Void Destroyer
- January 19, 2015
- Iteration 11
- 48h median play time
"Void Destroyer" is a space-based game that combines elements of both space combat and real-time strategy. Players must navigate an asteroid field on the edge of the solar system, where they will build defenses, repair and upgrade their command ship, and lead their forces to reclaim and conquer territory. The game offers a high level of control and freedom, allowing players to directly command their forces in real-time tactical battles.
Reviews
- The game combines RTS and space combat elements seamlessly, allowing players to switch between commanding fleets and piloting individual ships.
- The art style is unique and visually appealing, reminiscent of Borderlands, which adds to the overall experience.
- The developer is highly responsive to community feedback and actively works on updates and improvements, showing a commitment to enhancing the game.
- The controls are clunky and unintuitive, making it difficult for new players to get accustomed to the gameplay mechanics.
- The game has a steep learning curve, which can be frustrating for players who are not familiar with complex RTS systems.
- There are frequent bugs and crashes, which can disrupt gameplay and lead to a frustrating experience.
- story154 mentions
- 10 % positive mentions
- 88 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The story in the game is described as engaging yet challenging, featuring a series of handcrafted missions that require strategic thinking and resource management. Players often find the difficulty spikes frustrating, particularly in later missions where prior decisions can impact future success, leading to a steep learning curve. While the narrative has its moments of wit and depth, some players feel it lacks sophistication and could benefit from voice acting to enhance the experience.
“The best part of the game takes place during a story which has some similar gameplay features as the Homeworld games, such as a persistent fleet/assets and eventually revisiting areas you had once called your base of operations.”
“And to put the final touches on the game, it features an engaging storyline with depth and a lot of surprises!”
“The story depth is about average for its genre, not overly sophisticated, although there is a minor amount of world-building that takes place, but the dialogue (which is text-based, likely due to cost constraints) is surprisingly witty and even funny at times.”
“The story seems bland.”
“The missions aren't overly hard, but when your ships keep throwing themselves to their death or when the enemy that is supposed to attack you in waves just sits there and builds up and up and up and up without attacking, making its bases impossible to assail.”
“I really, really wanted to play through VD 1 to learn the backstory of VD 2, but I'm just not going to throw away my time trying to beat this one single mission that's 9000 times more difficult than every mission before it.”
- graphics57 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are primarily characterized by a distinctive cel-shaded art style that many players appreciate, drawing comparisons to titles like Borderlands and Homeworld. While the visuals are generally praised for their consistency and charm, some users note that the overall graphical quality feels dated and is hampered by poor controls and gameplay mechanics. Despite these criticisms, the unique aesthetic and artistic design contribute positively to the game's atmosphere, particularly for fans of the genre.
“The graphics are cell-shaded and seem a little crazy at first, but the game's charm and enjoyable combat speak for themselves.”
“Graphically, Void Destroyer does what it can with its budget - the art style is consistent and simple, it never looks 'cheap' like so many budget space sims, and the modeled thrusters give the ships an air of realism.”
“I backed this on Kickstarter and I am not disappointed; I love the cel-shaded art style, and it balances arcade-y visuals with complex gameplay very well.”
“Terrible visuals, annoying camera, annoying controls, to name a few things.”
“This game is near impossible to enjoy for me, story is garbage, controls are horrible, graphics are dated.”
“Graphics are not fantastic, ship movement seems awkward.”
- gameplay52 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is a mixed bag, with many players appreciating the unique blend of space simulation and RTS mechanics, as well as the engaging dogfighting elements. However, issues such as clunky controls, broken resource gathering mechanics, and steep difficulty spikes detract from the overall experience for some users. While the game has potential and offers a visually appealing design, mastering the controls and overcoming gameplay challenges may require a significant investment of time and patience.
“The concept for this game is extremely good; it reminds me of Homeworld, and the ability to control the ships manually adds a whole new level of gameplay.”
“The combat feels tight, the RTS gameplay rewarding, and everything in between just feels right.”
“Void Destroyer is a game of a space sim with RTS mechanics mixed in fluidly.”
“The resource gathering mechanic being broken is pretty appalling to say the least; while not all missions require you to acquire resources, some of the hardest missions do.”
“But the horrible gameplay simply ruined everything for me.”
“However, I very quickly ran into serious problems with the gameplay.”
- music9 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed feedback, with some players appreciating the neat soundtrack while others find it too quiet and infrequent. Many reviewers express a desire for a more prominent and varied audio experience, suggesting that the current sound design lacks depth and fails to meet higher standards. Overall, there is a consensus that enhancing the music and sound effects could significantly improve the game's atmosphere.
“See all the bullets flying set to the epic music?”
“I'm also a huge fan of the art style and the soundtrack.”
“There's a neat soundtrack; it just doesn't play very often.”
“There's a neat soundtrack, it just doesn't play very often.”
“It's too quiet in my opinion and I'd love the music to be more present in the game.”
“What I don't like is the sound, too few sounds, too little music; there's a lot to add in this.”
- humor6 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is described as hit-or-miss, with some players finding the dialogue surprisingly witty and funny despite its text-based format. While the tutorial and controls are criticized for being frustrating, there are moments of comedic relief, particularly in gameplay scenarios that lead to unexpected and amusing outcomes. Overall, the humor adds a light-hearted touch, but its effectiveness varies among players.
“The dialogue (which is text-based, likely due to cost constraints) is surprisingly witty and even funny at times.”
“Hilarious that the dude who listed 2 of my favorite: pull ship and capture ship didn't think to put them together.”
“Taking a drone and flinging it across the map at the highest speed possible, only to have it ping off an enemy capital ship in front of the enemy fleet and get obliterated by Lucifer's fury, is entirely too hilarious.”
- stability6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game is widely criticized for its instability, with numerous reports of bugs affecting gameplay, sound, and controls. Users note significant lag and unresponsiveness, particularly with features like gravity jumps and cursor movement, although some attribute these issues to its recent release from early access. Overall, the game is considered unpolished and in need of substantial fixes.
“Unfortunately, this game is laggy and buggy, and just awful to look at.”
“The sound is horribly buggy, so it wouldn't surprise me if collision didn't work correctly.”
“Still a little buggy in some areas, like the sound and with the cursor moving on its own without my control, but that's understandable as it just came out of early access.”
- optimization3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- -33 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is generally criticized, with users reporting very poor performance and frequent crashes when attempting to run in fullscreen mode. However, some players note that the game runs smoothly in other settings, suggesting potential for improvement in future updates.
“That will improve performance.”
“Performance-wise, it runs very smoothly.”
“Very poor optimization.”
“Performance-wise, it runs very smoothly, but I'm unable to run in fullscreen, as crashes happen instantly.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious and frustrating, particularly due to issues with ship formations that can lead to unresponsive behavior. Additionally, the game's pricing and availability in bundles have drawn criticism, suggesting a lack of quality control from the developer.
“But the developer is also culpable, as he's left this game up for sale for a whopping $14.50, as well as farming it out to every bundle pusher who'd take it, instead of removing it.”
“Forming formations is quite tedious, as some ships simply ignore that order or leave the formation at a later time for no apparent reason.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is characterized by beautiful cel-shaded graphics and unique art styles for each faction, effectively conveying the dark and gritty environment of the Oort Cloud. However, some players find the overall aesthetic unappealing, describing it as a brownish, swampy atmosphere that detracts from the experience.
“The beautiful cell-shaded graphics feature unique art styles for each faction in the game, enhancing the dark, dirty, and dusty atmosphere of the Oort Cloud.”
“The beautiful cel-shaded graphics feature unique art styles for each faction, but they struggle to create a truly immersive atmosphere in the dark, dirty, and dusty environment of the Oort Cloud.”
“While the game has visually appealing elements, the overall atmosphere feels flat and fails to engage players in the intended dark and gritty setting.”
“Despite the interesting art direction, the atmosphere lacks depth and fails to evoke the sense of isolation and danger that the Oort Cloud should convey.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional response to the game reflects a sense of frustration and overwhelm, as the player feels unprepared to engage with its complex modding capabilities. Despite this, there is an appreciation for the accessibility of the modding system, indicating a potential for deeper emotional investment if the player can overcome the initial challenges.
- replayability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Users generally feel that the game lacks significant replayability once it has been completed, indicating that there are limited incentives to revisit it after winning.
“There isn't a lot of replayability after the game is won.”
“Once you complete the game, there's little incentive to play it again.”
“The lack of varied outcomes makes replaying the game feel redundant.”