Void Sols
- November 12, 2024
- Finite Reflection
Get on Steam
Get on itch.io StoreIn Void Sols, a top-down minimalist game, you play as a triangle navigating a shadowy maze filled with formidable angular enemies and bosses. Your goal is to liberate the subjugated world, with death serving as a lesson in this geometrically-styled adventure. Acquire Sols from defeated foes to modify your playstyle, and delve into the world's many hidden secrets.
Mac OS
PC
Steam Deck
Windows
PlayStation
Xbox
Reviews
- Void Sols offers a unique and engaging take on the souls-like genre with its minimalist art style and fluid combat mechanics.
- The game allows for extensive customization and experimentation with builds, enabling players to respec their stats and change loadouts at any bonfire, which enhances the gameplay experience.
- Exploration is rewarding, with well-designed levels that feature hidden paths, shortcuts, and a variety of enemies that keep encounters fresh and challenging.
- The lack of fast travel between bonfires can lead to tedious backtracking, making it frustrating to navigate the game world.
- Some weapons and artifacts feel underwhelming compared to the default sword, limiting the variety of viable builds and strategies.
- The auto-targeting system is unreliable, especially in multi-enemy encounters, which can lead to frustrating combat experiences.
- graphics44 mentions
- 45 % positive mentions
- 48 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are characterized by a minimalist art style that, while simple, effectively conveys a rich atmosphere and enhances gameplay. Players appreciate the clean aesthetic and fluid animations, which contribute to a unique visual experience that stands out among other soulslike titles. Overall, the graphics are praised for their beauty and intentional design, proving that less can indeed be more in creating an engaging game environment.
“The game's clean aesthetic is a standout feature, using minimalist graphics to convey complex information without overwhelming the player.”
“The graphics are beautiful considering how simplistic they are.”
“The visuals are wonderfully done, and combat is fluid and fun.”
“Don't let the primitive looking visuals fool you.”
“The graphics in this game outside of the enemy designs look pleasing, despite the whole dark ambiance surrounding them.”
“If you like souls-like games because of their atmosphere, tense combat and exploration of moody and grim environments and don't need AAA graphics with all the bells and whistles then you'll love this.”
- gameplay39 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The gameplay is widely praised for its crisp mechanics, variety, and depth, offering a blend of strategic combat, creative level design, and engaging exploration. Players appreciate the thoughtful integration of unique weapon types, enemy designs, and a variety of encounters that keep the experience fresh and challenging. While some mechanics, like enemy health scaling and specific weapon balance, received criticism, the overall execution and enjoyment of the gameplay remain strong, making it accessible and appealing even to those new to the soulslike genre.
“Gameplay is fantastic and simple with enough variety and challenge that it never stops feeling new and fun.”
“Strategic opportunities, like using corners to bait enemies with predictable line-of-sight behavior, add depth to encounters and make the environments feel like integral parts of the gameplay rather than mere backdrops.”
“Great gameplay with awesomely stylish visuals and the best soundtrack on this side of the soulslike river.”
“However, it feels like enemy health bars are artificially inflated to account for this mechanic, which can make combat encounters drag on unnecessarily, particularly late in the game.”
“My primary gameplay pain point is how the world appears to open up once you reach the forest, but you're actually going to find a lot of blocked paths until you follow the real, intentional road forward.”
“Caveat though: some of the primary and secondary weapons seem weaker mechanically than others, and I'm unsure if that's down to my own limitations as a player or just due to some sort of objective fact.”
- music33 mentions
- 48 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its ability to enhance the atmosphere, particularly during boss fights, where tracks are described as "incredible" and "haunting." While some players feel that certain boss tracks could be more intense, the overall sentiment is that the soundtrack complements the gameplay effectively, making it a standout feature. Many users express a desire to purchase the soundtrack, highlighting its quality and emotional impact.
“The music is absolutely incredible.”
“The boss music is killer, and several of them evolve as the fight progresses too.”
“Great gameplay with awesomely stylish visuals and the best soundtrack on this side of the soulslike river.”
“The audio completes the picture with a subdued soundscape instead of bombastic music.”
“Only real criticism I could throw at it is perhaps some of the boss fight tracks had tamer music compared to other boss tracks in the game -- I like having more intense music when dealing with my tougher opponents.”
“It's a shame, because the quality is there and the layering intensity as the fight goes on is well done, but the music genre just feels out of touch.”
- atmosphere14 mentions
- 64 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The atmosphere in "Void Sols" is widely praised for its moody and eerie quality, enhanced by minimalist graphics and a compelling soundscape that immerses players in a half-alien, half-mundane world. The game's use of light and darkness, along with identifiable landmarks, creates a rich environment that supports exploration and combat, although some players feel the boss music detracts from the overall experience. Overall, the atmospheric design effectively captures the essence of souls-like games, appealing to fans who appreciate tension and exploration over high-end graphics.
“Akin to the 2012 rogue-lite Teleglitch, Void Sols plays with light in a way that builds a fantastically moody and eerie atmosphere, making for interesting encounters and traversal.”
“The game's graphics are simple but still manage to convey a very convincing atmosphere with the help of an impressive soundscape and beautiful lighting.”
“Was really surprised by the killer ambient atmosphere and interesting twists and surprises as the game opens up.”
“I don't have much negative to say, just not my cup of tea. Part of what I like about Dark Souls games is the spectacle and atmosphere.”
“If you like souls-like games because of their atmosphere, tense combat, and exploration of moody and grim environments, and don't need AAA graphics with all the bells and whistles, then you'll love this.”
“Outside areas in particular - while still masked in darkness - have clearly identifiable landmarks, adding to the atmosphere of this half alien, half mundane world.”
- story11 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 45 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The game's story is primarily conveyed through environmental storytelling and item descriptions, resulting in a minimalist narrative that some players find engaging, while others feel it lacks depth. Despite the sparse explicit storytelling, the design of each area contributes to a unique narrative experience, allowing players to interpret the lore in their own way. Overall, the storytelling approach aligns with the soulslike genre, emphasizing exploration and player imagination over traditional narrative structures.
“These transitions help maintain interest and provide visual storytelling without overreliance on text or dialogue.”
“There's been thought put into how each area of the game tells its own story, a soulslike staple.”
“Even though the story has no dialogue, the creators manage to imbue such narrative significance to so many moments -- and not in a 'collect the seven things and then go beat the big bad' way.”
“There's not a ton of explicit story; it's basically all told through item descriptions and the environment, but even then there doesn't appear to be much story.”
“The story/lore would only be more sparse if there was none at all.”
“In Dark Souls and other souls-likes, storytelling is often done through a combination of the environment and item descriptions.”
- stability2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Overall, users report occasional glitches, such as unregistered combat actions, but generally find the game stable and enjoyable, particularly noting its good performance on the Steam Deck.
“It runs great on Steam Deck.”
“The game maintains a steady frame rate, even during intense action sequences.”
“I've experienced no crashes or bugs, making for a smooth gaming experience.”
“I experienced a few annoying glitches from time to time, like having my hammer swing go through an enemy without it registering, but combat is enjoyable and works most of the time.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players appreciate the loadout system for enabling experimentation without the need for grinding to respec, and they find that well-placed shortcuts effectively minimize tedious backtracking.
- replayability2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players appreciate the game's replayability, noting that after an initial playthrough of about 12 hours, the introduction of challenge runs with unique rules and handicaps enhances the experience. This feature not only encourages multiple playthroughs but also provides a constant challenge, making it a game that many find worth revisiting.
“My first playthrough clocked in at around 12 hours (a bit more if you're thorough), and instead of a basic New Game Plus, you get challenge runs with different rules and handicaps, which are a nice addition for replayability.”
“It's a game that I will find massive replayability in, as well as a constant challenge.”
