Void bastards patient enemy
A random felon that hijacks an intergalactic vessel with the intention of leaving the Sargasso Nebula. The player takes control of an escaped prisoner, the titular “bastard” from the void.
VOID BASTARDS PATIENT ENEMY PLUS
Picture one of these games, remove the engaging story and fascinating lore then add strategy elements, a cumbersome crafting system plus survival gauges and this is essentially the result. One of the team’s main designers Jonathan Chey co-founded Irrational Games and was instrumental in System Shock 2 and BioShock, obvious inspirations here. I commend the effort, even if I wasn’t dazzled by a few of its parts. Based on there being less than a dozen folks at studio Blue Manchu, this was clearly an ambitious task.
Void Bastards is part first-person shooter, strategy sim, survival game and roguelite, the last of which being a more focused genre within the broader “roguelike” such as character perma-death plus random or procedural levels. Its attempt to mix genres and influences occasionally works, as I had a good enough time in short sessions though not nearly all the time. However, like its endless lineup of player characters, certain parts wind up being expendable. The basis of its humor is the setting: a bureaucratic galaxy with friendly robots, invading aliens and tons of obnoxious legal paperwork. It’s a genuinely funny game, a shooter strategy hybrid set in space presented as a science-fiction comic book come to life. “The game expected you to die.”ĭuring a hectic opening sequence, this tone is quickly established then permeates the latest work from Australian indie studio Blue Manchu. “Don’t worry,” it shows as my character is overwhelmed by enemies. Minutes into Void Bastards, it’s clear what kind of experience it’s going to be.