When I saw the trailer for Post Void, I knew it looked like the kind of batshit insanity that I enjoyed. A fast-paced shooter in acid-drenched, highly stylised environments, with a protagonist that holds a skull in one hand, and a pistol in the other.
It looked like my kind of dumb fun. But I’ve got to be honest when I jumped onto Steam to download the game and noticed it was listed for about the cost of a cup of coffee, and that its size could be listed in megabytes as opposed to gigabytes?
My eyes rolled hard, and I wondered what I was getting myself into. And when I noticed the developer was a little indie team called Y/CJ/Y that hadn’t made any games that I was aware of?
My eyes kept rolling into the back of my skull.
But boy did I learn a lesson today, kiddies. That old adage – don’t judge a book by its cover? It really fits here. For those that don’t want to keep reading – Post Void is a bunch of fun, and probably the best use of $3, given the current circumstances.
Post Void Review
It’s not an amazingly original game, by any means – it’s extremely simple, really. Story aside, your character is holding a skull in their hand, and in this skull is a glowing white liquid. This liquid slowly leaks out over time, and if you take any damage, you lose even more. But, when you inflict damage, you gain some more – and when you reach the end of the level, you immerse yourself in a pool of this liquid, refilling your skull, and taking you to the next stage.
So that’s pretty much the premise – time is key, so you need to run like a bull out of a gate to try to find the pool of light, but at the same time, you need to take out enemies as you go. As a result, Post Void has a kind of 90s twitch shooter vibe to it, and it wouldn’t go astray as a form of training for those that want to improve their twitch shooting skills.
But Post Void is more than that – in some ways, it almost feels like a mobile game – finish one stage to be presented with a shortlist of three random powerups. Make your selection, and see how far you can progress, all on one life. This can include alternative weapons, faster reload time, more glowing liquid in your skull, and so on. And of course, being a rogue-lite, the levels themselves are randomised – no two playthroughs are exactly the same.
Acid-fuelled mayhem
The speed of the action, in addition to the randomness of the maps and the powerups, really adds to the “just one more try” vibe, and although I was terrible – absolutely TERRIBLE – at this game, I really couldn’t stop trying to get to the end… of Act 1. That said, there are only 3 Acts and 11 levels in total, so it’s not like I was a complete failure. New levels mean more enemies, and new enemy types with different movement and attack patterns.
The one thing I didn’t like? There’s only one single electronic track to accompany the frenetic gameplay. At first, it feels right, and suit the game’s ridiculous pace and premise, but the more you play, the more it grates on the nerves.
I recommend turning it off in the settings.
Jump in, the water’s fine
In terms of art style, think Wolfenstein on acid. Then turn up the brightness and colour saturation to full, and give everything a bold black comic-style outline. It’s really quite original, and helps to further define the quirky premise, but it may not appeal to all.
There’s not much else I can say, really. That’s all there is to Post Void. It’s a really pure gaming experience – fast, frenetic, at times rewarding, at times frustrating, but extremely simple at its core. The gunplay feels sharp and accurate, which is important for an FPS, and once you learn to get your movement right, it’s a whole lot of fun just trying to beat your last time or reach that next level.
If you, like me, dismiss low-cost indie games in the Steam store, then you need to rethink your stance. I for one am glad I didn’t miss out on Post Void. It’s not going to be on my greatest of all time lists, but it’s easily one of the more enjoyable gaming experiences I’ve had in 2020, and for the cost of a cup of coffee, it comes highly recommended.
Post Void was reviewed on PC using a digital copy provided by the publisher.
