When you’ve got the likes of BioShock and System Shock 2 under your belt, it’s obvious you know a thing or two about video games. And so the launch of Void Bastards on Xbox One and PC is certainly one to be excited about – with the co-founder of Irrational Games behind things, we should be about to witness a stunning shooting experience.
Available to purchase and download right now on Xbox One and PC, Void Bastards from Blue Manchu and Humble Bundle is looking to redefine the world with a strategy shooting hybrid that challenges you to lead a group of prisoners home – taking in a number of dangers throughout the Sargasso Nebula in the process.Â
With development lead by one Jonathan Chey, the Design Director of BioShock and System Shock 2, co-founding Irrational Games with Ken Levine and Robert Fermier in the process, Void Bastards debuts on Xbox One with an Xbox Game Pass entry, allowing all those who subscribe to the scheme the chance to check out this latest work at no extra cost.
But what do we have with Void Bastards? Well, leading these prisoners home is the main course of action, but you should ensure that you try to forget absolutely everything you know about first-person shooters before you try to do so. See, in Void Bastards you make the decisions: where to go, what to do and who to fight. And then it is left to yourself to carry out that strategy in the face of strange and terrible enemies.
Running with a campaign that will keep you busy for some 12-15 hours, Void Bastards will have you taking note of the layouts of derelict spaceships as you plan the mission ahead, noting the hazards and enemies you might encounter and what terminals and other ship systems you can use to your advantage.
Searching for supplies, working with control systems and reacting to whatever happens ahead of you will be key to success in Void Bastards, with on-the-fly decision making needed. Will you detour to the generator to bring the power back online or will you fight your way into the security module to disable the ship’s defenses? You’ll need to choose carefully, and decide upon the best time to fight, when to run and when just to be an utter bastard.
Thankfully when those mistakes happen – and they will – Void Bastards is more than happy to deliver an endless supply of prisoners, each with their own unique traits. This means that when one dies, another steps forward to carry on the fight, with you keeping any crafting progress you’ve made along the way.
Features include:
- Navigate a hazard filled nebula, choosing which ships to enter and which to avoid.
- Calculate your odds before entering a wreck, equipping the best tools for the job.
- Plan your mission using a ship map, taking account of power plants, warp chambers, security system s, radiation leaks and other features of he interactive environment.
- Outfight mutant crew, security robots and other enemies using poison darts, rifters, robotic pets and whole host of other jury – rigged tools.
- React to evolving scenarios, reassessing whether to push through to the ship’s cafeteria or escape back to the pod without any food.
- Escape with your loot, whether it be warp keys to evade nebula hazards or torpedoes to fight off pirate frigates. • Grow your prisoner, choosing what traits to keep and what to erase.
- Craft new tools and upgrade old ones as you work your way to the nebula’s core.
- Continue with a new prisoner and a new suite of traits when you die – but enjoy keeping all the tools and upgrades that your predecessors crafted.
So, does Void Bastards on Xbox One and PC tick the boxes you need from a new shooter? If it does then you’ll want to head to the Xbox Store where you can either grab a free copy of the game via Xbox Game Pass, or splash the £24.99 asking price. Alternatively, you’ll find Void Bastards rocking and rolling over on PC too.
Our full review is well underway and will be with you very shortly. Make sure you keep an eye open for our thoughts. But seriously, with BioShock and System Shock 2 inspiration – and the chance to check it out for no extra cost via Xbox Game Pass – this all seems like a bit of a no-brainer. Let us know what you think by posting in the comments.
Game Description:
Forget everything you know about first-person shooters: Void Bastards asks you to take charge, not just point your gun and fire. Your task is to lead the rag-tag Void Bastards out of the Sargasso Nebula. You make the decisions: where to go, what to do and who to fight. And then you must carry out that strategy in the face of strange and terrible enemies. On board derelict spaceships you’ll plan your mission, taking note of the ship layout, what hazards and enemies you might encounter and what terminals and other ship systems you can use to your advantage… Move carefully through the dangerous ships, searching for supplies and manipulating control systems. React to what you find – will you detour to the generator to bring the power back online or will you fight your way into the security module to disable the ship’s defenses? Choose carefully when to fight, when to run and when just to be a bastard. Use your hard won supplies to improvise tools and weapons, from the distracting robo-kitty to the horribly unstable clusterflak. Navigate your tiny escape pod through the vast nebula. Flee from void whales and pirates, and politely avoid the hungry hermits. All the while you must keep scavenging for the food, fuel, and other resources that keep you alive. Void Bastards features a 12-15 hour campaign that you can complete with an endless supply of prisoners, each with their own unique traits. When one dies, another steps forward to carry on the fight. Don’t worry though, as any crafting progress you’ve made is retained from one to another.
