Void Bastards

What to Know

Critics Recommend

Average Score

Total Reviews: 48

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Void Bastards is a slightly messy first-person shooter mixed with a compelling roguelike. An element of strategy layered in sets it apart from the rest.

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Critics Recommend

Critic Reviews: 48

Critics Consensus

# Reviews: 48

Void Bastards is a slightly messy first-person shooter mixed with a compelling roguelike. An element of strategy layered in sets it apart from the rest.

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Critic Reviews for Void Bastards

Reviews

High Score - 100/100

Low Score - 60/100

Bronze TIER

53% of scored reviews fell within the range of 80 to 86 / 100

Russ Frushtick (Polygon)

Recommended

“The magic of Void Bastards is that, while it’s scary and dangerous and random, it’s also within my control. ”

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Alessandro Barbosa (GameSpot)

8/10

“Void Bastard is as satisfying as it is stylish thanks to its inventive weaponry and engaging first-person shooting.”

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Sam Chandler (Shacknews)

8/10

“Despite its faults, Void Bastards is still deeply enjoyable. The humor and the art style alone are enough to make this a must-have, but the combat and vast array of weapons and upgrades makes Void Bastards an experience you should not skip.”

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**Read all 48 critic reviews on the desktop version of VSG.

Read the Reviews (48 total)

Outlet	Author	Score	Date	Quote	Read
33bits	Jon Andoni Ortiz	60 / 100	06-26-2019	Void bastards has been a surprise, but not the positive one. With a really interesting start, an unbeatable presentation and some fun hours, it deflates to leave a half-finished product that does not meet expectations. It lacks too much content to be noticed.	Read review
3DNews	Иван Бышонкoв	6 / 10	06-09-2019	Void Bastards during first 2 to 3 hours looks like a great roguelike-shooter mix, but then all great ideas are killed by repetitive gameplay and lack of the content.	Read review
ACG	Jeremy Penter	Recommended	05-28-2019	Video Review	Read review
AnaitGames	Víctor Manuel Martínez García	7 / 10	06-04-2019	An interesting strategic shooter with a solid if a little overcomplicated design.	Read review
Areajugones	Víctor Rodríguez	8.7 / 10	05-29-2019	Void Bastards is a fun and fresh mix between classic first-person shooter and modern roguelikes. Focusing on giving the player more problems than punishments, Blue Manchu has crafted a game that is fun from the beginning to the end. Furthermore, its aesthetics and graphics are simply gorgeous. One of the greatest surprises of 2019 so far.	Read review
AusGamers	Kosta Andreadis	8 / 10	06-17-2019	And we say almost because boarding a ship with a “shedload” of Spooks can go from quiet to overwhelming in a matter of seconds.	Read review
BaziCenter	Sina Golab Zade	8 / 10	05-27-2019	Void Bastards is not very special, and is not the first title that mixes FPS with Roguelike, but nevertheless the final package is fun and different from most titles, and you’ll probably spend hours after hours enjoying it.	Read review
Bloody Disgusting	Andrew King	3.5 / 5 stars	05-28-2019	Void Bastards, unfortunately, stifles creativity at times. No matter how you approach the game, much of your time will be spent rifling through drawers. It succeeds at evoking the best of comic book art, but will need some work before its emergent narratives approach the heights of explosive comic book storytelling.	Read review
COGconnected	Alex Everatt	88 / 100	06-14-2019	The bottom line, Void Bastards is an absolute gem and definitely worth playing.	Read review
Critical Hit	Darryn Bonthuys	8 / 10	05-28-2019	Void Bastards is many things when you get your hands on it, but the most important influences that it draws from all combine to form a game that feels uniquely witty, addictively compelling and satisfyingly deep to explore thanks to tight gameplay, a colourful comic book visuals and a style all of its own.	Read review
Destructoid	Patrick Hancock	7 / 10	06-08-2019	Void Bastards is a good game. It plays just fine and looks amazing, but it lacks some of the “hooks” that many roguelikes drive in. It has great atmosphere, but doesn’t do much to really encourage those who are experiencing it to soak it all in. The visual style is some absolute magic, but that sense of amazement does not translate into gameplay.	Read review
EGM	Michael Goroff	8 / 10	05-28-2019	Between its compelling art direction, surprisingly complex strategic decisions, and inventive weaponry, there’s a lot much to love in Void Bastards. Unfortunately, its overall structure and narrative will leave you feeling empty by the end. That’s not to say you shouldn’t let yourself enjoy all that this charming, stressful game has to offer. Just don’t expect to feel totally satisfied once you escape to the right nebula.	Read review
Everyeye.it	Gabriele Carollo	7.3 / 10	06-05-2019	Void Bastards is a project that immerses the player in a comic strip. The graphic style is captivating, as is the sheer volume of weapons and situations. Unfortunately the initial surprise of the first few hours falls very quickly, and at the end of the campaign a certain repetitiveness is accused. It remains a good roguelike FPS.	Read review
Game Informer	Matt Miller	8 / 10	05-28-2019	Void Bastards provides a clever twist on the gameplay model popularized by System Shock 2 and BioShock, now with a procedural element to aid in long-term engagement	Read review
Game Revolution	Alex Santa Maria	4.5 / 5 stars	05-28-2019	Ultimately, its minuscule shortcomings don’t drag down Void Bastards from its lofty place among the greats of first-person roguelikes.	Read review
GameGrin	Joshua (Shnook)	8 / 10	06-18-2019	Void Bastards is an absolutely beautiful first-person shooter game but the lack of varieties for enemies and maps makes it feel repetitive.	Read review
Gamerheadquarters	Jason Stettner	7.2 / 10	06-08-2019	Void Bastards is a fresh experience, it takes the genre and does something fun with it.	Read review
GameSkinny	Diego Nicolás Argüello	8 / 10	05-30-2019	Void Bastards is a roguelite shooter that encourages experimentation and smart thinking in outer space, and it mostly works to great effect.	Read review
GameSpew	Richard Seagrave	6 / 10	05-29-2019	Void Bastards did make me laugh, even though I ended up hearing the same insults more times than I care to remember, and its art style is simply sumptuous. It’s just a shame that it’s so repetitive.	Read review
GameSpot	Alessandro Barbosa	8 / 10	05-29-2019	Void Bastard is as satisfying as it is stylish thanks to its inventive weaponry and engaging first-person shooting.	Read review
Geeks Under Grace	Maurice Pogue	8.5 / 10	06-20-2019	Void Bastards thrills just long enough before its grinding collecta-thon becomes taxing.	Read review
God is a Geek	Adam Cook	8.5 / 10	05-06-2020	Void Bastards is a fantastic strategic shooter than has a wonderfully refreshing take on the FPS genre.	Read review
Guardian	Keith Stuart	4 / 5 stars	05-29-2019	Graphic novels and classic anime provide the inspiration for this frenzied and spectacularly smart survival shooter	Read review
INDIANTVCZ	Petr Duppal	7 / 10	07-04-2019	Bottom line, Void Bastards is a funny and original game. Unfortunately, the entire “fifty first dates” system gets tired, especially with decreasing difficulty. Graphic visuals and gameplay can keep you entertained for hours and make the journey to the depths of the cosmos more enjoyable.	Read review
Marooners’ Rock	Alex McCumbers	6.4 / 10	05-06-2020	At the end of the day, I do wish continued success for Blue Manchu as there is a ton of charm in the style of Void Bastards. The bricks have been laid for a truly stable endeavor.	Read review
Metro GameCentral	GameCentral	7 / 10	05-28-2019	A very compelling mix of roguelike and first person shooter, with highly distinctive visuals and pleasingly difficult tactical choices.	Read review
MonsterVine	Diego Escala	4 / 5 stars	06-18-2019	In short bursts, Void Bastards can be a lot of fun, and even when its repetitive nature starts to kick in, something silly happens that makes you laugh and pulls you back into it.	Read review
MSPoweruser	Lewis White	8.5 / 10	06-06-2019	Void Bastards is full of personality—it’s also exploding with uniqueness. If you’re looking for a gorgeous survival title with unique gameplay, stellar visuals, a grand sense of humour and actually wants you to beat it; there isn’t much better than Void Bastards.	Read review
Nexus	Andrew Logue	7 / 10	06-10-2019	Void Bastards is great fun in short bursts but is, unfortunately, let down by the limited scope of its environments, with no unique ships or even distinct “boss” encounters.	Read review
Nintendo Life	PJ O’Reilly	8 / 10	05-14-2020	Void Bastards is a delightful roguelike romp through a wonderfully unique cel-shaded comic book world full of loud-mouthed enemies and smart-arsed robots.	Read review
NintendoWorldReport	Steven Green	8.5 / 10	05-06-2020	undefined.Void Bastards was everything I wanted as a huge roguelike fan. The first-person shooter aspects are surprisingly competent, gameplay loop is perfectly challenging, always keeping you on your toes, and the aesthetic and sound design are out of this world. Some hitching and frame rate issues on packed ships aren’t enough to knock this one down a peg, as the mix of Rogue Legacy and Fallout on offer here is necessary for the libraries of any and all roguelike fans who own a Nintendo Switch.	Read review
PC Gamer	Samuel Roberts	71 / 100	05-28-2019	A slightly messy first-person shooter lifted by some excellent weapons and a gorgeous art style.	Read review
PC Invasion	Andrew Farrell	9 / 10	05-28-2019	Void Bastards is a terrific game that balances the joy of exploration with the fear of failure in a wonderful way. It could use some more incentives to keep playing, but it’s a blast while it lasts.	Read review
PlayStation Universe	John-Paul Jones	8.5 / 10	05-18-2020	An intricate and entertaining amalgam of BioShock, comic book visuals and roguelike design with hefty dose of dark comedy to boot, Void Bastards is one of the most refreshing shooters to come along in a good long while.	Read review
Polygon	Russ Frushtick	Recommended	05-28-2019	The magic of Void Bastards is that, while it’s scary and dangerous and random, it’s also within my control.	Read review
Rock, Paper, Shotgun	Graham Smith	Recommended	05-30-2019	Void Bastards is ultimately not more than the sum of the parts I outlined 1400 words ago, but it’s worth rummaging through all the same. Just like yer da said about the bins, when he finally found those Euros.	Read review
Saving Content	Evan Rowe	5 / 5 stars	05-14-2020	Void Bastards is among the very best of the genre, and my favorite game of the year so far — it’s an instant classic. It’s as if you have infinite lives, and upon death you realize your save is 15 minutes old. Sure, you can’t pick up from where you left off, but it’s never anything to feel defeated about when you have to start anew. Blue Manchu has thought of everything when it comes to its systems and how they interact with each other. Centered around the story and progression, this is a wonderful experience. Without hesitation, Void Bastards is exceptional in every sense of the word.	Read review
Shacknews	Sam Chandler	8 / 10	05-28-2019	Despite its faults, Void Bastards is still deeply enjoyable. The humor and the art style alone are enough to make this a must-have, but the combat and vast array of weapons and upgrades makes Void Bastards an experience you should not skip.	Read review
Slant Magazine	Steven Scaife	4 / 5 stars	05-29-2019	It fits together disparate genres so perfectly that you wonder how nobody thought to combine them sooner.	Read review
Softpedia	Cosmin Vasile	8.5 / 10	06-23-2019	The number of weapons and gadgets that you can upgrade and craft, but also the consistent combat mechanics make turn Void Bastards into a must-play title, no matter whether or not you’re a fan of the shooter genre.	Read review
SpazioGames	Unknown	8 / 10	06-01-2019	Creative gameplay with a little strategy for a game that from launch stands out in the Game Pass library.	Read review
TechRaptor	Austin Suther	9.5 / 10	05-28-2019	Void Bastards is a work of art, not only in its visuals but also in gameplay. The progression is strong and the gameplay is a blast. Exploring each derelict ship was a treat, and I can’t wait to dive back into the Sargasso Nebula for more fun.	Read review
The Games Machine	Erica Mura	8 / 10	06-05-2019	Void Bastards is based on a neat concept inspired by many things, especially System Shock 2. Too bad it’s a bit too monotonous.	Read review
TheSixthAxis	Nick Petrasiti	8 / 10	05-28-2019	On the surface, Void Bastards may just seem like another FPS, but there’s an element of strategy layered in which sets it aside from the rest. It takes a bit of the old, mixes it with the new, splashes it with a comic style aesthetic to make a truly wonderful experience that will challenge you to make good decisions, enable you to play how you want and you get to be called a Void bastard, which is brilliant. It feels like a breath of fresh air in a sea of FPS games that all do the same thing.	Read review
Thumbsticks	Daniel New	4 / 5 stars	05-12-2020	Aside from being called Spunky Mc-Fuckface on regular occasions, this is an excellent game. Void Bastards delivers a finely-tuned mix of action, planning, and strategy, and its bite-sized structure makes it perfect for short bursts of Switch gaming.	Read review
TrueAchievements	Mark Delaney	5 / 5 stars	05-28-2019	Across the board, Void Bastards is unforgettable.	Read review
Wccftech	Kai Powell	8 / 10	05-15-2020	Void Bastards is a roguelite puzzle game that just happens to give you a gun and two cheese and onion sandwiches before sending you out to your doom. The beauty of Void Bastards is learning how to be more efficient without having to be more deadly.	Read review
We Got This Covered	David Morgan	4.5 / 5 stars	05-28-2019	Void Bastards is a pure, crystalline distillation of the immersive sim genre	Read review

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About Void Bastards

Game Description / Storyline:

Inspired by BioShock and System Shock 2, Void Bastards is a revolutionary new strategy-shooter that will test your wits as well as exercise your aim. Can you lead the misfit prisoners of the Void Ark through the derelict spaceships and myriad dangers of the Sargasso Nebula?

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