Shardpunk: Verminfall | PC Review

November 29, 2023 Jacob Gunderson

I love a good tactical RPG and Shardpunk: Verminfall does not disappoint. Developed by Clockwork Pile and published by Retrovibe, Shardpunk: Verminfall doesn’t just push you in the right direction, it is actively chasing you down. I tried to play this game like many other X-com style games, but the pacing of the game won’t let you rest. Fast Paced and Quick Thinking aren’t really phrases I would normally use for a game from this genre, but Shardpunk: Verminfall makes me feel otherwise. So, what makes this game stand out to me as a must play turn-based tactical RPG? Let us take it turn by turn and I’ll show you why this game will have you begging for more than just the Pied Piper.

Led Rats Through the Streets

The Capitol is overrun by humanoid rats. Buildings burn and the populace is slaughtered as the invasion gets closer and closer. Reinforcements are not coming. While there isn’t much to the story other than about the situation you find yourself in, you are already hit with the idea that the enemy is on your heels and won’t stop until everything and everyone is gone. As you play through the opening missions, you see that everything is falling apart fast. You’re given hope to stop the rats with a new weapon, but the catch is not only do you have to get to the weapon but also escort a seemingly defenseless robot which is the key to the weapon itself. You start with a small group of survivors racing through the war torn streets to activate the new weapon, all while being hunted by the ruthless and ever growing invasion plaguing the city.

The story might be slightly different then some other games, but the core gameplay is the same. Each character gets a set number of moves and actions on their turn. Unlike some other games, there isn’t a bigger picture that happens outside of combat. Instead, the time between missions is spent caring for your party; whether that’s feeding them, upgrading weapons, or just to calm them down. The main objective of each mission is to get to the bunker with as many members of your party and the robot. Failing these missions are as easy as just losing the robot or the whole party.

Rats! I Hate Rats!

If you haven’t figured it out by now the enemies are humanoid rats. Some have guns, some have knives, and some have bombs. As you progress different types of enemies appear, coming with new weapons and effects, but threats don’t just come in the form of rats. Dealing with hunger, stress, and a little resource management can become a big hindrance as you continue into the city. Having a diverse team can help or even hinder further, finding the right balance of firepower, leadership, and support is more important then I had originally thought and it put me back to square one a few times.

One of the biggest changes to the genre is that the goal of the mission is to get to, open, and enter the bunker and not to kill all the enemies. The longer you take in a mission, the more enemies appear and the stronger they become. A great team can be undone by poor time management or taking a longer path. When I started I thought strength in numbers would be the way to go, but I wasn’t collecting enough resources to survive the end game levels. I tried spreading the team out to collect more would solve that but, ended up separating members and losing them to the horde. Finally, after a few failures, I figured out a few synergies and scraped by enough levels to see the end. Another feature Shardpunk: Verminfall does a little differently is that it warns you when you are going to run into enemies as you plan moves. Also, it allows you to see shot percents from the new location before you move to help plan attacks and move your team through the missions.

The one thing I hate about games like this is that there isn’t a survival or never ending mode. I feel like I put so much work into the characters or the base or whatever, and I’m forced into conflicts to progress a story I don’t want to take part in. I want to own everything and use my perfect team. I don’t mind the struggle, I just don’t like starting over and with a game with a set up like this, I feel like adding a “waves of enemies” mode would be a welcomed addition to an already good game.

Making A Better Rat Trap

Despite my wanting more from this game, there really isn’t anything I should be asking of Shardpunk: Verminfall. It already does a lot right in my opinion. From forcing you to search for items on the fly to making you feel the pressure of every wasted step. It drives home the idea of battle and home life synergy. One character might be great in combat, but then hurt the team when it comes time to recover. Finding out which team set up keeps a healthy balance might take a few trials but nothing too time intensive. I myself have almost everything unlocked and have gotten through the game once or twice, and I have about 30 hours invested. If you are an X-com fan or of games like it and you’re looking for a new challenge with a bit of a twist, I recommend trying this out.

To hear me talk more about Shardpunk: Verminfall, be sure to listen to the May 10 episode of The Gaming Outsider podcast around the 1:18:15 time stamp.

This review is based on a PC copy of Shardpunk: Verminfall provided by PressEngine for coverage purposes. As of the time of this writing, it is exclusive to this platform.