Voidwrought Review (Switch) | Smash Jump

Voidwrought is a new metroidvania with a hand-drawn graphical style that focuses on combat and exploration. It has deep lore and tons of unlockable abilities and collectibles. The game has tight controls and despite some uneven difficulty spikes and a general lack of innovation the solid gameplay and lore shine through. It’s a game that lives up to its name as there are a lot of “voids” in the game world (a void is another name for a chasm).

The themes in the game are hard to explain as the dialogue is abstract and complex — there are many interesting implicit references to early human existence. Expect to explore many labyrinthine dungeons and fight demonic monsters in the hidden depths of the world that you explore. If you’re a fan of metroidvanias and don’t mind a solid challenge, then Voidwrought is a game that comes recommended.

Lore and Story

The story is based on the idea that spirituality and sentience come from the depths of the earth rather than the heavens. I see a lot of parallels between the story and lore of Voidwrought and the spirituality of Neolithic societies that made megalithic structures, both put a lot of focus on stone. In the story of Voidwrought, as stone is close to the earth’s core, it is also close to the heart of the player. Like how a kimberlite pipe has the potential for diamonds, its story is more rewarding the deeper you explore it.

The areas of the game are mainly underground, huge labyrinths with different themes that are connected. As the game is a metroidvania, certain areas are off-limits until you find a new ability. The element of fire plays a big role in the gameplay. The style of the game is dark and foreboding. The playable character is nimble and quick, which is useful for the platforming and combat in the game. Nature plays a role in the art, as the environments are usually natural (rather than man-made), made of stone, or ice, or affected by geological/biological processes.

Speaking of geological processes, there are many collectibles in Voidwrought that look like shards of metal or stone. They usually will upgrade your character or allow the player to become more powerful or add a new ability. However, I feel that it’s not made clear what many of the collectibles do to influence gameplay. I know that you collect orbs from enemies and can spend them in a shop like area, However, this area is not found frequently enough, and generally, it was hard to decipher many of the areas that had special purpose. The utility of many of the objects and NPCs in the game is questionable, and this led to a confusing experience.

Sound and Gameplay

The sound is one of the best parts of Voidwrought. In some scenes there is a metal/rock soundtrack, in others, there are more melancholy slower songs that set the mood of a lone explorer in a desolate world. The sound design when in combat is also good. Satisfying contact sounds are made when the player character slices through an enemy. Speaking of enemies, there is a great diversity of forms, linked to each area. When in combat, as you strike, red (blood) clouds emerge from the enemies. This, combined with the sound design makes the combat satisfying. Some enemies are organic, others are robotic.

The enemies take three or four hits to kill. Because of this, it’s easy to get overrun with creatures trying to attack you. As you explore you obtain power-ups and new abilities. These result in the player character having an ability that amplifies your strength in combat when in use, and another that allows for projectile attacks. However, these abilities sap your mana, so you can’t use them continuously.

In Voidwrought death is common. I frequently found myself respawning at a save point and having to try again to fight my way through a horde of enemies. The game is not for the faint-hearted, and I would place it in the top half of the metroidvania difficulty scale. That isn’t to say that this is a negative. Those who want a challenge should be satisfied here. However, once the player is deep into the game and has upgraded their character many times, the game can lose its challenge. By this stage, you really feel as if you’re in the shoes of the protagonist and feel your power has been earned. For this reason, I feel that the difficulty is generally fair, and when the game becomes easy, that is because the player has earned it.

No Innovation, but quality still shines through

A metroidvania is an explorative platformer where the player finds new abilities which allow progress to be made through previously inaccessible areas. Overall, Voidwrought is a metroidvania that looks and sounds very good. It has a mix of organic and robotic creatures and elements, as well as a great metal/rock soundtrack. If you like metroidvanias where a feeling of isolation helps to drive the player on in dark, damp, labyrinthine environments, then you’ll probably like Voidwrought.

Voidwrought has solid gameplay mechanics and combat feels satisfying. However, the items and collectibles are overused and it is not made clear what objects actually do, and how they will affect gameplay. It generally has the protagonist adventuring alone, but when he does meet an NPC, the dialogue is so abstract that you my as well need a translation guide just for this game. To add to this, there are odd difficulty spikes and no light RPG system with which to grind your character to level up. The game’s solid art and gameplay mean that there is a good game here. Its just hidden under a whole, ecosystem of abstract, broken dialogue and over-the-top lore.

Voidwrought is available now on Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam.