Void Bastards Review (PC)

Void Bastards feels like the name of a movie masterfully directed by Guy Ritchie. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised to hear that developer Blue Manchu has been inspired by Ritchie's black comedies considering the contents of their game. But first and foremost, I believe Void Bastards draws inspiration from the British pop-culture. It's the only way I can explain the feeling of being the protagonist of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, video game version.

The game's premise is quite ingenious, you play as a prisoner on a ship stranded in a dangerous nebula where pirates and ... space whales lie in wait for pray. Your task is to search nearby derelict ships inhabited by strange, murderous “citizens” and scavenge the resources needed to repair your spaceship for a final jump.

In return, you are promised a sentence reduction, which, ironically, coincides with the penalty you get while trying to repair your ship. Armed with specific set weapons and gadgets, you board derelict ships that float aimlessly in the nebula on the way to your main objective to obtain fuel and food for the trip, as well as upgrades for your weapons and gadgets.

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You have a limited supply of oxygen when you board a ship, and, of course, limited ammunition for your weapons. The game provides you with all the information you need before boarding a ship, like what type of enemies you'll encounter and what resources you can expect to find, which will allow you to opt for the best suitable loadout.

Void Bastards features a rogue-lite structure, so every ship's layout is procedurally generated. Even so, you'll learn that there are a few parts of the ship that you'll have to visit first in order to successfully scavenge all resources. Death in Void Bastards is permanent, but you'll be able to continue exploring the nebula from the start of your latest mission while keeping all the upgrades and resources that you found (bar the fuel and food).

You, the prisoner, are expandable and so are your other inmates. Once your character is killed in action, another one is “rehydrated” and sent to obtain the materials required for the repair of the spaceship prison.

Void Bastards is an FPS (first person shooter) at its core, but you get the best results with a stealth approach. To its merit, the game doesn't force you to play a certain way, so if you're more of run'n'gun type of guy, you'll enjoy Void Bastards just the same.

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The immersive soundtrack and amazing art style clearly draw inspiration from iconic franchises like Bioshock and System Shock, but it's the way that Void Bastards presents every scenario that makes it different from any other games in the same genre. There's a wide variety of weapons and gadgets that you can upgrade, but not so much when it comes to enemies.

The game is split into “depths” so the deeper/lower you go, the harder the enemies and the better the rewards. Of course, as the story progresses, you'll have to dive deeper into the bowels of the nebula, but doing that too early can often result in death.

I admit I'm a loot whore, so Void Bastards fits perfectly to my style of play. Each visit on a derelict ship doesn't take more than 5-10 minutes during which you can ambush enemies, hack for loot, disable security measures, and find even more loot.

Void Bastards comes up with a very addictive loop: gear up, explore, loot, upgrade, craft. Rinse and repeat. The only downside I've found is the rather limited number of enemies. Although you'll find different enemies that lower you go in the nebula, they are just harder representations of the ones you encounter at the higher levels.

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The Good

The Bad

Conclusion