Voidwrought
- October 24, 2024
- Powersnake
- 15h median play time
Get on Steam"Voidwrought is a single-player Action game with spectacular mechanics and excellent visuals. As the Simulacrum, descend into the depths of the Gray City, collecting Ichor and equipping powerful Relics to customize your playstyle. Unleash ancient artifacts and delve into the rich lore of this modern Metroidvania, but be prepared for some grinding."
Nintendo Switch
PC
Steam Deck
Windows
Reviews
- The art style is stunning and the music is atmospheric, enhancing the overall experience.
- Gameplay is engaging with tight controls and rewarding exploration, making it enjoyable to uncover secrets.
- The game offers a variety of abilities and upgrades that allow for different playstyles and strategies.
- The difficulty curve is inconsistent, with early bosses being challenging but later ones feeling too easy.
- Some mechanics, like the floaty movement and contact damage, can lead to frustrating gameplay experiences.
- The map can be confusing, and the lack of clear direction may leave players feeling lost at times.
- graphics48 mentions
- 54 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received widespread acclaim for their stunning hand-drawn aesthetic, which effectively blends eerie beauty with cosmic horror elements. Many reviewers noted the captivating art style, atmospheric visuals, and exceptional sound design, drawing comparisons to titles like Hollow Knight while maintaining a unique identity. Overall, the game's visuals and audio presentation are highlighted as key factors that enhance the gameplay experience.
“The art style really reminds me of Hollow Knight, even the gimmicks are alike.”
“I stayed because of the incredible audio-visual presentation; aka one of the best OSTs on my drive, mixed with fantastic ambient and effect design and a somewhat unexpected art style that still manages to transport the cosmic horror theme perfectly.”
“The graphics are stunning!”
“I understand the intent with this ability from its visuals, but it was so cumbersome to move in this form I dreaded every time I had to use it.”
“Hollow Knight-ish graphics... no need to say more.”
“The art style, sound design, movement, and lore are gleefully and unashamedly inspired by Hollow Knight to a degree that is perversely shameless.”
- gameplay47 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The gameplay of *voidwrought* is generally praised for its tight mechanics, fast-paced action, and engaging exploration, reminiscent of *Hollow Knight*. However, some players noted issues with unclear paths, reliance on specific combat tricks, and a lack of thorough explanations for mechanics, which can detract from the overall experience. While the game offers a rewarding experience with a variety of enemies and puzzles, some found it too easy after acquiring upgrades, leading to a less challenging gameplay experience.
“The art style is really compelling, the music is moody and atmospheric and fits every zone, the story is interesting, and the gameplay is tight and rewarding.”
“As a fast-paced action-platformer, voidwrought excels in diving headfirst into cosmic horror with its solid gameplay, stunning visuals, and a mesmerizing soundtrack.”
“Gameplay is smooth and fast-paced.”
“It didn't give me a reason to explore its lore; it had unclear paths because a large part of the game is sequence broken with one ability. Basic mechanics weren't explained thoroughly except 'look, you can pogo like in Hollow Knight.' There were no hints to items you're missing other than the map not being filled out in the room, as you were expected to mark them down yourself (which can be missed). Combat overly relied on the usable combat tricks to deal real damage (items you find in the world that are reusable but work off a cooldown) where maybe like 6 of the 30 or so were usable. Collectibles had no real rhyme or reason to be where they were; you can get way too much of one collectible and then can only trade it in for currency and another collectible. There isn't even enough on the map to buy all the items that need them.”
“I waited for this game and I really wanted to love it, but the mechanics, 'slippery' platforms, and the fact that the game was deliberately designed to use some structures that, if permanently destroyed, will not allow you to reach some artifacts is just a bad idea in my opinion.”
“While the game looks beautiful and the setting is interesting, gameplay ruins it all.”
- music43 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 26 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The music in *Voidwrought* is widely praised for its atmospheric and haunting qualities, enhancing the game's overall experience and complementing its art style. Many reviewers highlight the soundtrack's ability to evoke emotions, with some tracks being described as spine-chilling and others as electrifying, though a few found certain themes less enjoyable for extended listening. Overall, the music is considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's immersive atmosphere and gameplay.
“The beautiful and spine-chilling soundtrack in voidwrought also enhances the game’s overall atmosphere.”
“As a fast-paced action-platformer, voidwrought excels in diving headfirst into cosmic horror with its solid gameplay, stunning visuals, and a mesmerizing soundtrack.”
“The music is awesome; I didn't expect this quality of soundtrack in this game, I love it.”
“The music was a bit hit-or-miss for me; some of the themes were extremely good and haunting, like the starting area theme or the bazaar one, while others were somewhat oppressing and hard to listen to for prolonged periods of time (surface/expedition).”
“It’s like your own personal soundtrack to existential dread, with music that pulls you deeper into the void.”
“The music was a bit light/soft but it added a nice ambience and did actually contain some metal.”
- story25 mentions
- 32 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The game's story is set in a hand-drawn world filled with cosmic horrors, featuring a shapeshifting protagonist on a quest against false gods. While the backstory is well-crafted and intriguing, the main narrative is often described as vague and lacking depth, with characters underexplored and a somewhat standard conclusion. Overall, opinions are mixed; some players appreciate the lore and atmosphere, while others find the storyline disappointing and overly cryptic.
“Taking place in a hand-drawn world of cosmic horrors, you play as a shapeshifting protagonist on a mission to dethrone a lineup of false gods who apparently all missed the memo on staying in their divine lanes.”
“This is a great game, it's a lovely hand-drawn shadowy game, has a great story and its own unique style.”
“The story and worldbuilding is also intriguing.”
“Its backstory is well written but cryptic, and the main story itself is a bit… elusive.”
“Overall, while the lore is intriguing at best, the lack of a concrete storyline can leave the experience feeling empty and detached.”
“The writing and narrative follows the same direction too: it's too much style over substance, and worst still, the actual storyline (both endings) are about as stock standard as it comes: you either sacrifice yourself for the bad ending or take over the baddie in the good ending.”
- grinding15 mentions
- 7 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 93 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be overwhelmingly tedious and frustrating, particularly when it comes to backtracking and collecting items for 100% completion. The exploration is often described as clunky and generic, with hidden elements that require excessive searching, making the overall experience feel like a chore rather than an engaging challenge. While some hope it may improve later in the game, the initial grind is seen as a significant drawback.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“Combat and movement are well done, exploration is enjoyable at times, yet it becomes quite a tedious chore when it comes to backtracking and collecting everything 100%, as you rely mostly on your map pins you leave during your exploration to come back later.”
“This is of course nothing new for metroidvanias, but the exploration here is tedious, as even with fast travel, getting from one area to another takes far longer than it needs to, causing multiple hours to be spent just trying to get back to old areas.”
“Everything in this game felt tedious and boring.”
- atmosphere11 mentions
- 64 % positive mentions
- 18 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its compelling art style and moody, immersive soundtrack that enhances the overall experience. Reviewers note that while the visuals and ambiance are stunning, some gameplay elements detract from the oppressive atmosphere, leading to a gradual reduction in tension as players progress. Overall, the game successfully creates a captivating and atmospheric world, though some feel it could benefit from deeper narrative context.
“The art style is really compelling, the music is moody and atmospheric and fits every zone, the story is interesting, and the gameplay is tight and rewarding.”
“The beautiful and spine-chilling soundtrack in voidwrought also enhances the game’s overall atmosphere.”
“There are aspects to voidwrought I do like; the art style and the overall atmosphere are amazing.”
“The ending is a little abrupt, and I feel like there could have been a lot more context for the player, but the art direction and atmosphere carried it.”
“The overall feeling of gradual reduction of difficulty as I got progressively stronger kind of chipped away at the oppressive atmosphere of the game's world.”
- replayability6 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game offers some replayability through different playstyles and minor choices in side quests, encouraging players to start new runs. However, the absence of a New Game Plus mode limits its overall replay value, leaving some players wanting more depth in their replay experience.
“It does have that replayability aspect too.”
“There are some minor choices to make, leading to replayability.”
“There’s no new game plus yet, but if you’re the kind who loves tinkering with different playstyles or making different choices in side quests by starting a brand new run, there’s some replay value to dig into.”
“Shame that no new game plus part; could have given it more replayability.”
“I also gotta say maybe because I'm just spoiled from playing Hollow Knight and Nine Sols, but I was expecting a solid 50-hour journey with replay value.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game's stability is generally solid, with users reporting a smooth experience; however, some speedrunners have discovered interesting glitches that may affect gameplay.
“The game crashes frequently, making it nearly unplayable.”
“I experienced constant lag and frame drops, which ruined the immersion.”
“There are numerous bugs that disrupt gameplay and hinder progress.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 200 % positive mentions
- -400 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players report that the game runs smoothly at 60 frames per second, alleviating concerns about performance issues.
“The optimization is top-notch, making the gameplay experience seamless.”
“I appreciate how well the game runs on lower-end hardware without sacrificing quality.”
“Smooth 60 FPS on deck if you're concerned about performance.”
“The game struggles to maintain a stable frame rate, making it frustrating to play.”
“Optimization feels lacking, as I frequently encounter lag and stuttering during gameplay.”
