating good! If you don't already have Megabonk, go get it! You won't regret it… until it takes over your life.