Expedition 33 publisher’s new game has you shoot down space ships from a cozy bunker

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is one of the best games published in 2025 and its particular French style even earned praise from president Emmanuel Macron. Publisher Kepler Interactive seems to have taken notice and wants to follow up the French phenomenon with a very German game — PVKK: Planetenverteidigungskanonenkommandant.

No, that’s not a formula to summon a demon. It’s a German compound noun meaning Planetary Defense Cannon Commander and in very typical German fashion the title pretty much tells you everything you need to know about the game.

You are commanding a massive planetary defense cannon amidst an invasion and shoot enemy vessels out of orbit from the comforts of your cozy bunker. It’s got a very retro-futuristic style and certainly looks inspired by events like the Normandy invasion in World War 2.

Unspeakably long name? Check. Shooting stuff from a bunker? Check. Full on simulation game that looks more like actual work than a relaxed evening? Check. It doesn’t really get much more German than that.

Making this project even more promising is its developer, German indie studio Bippinbits, which you might have heard of due to its previous title, roguelike survival mining game Dome Keeper. Released in 2022, it stands at “Very Positive” ratings on Steam with over 13,000 user reviews and won several awards.

Aside from turning levers and pressing buttons that make huge space ships go boom, ambitious Planetenverteidigungskanonenkommandanten get to customize their bunker and uncover its secrets in little escape room-like puzzles. You’ll also need to make some tough decisions — follow your orders blindly or question everything you think you know. PVKK will have several endings that reflect the choices you make.

There is no release date for the PC game yet, but with the award-winning indie studio teaming up with one of 2025’s most prolific publishers, PVKK is one to keep an eye on.

More news on DBLTAP: