Voltage High Society
- July 27, 2022
- Platonic Partnership
- 1h median play time
Get on Steam"Voltage High Society" is a first-person fighting game with Metroidvania exploration, set in a retro-futuristic, cyberpunk world. Engage in dynamic combat against menacing cybernetic monsters, uncover secrets, and upgrade your abilities to escape the island. The game promises a horror-infused experience with deep exploration and progression systems.
Reviews
- The game features a unique and engaging atmosphere with striking visuals and a nostalgic art style reminiscent of PS1 graphics.
- Combat mechanics, while still needing refinement, provide a satisfying and impactful experience, with a fun exploration element that keeps players engaged.
- The developers are responsive to community feedback and show promise for future updates, indicating a commitment to improving the game.
- The combat and movement mechanics are currently clunky and janky, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences, including broken hitboxes and awkward platforming.
- The game lacks content and depth at this stage, with many areas feeling underwhelming and a lack of clear objectives or narrative direction.
- Performance issues and bugs are prevalent, making the game feel unfinished and hindering the overall experience.
- atmosphere22 mentions
- 59 % positive mentions
- 27 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its unique blend of futuristic dystopia and lo-fi aesthetics, creating an engaging and immersive experience. Reviewers highlight the compelling art direction, atmospheric audio, and effective use of environmental storytelling, which together enhance exploration and evoke a strong emotional response. Despite some gameplay roughness, the overall atmosphere is described as captivating and integral to the game's appeal.
“Great atmosphere and design; the short dialogues and notes nicely convey bits of information about the current situation of the place.”
“The environments and atmosphere are what really sold me on this game; it's such a well-executed blend of futuristic dystopia and lo-fi 90s aesthetic that I was enraptured the entire time.”
“Obviously it's still really rough around the edges, movement and combat specifically, but the game excels with its art direction and atmosphere.”
“The atmosphere is immaculate, the movement is tight and lends itself to breaking the game (in a good way), and the world itself is compelling for exploration and discovering the lore and story beyond the prologue.”
“There is also some nice moments in the game such as the underground area of the map; the atmosphere and the sound effects are definitely spooky.”
- graphics20 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 55 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received praise for their nostalgic PS1 aesthetic and striking visual design, effectively blending futuristic dystopia with a lo-fi 90s vibe. While the art style is generally well-executed and atmospheric, some players noted issues with readability and navigation due to the unique aesthetic choices. Overall, the visuals contribute significantly to the game's charm, though some players feel that further refinement is needed to enhance clarity and gameplay experience.
“I want to like this game: the premises are awesome, the worldbuilding seems interesting, the graphics have this little something that grabs your attention and nostalgia.”
“In all honesty, I have rarely seen in my whole life a single game that mixes in such a sublime way old nostalgic PS1 graphics, astonishing visual and art design, and innovative gameplay mechanics.”
“The environments and atmosphere are what really sold me on VHS; it's such a well-executed blend of futuristic dystopia and lo-fi 90s aesthetic that I was enraptured the entire time.”
“The options menu is a bit lacking; there are no controls to rebind, and the only graphics option you can manipulate is the resolution and a pixelated filter.”
“Basically a grungy cyberpunk King's Field, chunky PS2 graphics included.”
“It's still a bit janky - combat doesn't really feel as good, movement is a bit floaty, and it's really difficult to read telegraphed moves because of the weird art style.”
- gameplay17 mentions
- 35 % positive mentions
- 47 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the innovative mechanics and satisfying movement, while others find it lacking in fun and clarity. The game's nostalgic visuals and strong audio design enhance the experience, but issues like fluidity in jumping and some minor technical glitches have been noted. Overall, while the atmosphere and art design are praised, opinions on the core gameplay vary, with some considering it "normal" or even "bad."
“In all honesty, I have rarely seen in my whole life a single game that mixes in such a sublime way old nostalgic PS1 graphics, astonishing visual and art design, and innovative gameplay mechanics.”
“Gameplay feels good, movement feels good, hope to see it continue to get support.”
“The presentation works wonderfully: low-poly models, a simple, glitched-out UI, sparse/selective use of color and lighting effects, and a futuristic ambient soundtrack all come together to create what I found to be a truly compelling gameplay experience.”
“I understand that it is EA, but it has been for the past 2 years, so what I am complaining about will probably never change, as it is the core gameplay.”
“I usually like retro games, but I found the lack of visual clarity really tough here along with the actual mechanics.”
“Gameplay-wise, the game is very 'normal'; some may argue it's even bad.”
- story12 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The game's story is described as engaging and set in a captivating cyberpunk universe, with a mix of environmental storytelling and intriguing lore that keeps players invested. However, some reviewers note a lack of depth and clarity in the narrative, suggesting that while the atmosphere and exploration are compelling, the story itself may feel incomplete or inscrutable. Overall, the combination of action and exploration enhances the experience, but the narrative could benefit from more substantial development.
“It tells in a unique and original way an engaging story set in an incredibly fascinating decadent cyberpunk universe, all while entertaining the player with fun and thrilling fights, as well as a deliciously rewarding exploration that will keep their attention up and running the whole time.”
“The story is deliberately inscrutable, but there feels like so much going on beneath the surface.”
“The atmosphere is immaculate, the movement is tight and lends itself to breaking the game (in a good way), and the world itself is compelling for exploration and discovering the lore and story beyond the prologue.”
“However, the lack of story is to this game's detriment. I'm unsure if it's just not written in yet or if they want to keep it to just environmental storytelling, but I would have dropped this game if it wasn't for me just wanting to mess around.”
“There are some bits of environmental storytelling, but only tidbits of them are actually interesting.”
“When you combine all of these, these monsters are like Minecraft's zombies stuck in a cave: I cannot remember or think about them or their backstory, if they even have one, because they don't have much going on.”
- music5 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The music in the game is described as a beautiful and haunting synth ambient soundtrack that enhances the overall experience, reminiscent of John Carpenter's style. However, some users find the music design to be serviceable and somewhat bland or forgettable, contrasting with the strong art design and intense gameplay. Overall, while the music contributes positively to the atmosphere, opinions on its memorability vary.
“The presentation works wonderfully: low-poly models, a simple, glitched-out UI, sparse/selective use of color and lighting effects, and a futuristic ambient soundtrack all come together to create what I found to be a truly compelling gameplay experience.”
“The music is also beautiful and haunting, with a synth ambience that conjures John Carpenter.”
“Art design and modeling is on point, the music is intense and heavy, and gameplay takes a moment to get used to, but is incredibly satisfying to pull off successfully and offers enjoyable tactile feedback on your actions.”
“The music design is serviceable, but I believe it to be pretty bland and forgettable.”
- optimization3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -67 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
Overall, optimization for the game appears to be inconsistent, with some players experiencing significant performance issues even on capable hardware, leading to low frame rates and frustrating gameplay. Additionally, bugs such as random respawns further detract from the experience, making it challenging for users to progress smoothly.
“After the performance fix, I can finally play this game :)”
“The optimization has significantly improved my gameplay experience, allowing for smoother performance and more enjoyable sessions.”
“The game runs much better now, making it easier to focus on strategy rather than dealing with technical issues.”
“For some reason, I get really bad performance on my 2nd gen i5-2400, 16GB DDR3 RAM with a manually overclocked GT-1030. Even at 1280x720, it barely goes past 30 FPS with all settings off or low. I don't get it; my rig is more than enough for this game, but it just doesn't run well.”
“There's a lot of bugs to contend with. I, for one, continually kept getting respawned over and over for seemingly no reason (culminating in the underground area where I legitimately could not progress due to how frequent and random the respawns would be). The performance seems somewhat spotty, and combined with the still awkward feeling of the movement and platforming, it can be difficult to get through.”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game exhibits several stability issues, including minor glitches with audio playback and respawn logic, as well as the need for adjustments in enemy attacks and map clarity. However, as it is still in early access, players anticipate that these bugs will be addressed in future updates.
“It's not without faults: enemy attacks and damage need some tweaking, the map could stand to be clearer through the use of landmarks or additional visual effects, and there are various minor glitches related to audio playback and the respawn logic.”
“This is still an early access title, so I expect the various bugs and glitches to be straightened out in time.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by a blend of cynically edgy and childishly silly elements, effectively balancing the tone to prevent it from becoming too grim. Notably, the lizard vendor is highlighted as a particularly amusing character, contributing to the overall comedic experience.
“The lizard vendor is hilarious.”
“The humor in the game is a delightful mix of cynically edgy and childishly silly, perfectly fitting the overall tone and preventing it from becoming too dreary.”
