Voidborn
- August 18, 2023
- Xekvera
Get on Steam"Voidborn is a single-player shooter game with impressive visuals, offering a fast-paced, visceral experience with roguelike elements. As a powerful Voidborn, players must destroy corrupt leaders in an ever-changing dark fantasy world. With each death, players evolve, unlocking new skill- and ability upgrades, leading to unlimited replayability and a challenging trial system."
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features enjoyable movement mechanics and satisfying gunplay, reminiscent of Ultrakill and Hades.
- The aesthetic and level design are visually striking, creating an immersive dark fantasy atmosphere.
- The weapon upgrades and abilities provide engaging gameplay, with a strong potential for future content and improvements.
- The game currently lacks a distinct identity, borrowing heavily from other titles without offering enough originality.
- There are numerous bugs and design issues, including clunky movement, poor enemy AI, and repetitive music.
- The balance of power-ups and weapons is problematic, with some upgrades feeling ineffective and the rifle being notably underwhelming.
- gameplay48 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a blend of aggressive combat mechanics and a roguelike structure, encouraging a strategic, often passive playstyle due to scarce health resources. While the combat feels fluid and engaging, with diverse weapon upgrades and exploration incentives, players have noted inconsistencies in hitboxes and the need for better balancing and content. Overall, the game draws clear inspiration from titles like Hades and Ultrakill, but requires further refinement to fully realize its potential.
“It has some really interesting mechanics at play, especially how it encourages exploration and the weapons are all great feeling too.”
“Some souls-like mechanics combined with fast gameplay of older movement shooters, with some inspiration from games like Ultrakill, then adding its own spin along with some roguelite mechanics.”
“A lot of fun mechanics and relatively fluid combat, but really needs more content and some thoughtful balancing.”
“Brilliant idea to make health insanely scarce for a game that has a lot of aggressive combat mechanics, so you're actively forced to play passively at all times.”
“The flying triangle ball things have some sort of mechanic where they can't be shot unless you kill a nearby enemy, but only sometimes, and the hitbox feels inconsistent.”
“The only problems that I can give are the healing; it only heals a portion of your health, which is annoying. The punch doesn’t feel great either and it’s not useful in combat. I tried to parry the projectiles, but it didn’t do what I wanted it to. From my gameplay, I think it only parried the common enemies when they charge at you, and it did a little amount of damage when you punch them. They already implemented some mechanics similar to Ultrakill; why not do a projectile parry system as well?”
- graphics48 mentions
- 54 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their stunning aesthetic, combining elements reminiscent of "Ultrakill" and "Dark Souls" with a unique retro style. Reviewers highlight the detailed terrain and impressive art style, which contribute to an immersive experience, although some note that visibility can be hindered in certain areas. Overall, the visuals are considered one of the game's standout features, with many expressing optimism for future improvements.
“Voidborn's aesthetics are gorgeous, making even the smallest of areas feel desolate and imposing.”
“I can sit and play this for hours on end; the graphics are amazing and the terrain is so detailed, plus the actual gameplay is outstanding.”
“Insanely beautiful visuals and an excellent soundtrack.”
“The graphic style makes the game very different, but that's not always a good thing as it hinders visibility.”
“The art style and level design is all top-notch (aside from maybe the first area but even that is just ok).”
“Hopefully it only gets better from here because I love the aesthetic a lot, so maybe one day I'll return to this game when it's in a better state.”
- music38 mentions
- 45 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some praising its dynamic nature that shifts from mellow exploration tunes to energetic combat tracks, while others criticize it for being repetitive, with only one song per area. Despite this, many users highlight standout tracks, particularly in the shadowed city, and appreciate the overall aesthetic and ambiance it contributes to the gameplay. Overall, while the soundtrack is considered good by some, there are calls for more variety to enhance the experience.
“The music is perfect in my opinion.”
“The combat music for the first area is some nice drum and bass, and for the second area, it seems to be something like rock music.”
“The music is really repetitive.”
“Music is extremely repetitive.”
“There only seems to be one song per area, but the music is dynamic in that it goes from a more mellow version during exploration to a faster-paced version during combat.”
- story10 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The story has received positive feedback, with players appreciating its depth and the promise of future updates that will expand the narrative. It features elements reminiscent of soulsborne games, offering more explicit storytelling than typically found in that genre. Overall, players feel the engaging story enhances the value of their gaming experience.
“The fun I've had in my time with the game (3.8 hours as of review) was well worth the $20 AUD I spent on it since I imagine I'll be getting at least ten times that later on, and knowing it'll be getting updates that add more content and story makes it even more worth it.”
“I like the story (or what I can decipher of it).”
“☐ no story”
“There also seems to be a sort of soulsborne-esque story going on, as well, though admittedly the game tells you more than most soulsborne games do.”
“---{ story }---”
- stability8 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's stability is marked by some bugs, particularly with enemy AI and upgrade systems, which have been noted as problematic. Despite these issues, players report smooth movement and solid gameplay mechanics, indicating that while the game has its glitches, it runs well overall.
“Movement is smooth, weapons feel great, enemies are well balanced, abilities are fun, progression is satisfying, sweet hub area, dope crafting and upgrade system, runs great, and so much more.”
“I've personally had some issues with upgrade glitches and a rarity system that acts odd from time to time.”
“Is a great game with a lot of difficulty (in New Game+), still buggy but it just dropped 2 days ago.”
“Enemy AI can be buggy.”
- replayability6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
Overall, the game offers a fun experience with decent replayability, particularly with the inclusion of a new game plus (ng+) feature. However, many users note that its current early access state feels somewhat limited and short for the price, leaving room for improvement in future updates.
“Early access is a little short, but there's plenty of replayability and a New Game Plus function.”
“Great game, great movement, satisfying combat. It's a little short for the price right now, but it seems pretty replayable; hopefully, there is more to come.”
“It's an absolute riot, but in its current state, it is replayable in a limited capacity.”
“It's an absolute riot, but in its current state is replayable in a limited capacity.”
“Great game, great movement, satisfying combat, a little short for the price right now but seems pretty replayable; hopefully there is more to come.”
- atmosphere4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere is consistently praised for its dark and gritty style, characteristic of soulslike games, featuring a blend of intricately designed large and small setpieces that create an immersive experience.
“The environments are very reminiscent of the same style that a lot of soulslike games go for, with the dark and gritty atmosphere and a combination of huge and tiny (but well-crafted) set pieces.”
“The atmosphere is amazing and always immersive.”
- humor3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is derived from the exaggerated imbalance of power-ups, particularly favoring lightning, which players find amusingly frustrating. This recurring sentiment highlights a comedic element in the gameplay experience, as players repeatedly express their disbelief at the situation.
- character development2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 100 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate a desire for more depth in character development, particularly in the design and backstory of characters, reminiscent of the intricate and haunting designs found in the Dark Souls series.
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Players express that the grinding in the game is excessively time-consuming, often requiring a significant investment of time akin to having a "second life" to fully engage with it.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
