Void Bastards

[Bob]

I've been playing a bit of void Bastards. I really like it but it feels a bit strange and I don't feel like the game is going to be showing me anything new after only an hour or two. It sits in this weird spot between early access and full release, which I suppose is why they decided to go with gamepass since a full purchase is a big ask. The aesthetic is great, the world is fun, especially the northern Juves that run around swearing at you. Its just a very sparse idea for a game and hopefully they can expand on it and it's not just a quick cash grab since roguelikes are where the indie money is at the moment.

[Maf]

So it is a bullshit game. I knew it!

[Hendo]

I started this last night. Only on my second person, so really barely scratched the surface.

I like the sense of humour. First I thought it felt a bit Hitchhiker's Guide, but then I realised that I think the narrator is the same one from The Stanley Parable, which has a similar sense of humour.

[illdog]

I've put about 6 hours in to this, really enjoying it.

 

I'm less and less keen on rogue likes but this one does it in a way I find easy to swallow. You travel along a spider web like map in space, each path taking you to an abandoned ship (read: dungeon) that contains lootable materials and on some an item you need for the main quest (which is clearly indicated by a big arrow). Each ship will also contain a variety of enemies which can be killed or run from, as well as various security devices like gun turrets and security cameras.

 

So the stuff you loot that isnt related to the main quest will be materials for building weapons and armour. You have an oxygen meter which can be extended, a coat you can build to extend your health and a huge tree of helpful bits and bobs to choose from. Everything you build  carries over from each character so you gradually get stronger and stronger, the further in to the nebula go the stronger the enemies get so you're fightinng to stay on a level playing field.

 

Every time you jump from abandoned ship to abandoned ship you consume a unit of fuel and a unit of food. Every ship will have a FTL room which will contain fuel you can loot to power your own ship. Not every ship will contain food but most do. So the trick is to keep yourself stocked up on food and fuel so as to progress further in to the nebula. The further you go the more main quest items you encounter.

 

Also, each ship will have conditions that will either help or hinder you. So a negative condition is that a ship will be without power. This means all the doors to will be open that leaves you vunerable to the enemies on the ship as well as leaving all the loot containers locked so your first priority will be locating the ships generator to turn on the power. A positive condition will be all the enemies have half health or that the security on the ship will be on your side and will attack the enemies instead of you.

 

So i'm on the third main quest now, trying to gather the parts for a Water Cooling Unit. I'm in the third part of the nebula and the enemies are really tough, pirate ships are more frequent (and pirates give you a sound fucking) and some of the ship conditions are nightmarish. I docked on to a ship that had no power and was immediately boarded by pirates and i've never been so genuinely panicked outside of a proper horror game. I was using the map to guide me to the generator, running as fast as I could the whole time whilst avoiding the  enemies native to the ship as well as the fucking pirates, getting absolutely shot to shit when they found me which made me just blind run in to a dead end. Luckily I had an electricty gun that can freeze enemies in place for a few seconds and these things called Kittybots that distract and explode and using that little combo i got out by the skin of my teeth.

 

I'm finding it a little stressful but i really enjoy each  session i put it on.

 

[Craymen Edge]

I've been playing a little bit this week, I'm close to getting the second item I need to make the citizenship card. I love the style and the humour, it's got a lot of personality.

 

I've had a good run with a character whose perk is that they don't make the Tourists (those little blob things) explode when you get close. It's been a godsend, as those fuckers are everywhere in the early game.

 

 

[illdog]

I tell you though, it gets fucking hard. Every ship is now littered with absolute bastards. I’m making a coolant unit I think and I need one more part but every ship that contains the piece I need has so far been filled with hellish conditions.

[DANGERMAN]

I started this last night, only did a couple of ships. I found the way the game has a frame around it a bit off putting. I wouldn't say it made me queezy, and maybe it's fine on a TV with a pad, but sat close to a monitor with a mouse it didn't feel great