Void Bastards is a game that came out of nowhere for me! This is brought to us by some of the people that gave us System Shock 2 and Bioshock so that right there should grab your attention. I was able to play this as it was released on the Xbox One Game Pass. PC and Mac versions of the game are also available.
How to Download Void Bastards
The game can be downloaded using GOG Galaxy or Steam. To proceed, click on the button below the review.
The Game Review
How to best describe this game? If you were to see a couple of screenshots you would probably think that this is just a first-person shooter. Void Bastards though is part FPS, part rouge-like, part strategy game and sprinkled with weirdness and humor! It is a great mix of styles and it is what makes this game one of the most fun and surprising games of the year.
The idea of the game is that you control a never-ending supply of “bastards” that are very expendable. They are sent out on mission after mission to scavenge supplies, take down enemies and complete objectives. What is cool about this is that you can go about this in any way you want.
The game has a main map screen which is like a mini-game in itself. Here you plot what ships you want to go to, deal with food, watch out for space pirates and even space whales! Once you select the ship you want to go to, you can find out information about the ship and what is in store for you. Most notably, what kind of resources you can get.
You see, you will often be tasked with getting some kind of object. You can head to a ship and just get it. Or you can collect supplies and build it for yourself. Each ship is filled with danger and the enemies can be hilarious (although I do wish there was more variety here) and also rather tough as you progress in the game.
When you arrive on a new ship (which is always random in its inner design) you will certainly want to head to the main part to get the map so you know where the loot is. I would also go to a ship and just go in blind for fun! This 99/100 would end up with me dead which brings me to the rogue-like elements of Void Bastards.
One awesome thing about this game is how it handles rouge-like elements in the best way possible. You will die and die a lot. You do go back to the beginning, but keep what you have found and also your upgrades (the upgrade system is great by the way) for the next “bastard” you take control of. It makes the game much more fun and less frustrating than most other rogue-like games I have played.
The controls really do feel great. If you try and play this like a first-person shooter you will die! This is far more than that! You are required to think before you act and, in all honesty, sometimes sneaking around is the way to go rather than getting into a firefight. You can play with a ship’s systems such as disabling its defenses and then go about your mission and other things like that.
Presentation-wise, we have a game that is very easy on the eyes. The cell shaded style of graphics ensures that even 20 years down the line this game will look great. The ships and even though they are similar, the enemies have a lot of personality to them. I also really liked the sound design, especially the witty and very dry voice acting.
I knew very little about Void Bastards going in, but I was very impressed with it. The campaign will take you around 15 hours to get through, but you can keep coming back to this time and time again. If you love your shooters to have some real brains behind them, this is a game that you are going to really get into.
