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 game features stunning visuals and a captivating art style, reminiscent of Hollow Knight, with a unique Lovecraftian theme.
- Exploration is highly rewarding, with numerous secrets and collectibles that encourage backtracking and revisiting areas.
- The combat system is engaging, with a variety of relics and souls that allow for diverse playstyles and strategies.
- The difficulty curve is inconsistent, with early bosses being challenging while later ones become too easy due to overpowered upgrades.
- The game lacks clear guidance on progression, leading to confusion about where to go next and resulting in tedious backtracking.
- Some mechanics, such as the crawlspace ability, feel slow and cumbersome, detracting from the overall fluidity of movement.
- graphics61 mentions
- 52 % positive mentions
- 43 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The graphics of *Voidwrought* are widely praised for their stunning hand-drawn aesthetic, blending elements of cosmic horror with influences from *Hollow Knight* and ancient Egyptian themes. Reviewers highlight the unique art style, captivating visuals, and atmospheric soundtrack, which together create an immersive experience, despite some noting that the gameplay mechanics can feel a bit cumbersome at times. Overall, the game's visuals are considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to its appeal.
“The art style was obviously inspired by Hollow Knight, but the game has its own theme and vibe with a mix of ancient Egyptian and Lovecraftian elements.”
“Voidwrought stuns with its hand-drawn aesthetic, blending eerie beauty with cosmic horror in every frame.”
“The aesthetics are stunning, and the soundtrack is so good that despite a Steam glitch preventing me from buying the deluxe edition, it's perched atop my wishlist.”
“The map is user-friendly while a bit minimalist with stark square tiles and solid color region demarcation, serving its purpose simply without venturing to have an aesthetic quirk and not offering any undue help locating the more well-hidden secrets.”
“The art style really reminds me of Hollow Knight, even the gimmicks are alike.”
“The aesthetics are captivating; it reminded me of Egyptian aesthetics, and the game confining a place called 'the gray pyramid' is no coincidence.”
- gameplay59 mentions
- 37 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The gameplay of *Voidwrought* is generally praised for its smooth mechanics, engaging combat, and exploration elements, drawing strong comparisons to *Hollow Knight*. Players appreciate the variety of movement mechanics and abilities, though some criticize the backtracking and certain traversal mechanics as tedious. While the game offers a visually stunning experience and a captivating soundtrack, some find the combat too easy and the mechanics occasionally frustrating, particularly regarding responsiveness and clarity.
“Gameplay is pretty fun with the different weapons you can have fighting enemies.”
“The game features neat cartoon-style art, responsive controls, a variety of movement mechanics, enjoyable skills, good music, polished menus, a large game world, and numerous hidden items to discover.”
“Tight, fun gameplay and really cool design overall!”
“Those are some annoying NES mechanics that make backtracking a slog.”
“Searching for certain story items becomes tedious, especially in the late game when one traversal mechanic forces you to use a black sticky blob form that moves at a snail’s pace.”
“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.”
- music58 mentions
- 62 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising its atmospheric and immersive qualities, particularly during exploration and boss fights. While some tracks are described as haunting and engaging, others are seen as less impressive or even oppressive. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout feature, enhancing the game's aesthetic and gameplay experience.
“The soundtrack of this game was an extreme banger, and I listen to it on a daily basis even outside of playing the game. I would probably compare it even to my all-time favorites, like Elden Ring, Dark Souls 3, or Witcher 3.”
“The beautiful and spine-chilling soundtrack in Voidwrought also enhances the game’s overall atmosphere.”
“The music is awesome; I didn't expect this quality of soundtrack in this game, I love it.”
“I feel like the music is lacking; maybe I haven't gone far enough, but nothing I've listened to has impressed me so far.”
“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 oppressive and hard to listen to for prolonged periods of time.”
“It's like your own personal soundtrack to existential dread, with music that pulls you deeper into the void.”
- story42 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 64 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The story in "Voidwrought" is generally perceived as weak and confusing, with many players noting its lack of depth and clarity. While some appreciate the intriguing lore and atmospheric elements, the overall narrative feels vague and underdeveloped, often leaving players disengaged and struggling to follow the plot. The game prioritizes gameplay over storytelling, resulting in a disjointed experience where important narrative elements are buried in cryptic texts and static character interactions.
“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.”
“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.”
“I was so confused on how this game started story-wise that by an hour into the game I stopped caring.”
“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.”
- grinding17 mentions
- 6 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 94 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be overwhelmingly tedious and frustrating, particularly when it comes to backtracking for collectibles and completing the game at 100%. The slow traversal mechanics, inconvenient checkpoint placements, and hidden elements contribute to a sense of monotony, making exploration feel like a chore rather than an engaging experience. Overall, the grind is seen as a significant drawback, detracting from the enjoyment of the game.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“Searching for certain story items becomes tedious, especially in the late game when one traversal mechanic forces you to use a black sticky blob form that moves at a snail’s pace.”
“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.”
“Tedious hidden breakable walls, and zero way to know where you have to go next leaves you wandering the map searching for any areas that you haven't fully explored yet.”
- atmosphere13 mentions
- 62 % positive mentions
- 15 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its stunning art style and moody, immersive soundtrack, which effectively evoke Lovecraftian horror themes. While the visuals and sound design create a compelling and eerie environment, some players feel that gameplay elements and difficulty progression detract from the overall oppressive atmosphere. Despite these concerns, the game's atmosphere remains a standout feature, enhancing the exploration and storytelling experience.
“The game draws inspiration from Lovecraftian horror themes, which add an eerie atmosphere.”
“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.”
“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.”
“Decent world, exploration, atmosphere, and core combat.”
- 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.”
- optimization3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The game is well-optimized, running smoothly at a consistent 60 FPS in both full-screen and windowed modes, and it functions seamlessly with an Xbox controller. However, some users feel that the bosses could have a more impactful performance.
“The game runs smoothly, in both full-screen and windowed modes, and works without issues with an Xbox controller.”
“Bosses also lack more impactful performance.”
“Smooth 60 FPS on deck if you're concerned about performance.”
- 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.”
