Kook: A Steampunk Fever Dream of Bullets and Madness
By Tuin
Nov 12, 2025
Steam’s indie scene keeps finding new ways to surprise, and Kook might be one of the strangest and most exciting of them all. Developed by Lone Wulf Studio, this upcoming retro shooter fuses steampunk chaos, dreamlike horror, and arena-style action into something that feels both nostalgic and new.
At first glance, Kook looks like a fever dream pulled straight from the late 90s. Brass gears grind in the background, smoke rises through dim corridors, and flickering lamps cast eerie shadows across cracked machinery. You are dropped into these haunted industrial spaces with only one rule: survive everything that moves. The enemies are grotesque, the pace is relentless, and the world feels alive in a way that constantly pulls you forward.
Combat in Kook is fast, loud, and unapologetic. Every weapon has weight and rhythm, from crackling shotguns to energy rifles that bend time and gravity. Movement is key. You are expected to dash, slide, wall-run, and leap through twisting arenas where gravity itself doesn’t always behave. One wrong step can send you flying through the air, straight into a monster’s jaws. The sense of motion feels almost alive, more dance than battle, as you learn to turn chaos into precision.
The game’s tone leans heavily into dark surrealism. Victorian architecture mixes with strange runes and otherworldly machines, as if someone merged steampunk London with a nightmare painted in oil and smoke. The soundtrack pounds with industrial beats, keeping tension high even during brief moments of calm. Every arena feels handcrafted to push you into motion, to force a reaction rather than allow comfort.
Despite its heavy style, Kook never forgets its roots. It borrows the best from classic arena shooters, but it adds a haunting sense of atmosphere and world-building. It feels like a forgotten dream of Quake, reshaped for a new generation that loves both speed and strangeness.
Kook has no confirmed release date yet, but anticipation is already building. For players who crave something intense, bizarre, and unfiltered, this one promises a thrilling dive into madness and machinery.
At first glance, Kook looks like a fever dream pulled straight from the late 90s. Brass gears grind in the background, smoke rises through dim corridors, and flickering lamps cast eerie shadows across cracked machinery. You are dropped into these haunted industrial spaces with only one rule: survive everything that moves. The enemies are grotesque, the pace is relentless, and the world feels alive in a way that constantly pulls you forward.
Combat in Kook is fast, loud, and unapologetic. Every weapon has weight and rhythm, from crackling shotguns to energy rifles that bend time and gravity. Movement is key. You are expected to dash, slide, wall-run, and leap through twisting arenas where gravity itself doesn’t always behave. One wrong step can send you flying through the air, straight into a monster’s jaws. The sense of motion feels almost alive, more dance than battle, as you learn to turn chaos into precision.
The game’s tone leans heavily into dark surrealism. Victorian architecture mixes with strange runes and otherworldly machines, as if someone merged steampunk London with a nightmare painted in oil and smoke. The soundtrack pounds with industrial beats, keeping tension high even during brief moments of calm. Every arena feels handcrafted to push you into motion, to force a reaction rather than allow comfort.
Despite its heavy style, Kook never forgets its roots. It borrows the best from classic arena shooters, but it adds a haunting sense of atmosphere and world-building. It feels like a forgotten dream of Quake, reshaped for a new generation that loves both speed and strangeness.
Kook has no confirmed release date yet, but anticipation is already building. For players who crave something intense, bizarre, and unfiltered, this one promises a thrilling dive into madness and machinery.