Void B

Game Title: Void B
Released: May 28, 2019
Game Length: 8 Hours
Grade: C

Expectations: I didn't see this one recommended too much in the long lists of video games to try out, but I figured from the trailer that it looked interesting enough to give it a shot. From the various ships to explore to the ways you can manipulate the systems, I felt like the game was trying to replicate FTL within a Doom interface. The character animations are limited to a flat cardboard, but the artwork behind the landscape might just pull off the style. Then again, it might be a bit too terrifying for me to play for too long with how monstrous the inhabitants are and how dark the ships can get without power. I hope the story is interesting enough to keep me occupied.

Reality: The game got so repetitive that I had to stop playing after 3 hours. There is a wide-range of ships to explore, but you are performing the same actions in every one of them. Your goal is to find a number of things scattered across the galaxy so you and your ship can... leave? I'm not real sure because your computer buddy barely interacts with you after you fail to escape your first ship (on purpose). You hop across one ship to the next while searching for these specific items. Each skip requires one food item (or suffer the "starving" penalty of losing 50 health) and one container of fuel. You can find other important tools as well as salvage spare parts to increase your overall performance from any one of the jump points. The deeper down you go into the Nebula, the worse the enemies get.

Gameplay: You will not find any friends to help you other than a remote-controlled robot cat. If it moves, it will try to kill you by firing projectiles, teleporting, or exploding in your face. More enemies will spawn overtime from these indestructible rifts all over the ship. There isn't much time to look around when your oxygen tank gives you 7 minutes of breathing. If there is no power to the ship, you have to turn it on before you can return to your vessel. Interacting with the systems will only mildly help you. They will heal, remove ailments, increase damage, turn on power (if originally off when you arrived), show you where items are (if there are any), restore oxygen (7 additional minutes available), or disable security systems for around 45 seconds (permanently costs merits). Because you are limited such a short time span, your decisions must be quick. This makes the game challenging when you are trying to search for parts, fight off goons, find one rare item that unlocks something new, and get back to your ship. Your health doesn't regenerate and food only gives you 25 points of health. If you die, you have to start over. Your only solace is that all the devices that were constructed beforehand, along with their upgrades, are still available to you. However, you will lose out on all food, fuel, and story progress.

Opinion: With all the factors limiting your gameplay, there isn't enough... breathing room for me to fully appreciate the game. Even the Bang Tydy DLC makes the game worse by adding more enemies to contend with. I enjoyed the various themes of the ships, but there doesn't seem to be any distinguishable differences in their size or shape. The only real variety you get is the starting point where you board your vessel. I'd have to vote a no to recommending this game for others.

 

11-24-2020