FragPunk is a hero shooter that encourages you to break the rules
2025. 3. 10.
작성자 Jason Rodriguez, Contributor
Yes, you still wield various types of weapons, cast character skills, and tackle map objectives, similar to many other hero shooters. But FragPunk’s “rule-breaking” concept is showcased through its Shard Card system, where a total of 169 power-up cards—and a bit of luck—alter gameplay mechanics and map features to help turn the tide of battle.
We recently played FragPunk’s early access build to better understand these concepts. After that, we spoke with Creative Director and Producer Xin Chang and Game Mode Designer Dezhong Sun to learn what makes their shooter stand out from the rest of the pack.
FragPunk’s main game mode Shard Clash is a traditional five-versus-five Counter-Strike-style match where the attacking team has to plant the bomb at potential sites. The defending team, meanwhile, has to defuse the bomb or eliminate all hostiles. While the mechanics should be familiar to those who’ve played team-based shooters before, FragPunk goes the extra mile by introducing randomly drawn cards with unique effects which select at the start of a match and in-between rounds.
The system might seem daunting at first, as there are 169 cards in the selection pool and you only see three at a time. As part of this procedure, you also have to allocate resources known as Shard Points as a team. The developers understand players on a team are unlikely to be on the same page all the time and thus designed the game's card mechanics to accommodate these limitations.
“We know that many players will group up casually and it’s normal for randomly teamed-up players to stay silent during a match,” says Chang. “It’s why we designed a way for players to simply click on the different icons on each card to express whether they like it or not. We believe that this is an effective way of communication, without feeling awkward when speaking with [strangers online].”
Choosing the most effective cards depending on the given situation and the Shard Points you have adds a new strategic layer to how the team approaches each round. For instance, if you’re in a map with a high degree of verticality, then “Superfly,” which grants the double jump ability, might be a good pick. You can also select “Bad Knees,” a debuff that causes members of the opposing team to take fall damage if they drop down from a great height. Conversely, the “Ricochet” card would be great for cramped spaces, since it causes bullets to bounce off surfaces several times, whereas “Piercing Bullet” is a decent option if you want shots to pass through walls.
There are also a few effects that are downright zany and ridiculous. For example, the “Misfire” card forces a random enemy to automatically press the trigger button, revealing their position on the map. “King of Eggs,” meanwhile, allows you to lay a health-restoring egg if you crouch for 10 seconds. There’s also “Vampire Night,” which boosts your max health and grants life-stealing properties to attacks—once the team has dealt 200 points of damage, every squadmate gains health regeneration, too. And yes, there’s even a card called “Let Them Hear You,” which adds bonus movement speed if you keep talking using voice chat.
Given that FragPunk incentivizes you to break the game’s rules, certain card picks are meant to frustrate opponents and cause a bit of hilarity. A good example is “Return to Sender,” which teleports your foes back to their spawn point the first time that they’re hit. Are both bomb sites well defended? Don’t worry, you can choose “Freestyle Placement” to place the bomb anywhere, albeit with an extended timer. In the same vein, there are options like “Infernal Hounds” and “Leader of the Dead” that allow minions to attack targets, as well as a “Death’s Embrace” card that causes the Grim Reaper to spawn and cut down anyone within its radius.
Many cards significantly impact the flow of battle on their own, though some are best used in conjunction with others. Players are encouraged to think of potential combinations that make the team nigh-unstoppable once activated.
“One overpowered combination I can think of involves the ‘Super Jump’ and ‘Birdman’ cards,” says Sun. “These grant you the ability to jump higher and fall slower in the air while you’re aiming down your weapon’s sights. The idea is to choose a sniper and then shoot while airborne—you’ll have an extra window of time to pick off opponents that are behind barriers and those that aren’t easily spotted at ground level. If you’re lucky, you might even get the ‘Airborne Justice’ card to gain higher rate-of-fire and reload speed while in mid-air.”
Being able to choose from a newly drawn set of cards each round keeps the action refreshing. “We opted for this system to increase suspense and tactical depth,” says Sun. “Once players have enough experience, [we feel that they will] pay attention to changes in the card build and overall situation, especially the cards selected by the opposing team. Expert players will analyze the situation carefully to think of cards [to counter their opponent's setup].”
At launch, FragPunk is expected to have over 20 weapons, ranging from submachine guns and shotguns to sniper and marksman rifles. There are even utility guns, which fire smaller grenades of various types. The weapon designs are derived from real-world counterparts, with options akin to the Desert Eagle, Kalashnikov AK-12, and more.
“We aim to strike a deliberate balance between authenticity and creative innovation, ensuring the final products are distinctly original rather than direct replicas,” says Sun. “Still, to make them look less ‘real-world’ and more ‘punk’, we have added graffiti elements to the guns. Players can also decorate their weapons with stickers, charms, and other cosmetic items, reflecting a core of punk culture: DIY.”
Certain types of weapon (such as heavy machine guns) didn’t make the final cut because the extreme weight of these armaments would lower player mobility, which made them unsuitable for FragPunk’s fast-paced action. Light machine guns are in the game, though, and they pack a punch.
Another noticeable facet of FragPunk is its unique take on its sci-fi influences: It's set in a world where future-grade advanced tech is rare and unevenly distributed. It’s why a few characters may have special abilities that allow them to use high-tech gadgets, but most firearms are reminiscent of modern-day guns.
“Firearms like assault rifles or shotguns are everyday tools in this setting—reliable, mass-produced, and familiar to factions fighting over limited resources,” says Chang. “Besides, FragPunk is a shooter game, and guns—especially those akin to real-world variants—can best feature the gameplay’s characteristics. We also hope that players can quickly feel the characteristics of each weapon through our gun designs.”
FragPunk’s frantic action is further bolstered by an eclectic cast of characters, heroes known as Lancers that have unique skills and abilities. Lancers tend to have a particular role they excel in, such as trap placement and teleportation, and their playstyles tend to be quite different.
For instance, Spider can place two teleporters, allowing the team to reach other areas on the map swiftly. Serket can teleport on her own while concealed, letting her pass behind enemy lines to shoot hapless foes. Then there’s operative Zephyr, whose skill lets her activate a cloaking device that limits her to melee attacks. However, she can also throw a dagger beacon to teleport to its location and get into the thick of the fray.
“Our team gathered lots of references when we were discussing what each Lancer would look like, what their characteristics would be, and so on,” says Chang. “When we did finalize a Lancer’s design, we hoped [that they’d be seen as] unique characters not strongly bound to other films, games, and anime. For example, Chum is based on numerous robots seen in other media, but our final design for him was that of a robot made of stone, which instantly made him distinguishable from other characters.”
Since Lancers have unique perks and abilities, it's only natural that the team had to undertake numerous rounds of balancing and tests to fix some glaring issues. “During the beta test, player feedback regarding a character named Hollowpoint was that her sniper weapon skill was too [powerful] in matches,” says Sun. “Initially, we thought about nerfing the damage of her sniper rifle, but eventually felt that it was better to change damage falloff instead.”
“Players who get sniped from afar without even seeing the actual sniper end up having a terrible gaming experience,” adds Sun. “By increasing damage falloff, we were able to preserve the gaming experience for Hollowpoint players and their opponents.”
FragPunk is the first full-fledged title for most of the young development team at Bad Guitar Studio, so everyone’s excited about what the game's future holds.
“We are currently developing a more detailed narrative for the world of FragPunk, with the ambition of creating a 'FragPunk Universe,'” said Chang. “Since the game has seasons, new modes will be added with future updates, too. For now, we are still working on ideas for new game modes, and roguelike elements are likely to be included.”
FragPunk is available on Epic Games Store, and the free-to-play version allows you to hop straight into the action.