The story behind Fragpunk is surprisingly relatable, starting with the unfortunate yet common mishap of a cracked phone screen. This moment of everyday disaster sparked an idea, capturing the blend of defiance and dystopia that Fragpunk embodies so well. But this notion ventures deeper; just as a shattered screen disrupts our daily digital lives, it symbolizes a fragmented world offering multiple, sometimes disjointed, perspectives on the same reality.
Embarking in the enigmatic Shardverse, Fragpunk introduces us to a universe in disarray after the emergence of Glunite, a mysterious element that bestows extraordinary powers upon ordinary folks from alternate realities. These individuals, known as Lancers, now navigate the Shardverse as mercenaries, embroiled in battles across fragmented worlds for Glunite, on which their survival depends.
A unique feature of Fragpunk is the Shard Cards, dealt between rounds, which allow Lancers to alter their environment, either benefiting themselves or hindering their foes. The effects range from the whimsical, such as activating an oversized head mode for opponents, to the strategic, like opening a portal to a parallel map, effectively expanding the battleground.
This multiverse isn’t just an aesthetic layer; it’s woven into the very fabric of Fragpunk’s gameplay. “What sets our game apart is the unpredictability of each match,” says Fu Wenhe, the game’s narrative director at Bad Guitar studio. “Staying true to our core values of bending rules and challenging norms, we’ve infused this philosophy into every aspect—from our artistic and narrative design to the gameplay itself.”
Fu continues, “Our vision has always been to create an experience that resonates universally. Drawing from global media inspirations, like the Spider-Verse films, we embraced a hybrid of 2D and 3D art styles.” Yet, Fragpunk’s connection to Spider-Verse transcends mere visual inspiration. The harmony among diverse characters from alternate realities is a hallmark of the Spider-Verse ethos, and Fragpunk aspires to mirror that cohesion, offering a familiar yet intriguingly diverse character roster.
Art director Li Yiming elaborates, “Our focus is on achieving a unified design logic that ensures all characters conform to a consistent style while allowing their unique personalities to shine.” The narrative team’s groundwork provides character lore and proposals, which the art team refines into final designs.
The maps and environments in Fragpunk are just as critical as its characters, often showcasing the Shardverse’s diversity. Bad Guitar draws on classic map archetypes while infusing them with distinct narrative contexts within the Shardverse, allowing for innovative designs without constrictive limitations. Huang Jingsi, a member of the narrative team, highlights their collaborative process, ensuring map elements are easy for players to navigate and communicate about while remaining true to the lore.
With a genre that expects continual updates and new content, Fragpunk uses its multiverse setting to integrate new maps and characters seamlessly. The Shardverse not only enriches the narrative but also facilitates folding diverse aesthetics and stylistic choices into the game without veering into a disjointed collection of references, as seen in other live-service games. Fu underscored this, describing how the punk aesthetic provides creative room for ever-evolving designs and storylines, from basic skins to more elaborate ones that reflect pivotal moments in a character’s life.
Beyond cosmetics, Bad Guitar aims to expand Fragpunk’s universe with additional media, encompassing digital graphic novels and animations, to build on in-game storytelling. Fu emphasizes, “We’re committed to exploring our game’s lore through all media forms, from in-game voice lines and skins to comics and animated features.”
As Fragpunk gears up for its release on PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store on March 6th, with console versions to follow, it promises a fresh take on the multiplayer shooter landscape, offering gamers an adventure that’s both familiar and refreshingly unpredictable.
