Megabonk, crafted by indie developer Vedinad, is a third-person Survivors-like that leans into its playful absurdity. Unlike the genre’s typical top-down style, it embraces a low-poly 3D world, adding verticality that shifts horde-slaying into an even more lively and engaging experience. Its meme-heavy humor adds charm, setting it apart from Vampire Survivors and its counterparts. Also drawing inspiration from Risk of Rain 2’s tense 3D roguelike action, Megabonk tweaks the “Reverse Bullet Hell” formula with unique mechanics, making each run feel distinct.
While stage and enemy variety feel a bit thin, the wide array of characters, weapons, and items offers plenty of build-crafting options. It’s a fresh take that didn’t have me saying, “I’d rather just play Vampire Survivors.” If you’re after an auto-shooter roguelite with a new angle, Megabonk’s vertical gameplay and immaculate vibes make it a fun pick for repeated runs.
Developer: Vedinad
Price: $9.99
Release Date: September 18, 2025
Platforms: PC/Steam
Presentation & Soundtrack
Megabonk’s presentation leans on a minimalist low-poly 3D look that’s clearly designed for efficiency. The simple models and textures keep things smooth when hordes of enemies and weapon effects flood the screen, ensuring your PC doesn’t explode. Yet, this basic style has charm, especially in the character designs. Each hero features unique animations with a low-framerate effect that gives a cool, almost stop-motion feel, contrasting nicely with the smoother world around them.
Enemies share this quirky aesthetic, moving with a jerky energy that fits the game’s lighthearted tone. The stages, though few, add flavor: misty forests with hidden corners or deserts with swirling sandstorms. It’s not high-fidelity, but it keeps the focus on the action.
The soundtrack is where Megabonk truly shines. Its arcade-style tracks blend chiptune energy with bold synths, creating catchy tunes that stick with you even after you’re done. Standout tracks like “You Can’t Stop My Bonk,” “Wednesday Morning Bonk (It’s 9 AM),” and “Bonking in the Forest“. Certain characters have their own themes, and the feel of the tracks is usually high energy with a bit of eeriness. It’s a standout element that makes each session even more enjoyable.
Characters & Stages
Megabonk skips deep story for a focus on fun, memorable characters, and its roster delivers. With over a dozen heroes to unlock, each has a unique look and feel: Megachad’s all muscle and swagger, Calcium’s a skeletal skating speedster, and Athena’s a shield-wielding warrior. These aren’t just reskins—each comes with distinct perks and starting weapons that shape your strategy.
Calcium’s Speed Demon perk boosts movement over time, but speed halves when you take damage. Megachad’s Flex ability reflects damage back at enemies, though it needs a cooldown. Athena’s Aegis creates orbiting shields to block hits and deal damage, letting you dive into the fray unscathed for a period. Your character choice is key, turning good builds into great ones when perks align with upgrades. Weapons like the close-range Sword or the chaotic Bone weapon suit their owners, encouraging you to try every hero to find your favorite.
Stages are a weak point of Megabonk, with only two—Forest and Desert—each with three color-swapped versions unlocked after defeating bosses. Procedural generation varies layouts, but changes are minor. The Forest uses verticality well, with trees to climb for tactical attacks, but it lacks a unique gimmick. The Desert, on the other hand, is a flat expanse littered with tornadoes that lift you up and sandstorms that obscure vision and the minimap.
Enemies differ by stage, but limited spawns keep variety low. You also run into the same bosses often, with bosses just being a stronger palette swap in later levels. Hidden secrets, like tough bosses or character unlocks, reward exploration. The verticality adds excitement, but with only two stages, it feels repetitive. More biomes at launch would’ve helped, though the procedural design and hazards keep runs engaging enough.
Gameplay & Progression: Part 1 – Core Mechanics
Megabonk builds on Vampire Survivors’ “Bullet Heaven” formula—auto-attacking while dodging enemies and collecting XP—but adds a 3D twist. Terrain matters: you can scale hills and leap over foes, making positioning as crucial as your build. Weapons like the bow and arrow and lightning staff fire automatically, letting you focus on movement.
Leveling follows genre norms: collect XP to choose one of three upgrades, enhance gear, or add new Weapons or Tomes. Weapons deal damage or defend, while Tomes boost stats like crit chance or attack speed. Unlike Vampire Survivors’ fixed upgrade paths, Megabonk uses randomized, rarity-based boosts. A Common upgrade might add 10% attack speed, while a Legendary could give +25% damage and extra projectiles. Your Luck stat influences upgrade rarity, but RNG can make or break your build.
Exploration echoes Risk of Rain 2. The map is littered with helpful features to aid your run. Charge Shrines offer three stat boosts after standing nearby until charged, some distinct from Tome bonuses. Pots drop gold or XP, while Temporary Powerups like clocks freeze time and Magnets pull distant XP. Treasure Chests cost gold to open, with prices rising per unlock. They contain stackable items like Feathers (higher jumps) or Cursed Dolls (deal continuous damage). Shady Dealers sell random chest items while Moai Shrines give them for free. Riskier features include Bloody Shrines (extra boss spawns), Greed Shrines (higher difficulty for better loot), and Challenge Shrines (a wave of tough foes for bonus chests).
Weapons like Sword (crowd-clearing), Bone (bouncing), Aura (damage zone), and Firestaff (targeted shots) stand out. Rare items like Za Warudo (stops time, revives you) and Dragonfire (random AOE) can shift a run. With 4 Weapon, 4 Tome, and unlimited Item slots, Megabonk offers deep build crafting chaos.
Gameplay & Progression: Part 2 – Escalation and Replay Hooks
Megabonk also borrows from Risk of Rain 2’s progression loop: find the Boss Portal and defeat the boss as quickly as possible, or difficulty continuously climbs until you can no longer survive. Succeed, and you move on to the next level. After three phases, you face a final boss—a tough, multi-stage fight that fully tests your build. The biggest letdown is that the final boss is also just a bigger and badder variation of the normal bosses in terms of looks.
Runs end with scores based on your performance, feeding directly into a global leaderboard that you can see back at the home menu. Regular unlocks keep you coming back for more. New characters, items, and challenges are something to look forward to after each run. Gold buys in-run items but resets after your run; Silver, earned in-run, buys meta upgrades like more weapon and tome slots or shop refreshes. Challenge modes boost Silver but add hurdles like one-hit deaths or short time limits, mixing risk and reward.
The 3D movement feels great, enhancing the gameplay loop. But Vampire Survivors fans might miss Weapon Evolutions, where weapon and item combinations fuse for supercharged gear. Their absence doesn’t entirely ruin the fun, but it’s an amazing mechanic that leaves a void in a similar game. Still, Megabonk blends Vampire Survivors’ “Reverse Bullet Hell” chaos with Risk of Rain 2’s exploration and urgency, wraps it in silly humor, and it works way better than anyone could’ve expected.
Conclusion
Megabonk carves a spot among Survivors-like games, mixing its addictive core with Risk of Rain 2’s tension and a 3D twist that keeps you on your toes. Its goofy humor, banger soundtrack, and deep build options make every run a blast, even if limited stages and no weapon evolutions hold it back slightly. The varied characters and random upgrades keep things fresh, offering plenty of reasons to dive back in. If you want a Survivors-like game that feels new yet familiar, Megabonk delivers with fun vertical gameplay and tunes that stick with you.
It’s an addictively satisfying roguelite that has me thoroughly hooked, and I will continue to come back post-review. With its low barrier of entry, it’s a must-try for fans of the genre and newcomers alike. Whether you’re playing in short bursts to wind down or telling yourself “Just one more run” after hours of play, there’s a Megaton of fun to be had with Megabonk.
Final Score: 8.5/10
Pros:
- Fun meme humor and quirky charm
- Amazing soundtrack
- Tons of build crafting options
- Great use of 3D space and verticality
- Consistent unlocks and progression
Cons:
- Minuscule number of stages and overly reused enemy types
- Missing weapon evolution system reduces big upgrade moments
- Procedural stage changes are minor, leading to repetition
