Lander 23 is an intense, sci-fi live action video game produced by immersive theatre giant Punchdrunk which makes use of a massive explorable set, futuristic technology and a huge whack of teamwork…
Contents
Is Lander 23 a theatre show or a game?
Is there a story to Lander 23?
Does everything work well in Lander 23?
What are the tape players/drones/artefacts in Lander 23?
Things to know before playing Lander 23
What’s the status of Lander 23 now?
What is Lander 23?
Lander 23 is an immersive live experience where you take on the role of sci-fi explorers landing on an alien planet in order to steal supplies of a precious resource known as “Radiance”.
It’s played in teams of four, and teams are further subdivided into pairs. One pair goes down onto the planet while the other stays behind on the ship to direct them using a two-way radio and a live minimap.
On the planet, players have to:
- Try and avoid hostiles
- Follow directions from their teammates on the ship
- Navigate a post-apocalyptic “alien city”
- Stick together and hide from hostiles when necessary
On the ship, players have to:
- Watch the minimap
- Direct their teammates away from hostiles and towards Radiance
- Play a minigame to collect Radiance when their teammates get close enough to it
At the halfway point (about 30 minutes) the pairs switch places; everyone gets a chance to go down to the planet, and everyone gets a chance to give directions from the ship.
The amount of Radiance a team collects is effectively their score, and you can see a leaderboard at the end of the game.
Is Lander 23 a theatre show or a game?
Unlike previous Punchdrunk productions, Lander 23 is a competitive game rather than a theatre show.
There are no scenes, no actors and no story to follow, and instead the focus is on having a fun and atmospheric experience, and competing with other teams.
Some reviewers say that playing Lander 23 feels a bit like playing a game of lazertag. It’s up to you whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing!
What’s good about Lander 23?
The gameplay of Lander 23 is completely unique. It’s a lot of fun – especially when you’re down on the planet evading hostiles and searching for Radiance. This part of the experience is very tense and even scary!
A standout part of the game during our visit was finding ourselves trapped in a room with hostiles right outside, and our teammates whispering in our ear to hide!
What’s bad about Lander 23?
Lander 23 is much smaller than other Punchdrunk productions, and some people feel as though it’s a bit cheap. It does re-use a set from a previous show (with a few white plastic tents thrown in). The hostiles are actors with torches, minimally costumed.
Some elements (the tapes, the stamps, the drones) are broken or poorly-executed. For a lot of people these added confusion without enhancing the game. More on this below.
There isn’t a story to Lander 23, and lots of people expected a story given Punchdrunk’s history with theatrical productions.
Being on the ship is less exciting than being down on the planet… and giving directions over a radio is really a one-person job. There’s not enough to do to occupy both players during this part of the game.
Is there a story to Lander 23?
There is the vague sense of a narrative underpinning the game… but it feels nonspecific and secondary to the gameplay. You never really know why you’re gathering Radiance, who the hostiles are, or what organisation you work for.
There’s not really much more to Lander 23 than the simple premise of sneaking around stealing resources on an alien planet.
That simple story, though, is brought to life pretty well. The arena is rich with detail and has a lot of interesting nooks and crannies to explore. The Lander (where the Drivers sit) is extremely well-themed.
Does everything work well in Lander 23?
The minimap and radios work extremely well. There are a lot of players running around in the arena, and multiple hostiles, but the map always remains up to date without any noticeable delay. There were no technical glitches at all when we played.
At the same time, the instructions provided to players were very confusing. You are given instructions by pre-recorded announcements, by human ushers, and via a printed manual you’re presented with before you enter the game.
Despite this a lot of players were still left very uncertain about what they were supposed to do at key points: particularly the start, the end and during the handover (when Fielders and Drivers switch places). The handover in particular was extremely chaotic, with lots of people milling about and trying to work out where they were supposed to be and what they were supposed to do.
The instructions were also confusing because they focussed a lot on some of the “extra” game elements, like the tape players, the artefact and the ink stamps (more on these below). We learned very quickly just to ignore these game elements, but they were given a lot of weight in the initial briefing, and this was a source of much confusion.
What are the tape players/drones/artefacts in Lander 23?
Lander 23 includes some extra content beyond the core game of finding Radiance and avoiding hostiles. Here’s what that extra content is supposed to look like:
The Drivers can launch “drones” from their console in the Lander. When a drone is launched a small screen plays a pre-rendered flythrough of the arena, ending in a particular area. There’s no indication of what’s to be found there… but if the Drivers take a chance and send the Fielders to the locations indicated by the drones, the Fielders will find a cassette tape player and an ink stamp at each location.
The Fielders can play the tapes and listen to a pre-recorded bit of background lore that adds some story to the game. They then need to use the adjacent ink stamps to stamp four quadrants of a map onto a piece of paper. Once they’ve fully assembled the map, they can follow it to a secret door hidden in the arena.
Using a code hidden in the map, the Fielders can open up the door, and find the Artefact in the room on the other side. They physically pick up the Artefact and take it with them out of the arena… where it can be traded for a drink in the bar after the game is over.
That’s how the extra content should work, in theory. Many reviewers, however, note that this extra content is only partially implemented.
The tape players are mostly broken and are too quiet to hear in the noisy arena even if they do work. In the dark and confusion of the arena it’s impossible to correctly orient the ink stamps in the correct order on a piece of paper to assemble a meaningful map.
Additionally, a briefing at the start of the game suggests that the artefact is just a crumpled sheet of paper. There are many crumpled pieces of paper in the arena. Many players may assume they have found the artefact the first time they come across one, pocket the paper, and stop looking.
Nobody ever checked to see if we had the artefact, and it was never mentioned or seen again after the initial briefing.
The extra content felt tacked on, and as though implementing it was an idea that had been abandoned midway through. It was almost universally ignored by other players.
Things to know before playing Lander 23
The drones, the Artefact, the tape players and the ink stamps are not important parts of the game, and can be safely ignored. There’s no reward for pursuing these extra game elements, but you might wish to if you’re making a return visit.
If you come with a group you’ll usually be able to be in a team with the people you came with. There are four people in each team, so you might be split up if you have an odd number of people in your group.
They warn you before the start of the game that you’ll be warm in the arena. They’re not kidding. You’ll get very hot running around as a Fielder, and similarly when crowded in the landing vessel as a Driver – it’s best to leave all but a single layer in the cloakroom.
You’re advised to arrive thirty minutes early… but you really don’t need to. If you’re not in a group of four already, you’ll be matched up with strangers to make up a team of four. When playing with strangers it’s good to have some time to get to know your fellow players before the game begins. But there’s already fifteen minutes built in so you can sit in the bar and do this at the start. Therefore, unless you want to spend 45 minutes sitting with strangers, just arrive a few minutes early.
What’s the status of Lander 23 now?
Lander 23 existed for a short run in late 2025 and early 2026. It was received fairly well, and may be something that Punchdrunk experiments with more down the road.