Product Info

Platform

Switch, PC

Publisher

Kwalee

Developer

Powersnake

Genre

Action, Platform

Players

1

File Size (Minimum)

2.8 GB

Release Date (NA)

Oct 24, 2024

Purchase From

eShop

Steam

Voidwrought is a Metroidvania genre indie game with fluid mechanics , but it has some balancing hiccups and feels like another title in a saturated genre.

Dive Beneath the Surface

As the player, you awaken from your cocoon as a humanoid fighter and must adventure into the depths of the ruins buried beneath the scorched surface. The game’s narrative is delivered through lengthy text dialogues before you awaken, stones, and NPCs (non-playable characters). If you enjoy reading about the situation of building your cult, you may find the storytelling interesting. However, with the amount of visuals and details in the game, Voidwrought could have made the storytelling more visually pleasing by creating animations or various stills to explain the situation.

Enter the Crypt

The environment feels like an Egyptian ruin with a variety of tunnels, such as a tundra area. The labyrinth design gives off a dark, haunted vibe with a dark color palette. As you approach a new area, the colors gradually change to match the new theme. For example, the ruin’s purple undertone fades into a turquoise color as you enter the snowy area. The level design creates a sense of depth with various layers of the background moving at different speeds as your character moves. Players can explore anywhere until they hit a roadblock where they need to unlock skills to overcome obstacles before continuing on the same path.

Enemies roaming around are repeated throughout the dungeon in different color tones to indicate their difficulty. While this may feel repetitive, the bosses themselves are more detailed and well-designed. The thick black outlines and visuals give a familiar vibe to games like Hollow Knight and Dead Cells. While Voidwrought has its own flare, many players may see it as too close of a resemblance to other games in the genre.

Move Like Water

Maneuvering your fighter feels smooth and enjoyable. Gameplay mechanics are simple to understand, and as you unlock more weapons and skills, the game becomes more enjoyable. For example, using your sword to swing downward on spikes will push your character up like a pogo stick. Skills such as grabbing onto ledges become very useful throughout your adventure. Players will need to use these skills to get around obstacles and gain momentum when necessary.

In battle, boss battles offer their own unique entertainment with each battle having its own unique movements that require study and execution. Bosses will change their offensive attacks after a various number of hits, keeping players on their toes during first-time encounters.

Where and How to Adventure

Aside from the storytelling, the game’s difficulty can be a problem at the beginning. Due to the lack of tutorials and guidance. This may make it challenging for newcomers, potentially causing them to give up before fully experiencing what the game has to offer. Some areas throw players into battles against hordes of enemies without proper knowledge or upgrades, making progress difficult. However, if you perish, you are warped back to your last save point and still keep what you earned prior to death.

The game lacks details in certain areas, and gameplay options are scarce. For example, there is an area where you can “donate” the currency you earned from defeating enemies, but the game doesn’t explain why or what it does.

Additional gameplay options such as camera controls, text sizing, and customized controls are lacking. Playing in handheld mode on the Nintendo Switch can be concerning due to the screen size and camera focus on the character rather than the level itself.

The Suspense

The music in Voidwrought is splendid with its dark tones, creating a suspenseful and eerie atmosphere. Bigger fights are more immersive with heavier and faster-paced scores. In addition to the soundtrack, the sound effects of hitting enemies or objects are splendid, providing excellent feedback. This makes the game sound and feel more enjoyable for all players.

Final Path

Voidwrought has some momentum with its gameplay mechanics and designs. However, there are some hiccups that prevent it from standing out in the saturated pool of Metroidvania-style games.

A Nintendo Switch review code provided for this review.