A new production from the pioneering immersive theatre company Punchdrunk is always a major event in the cultural calendar. Their latest offering, Lander 23, which has been running since November 2025 at their Carriageworks base in Woolwich, is no exception. However, this time there's a twist: you won't find any official reviews. The current run has been classed as an 'early access' or work-in-progress version, meaning critics are holding their formal verdicts. After some discussion, the company allowed a visit to share initial impressions of this bold new direction.
A Radical Departure into Sci-Fi Gaming
Lander 23 marks a startling reinvention for Punchdrunk, moving decisively away from their signature style of wordless, free-roaming narrative. Described as a mission-based 'stealth exploration game', it is derived from computer game culture and is split into two distinct halves. Audiences, or rather players, are grouped into teams of four. After thirty minutes of scene-setting and technical briefing, the core hour-long game begins.
The team is subdivided into two pairs. One pair remains in a 'landing craft', manning a console to track their companions. The other pair – the 'away team' – is dispatched into an abandoned colony on an alien planet to harvest a resource called Radiance. Using radio mics, the craft team directs the explorers, steering them towards the glowing resource and away from hostile, masked guards roaming the set. At the halfway point, the teams swap roles, ensuring everyone experiences both command and exploration.
Objective-Based Play in a Familiar Maze
This is unequivocally 'a game' rather than 'a play'. Success is measured by a scoring system and a leaderboard that ranks teams based on how much Radiance they collect. The experience has been likened to a sci-fi iteration of the classic children's gameshow Knightmare, but with all participants taking on both advisory and active roles. The frantic, shriek-filled communication between teams proves to be as thrilling as navigating the physical perils of the colony.
The game is designed to be accessible. While the away team can theoretically 'die' if spotted three times by the guards, the enforcement seems forgiving for those making a genuine effort to hide. The primary skills required are common sense and spatial awareness, with the challenge for adept players shifting to maximising their score through speed and efficiency.
Interestingly, the production makes clever use of the existing set from Punchdrunk's 2022 show, The Burnt City. The labyrinthine streets of the ancient Troy-inspired city, still standing in Woolwich, provide a perfect, ready-made maze for the game's mechanics, making the reuse feel logical rather than economical.
A Work in Progress with Grand Ambitions
In a conversation afterwards, Punchdrunk's Artistic Director, Felix Barratt, acknowledged the production's current state. He confirmed that the primary focus has been on perfecting the gameplay to generate a 'childlike sense of raw adrenaline'. Barratt admitted that fleshing out the narrative and lore – including the mystery of the crashed Lander 23 craft itself – is a massive task that has only just begun. He estimated they have 'scratched probably like one percent of the surface' of their storytelling ambitions.
Consequently, as a game, Lander 23 feels polished and functional. As a piece of theatre, it is notably lean on narrative context. While cassette tapes with additional lore are scattered throughout the set, the intense focus on the mission leaves little time to seek them out.
Should you wait for a more 'finished' version? For those intrigued by the innovative gameplay, the current 'early access' run, booking until 10 May 2026, offers a uniquely exciting experience. For those seeking a rich, narrative-driven Punchdrunk show, it's clear this hybrid of frantic action and deep storytelling is a long-term project. Yet, if any company can ultimately pull off such an ambitious fusion, it is likely Punchdrunk.
