![]() ![]() It’s these learning moments that can completely re-contextualize how you view the environment, and building on these drives the momentum that makes Void Bastards so addicting. Soon I was hoarding every foe on the ship into a (literal) monster closet, rendering them harmless. But when I crafted the Rifter, which allowed me to zap an enemy out of existence and plop them down, say, behind the locked door of an airlock, they become invaluable. When I first saw a dead-end airlock, I thought they were pointless and would go largely ignored. Of course, it’s not just the ships’ increasing complexity or the more dangerous foes of the deep nebula that keep things spicy, but your own hard work paying off in the form of new gadgets. When I saw – or heard – the heavy footfalls of the terrifying Screw, I locked the door and ran the other way. ![]() In the absence of line-of-sight, these can give a clue as to how best to prepare for (or avoid) each room. There are many variations of these, and they’re all specific to each enemy type. Take it from me, “ STOMP STOMP STOMP” and “ WHIRRR” both mean very different things about what’s on the other side of a closed door. Like those found in comics, words like BLARP appear when enemies die, but they’re also used to convey enemy movements. Void Bastard’s art style suits the gameplay in another particularly ingenious way: the use of onomatopoeia. Making split-second decisions during combat is easier when you can see exactly what you’re up against, without visual fluff getting in the way. More importantly, this makes the action readable. The simple stylings of the environment, from the hard shadows to the bold colors that suit each ship’s theme, are like visual meditation. Made to look like a graphic novel, it uses 2D sprites for enemies, much like DOOM or old Build Engine games. It’s a rewarding give-and-take, and the masterful balancing meant I always had just enough ammo to make things work.Ī huge reason I feel Void Bastards has made such an impression on me is its aesthetic. As more gadgets and enemies appear later in the game, you’ll have to more carefully allocate resources to get what you need from each ship. Radiation damage does wonders against the front-shielded Zek enemies, so I was sure to carry my Rad Spiker along when they were lurking about. These take a few shots of a pistol to defeat, so I didn’t waste any heftier ammo on these outings. Some ships were filled with the Friendly Tourist enemy, who bumble toward you politely before exploding. There are also upgrades that allow you to override these security elements entirely at the cost of some merits.Įven with all these upgrades and weapons, I never found myself getting stuck in a rut when it came to choosing a loadout. ![]() Crafting an upgrade allows these to be found en masse when destroying security cameras or turrets, meaning ammo became less scarce. My favorite, the Riveter, fires Gatling-style rivets at foes. There is a myriad of guns, like the shotgun-esque Stapler that works best on bureaucratic ships with extra office supplies laying around. Gear ranges from explosive Kitty Bots that distract enemies to the Scrambler, which turns hostile foes friendly. There’s this feeling of forward momentum in Void Bastards that gives it a gravitational pull of its own and constantly gave me the itch to go back for more. But the moment-to-moment, when you’re stepping foot onto a new vessel or planning your route using the star map, is entrancing. It’s simple: you’re essentially trying to contact the HR department responsible for your wayward prison barge that’s full of “dehydrated” inmates. There are minimal cutscenes, and your only goal is to explore derelict spacecraft for key components that progress the story. I know this now because Void Bastards encapsulates these same feelings while stripping away the fat that made replaying BioShock less enjoyable. I was infatuated with its atmosphere, and exploring Rapture - even for the twentieth time - always held the promise of finding something new. I know now that it was for the feelings of tension, the moments of exploration and preparation that lead up to a culminating battle, and the ways in which I knew I could make the game bend using its own systems against it. I wasn’t playing it for the story, that’s for sure – I already knew it beat for beat. I knew every voice line, every corridor, every encounter, and yet I still went back to it with the same fervor months and years later. It was an obsession during my early high school days, when long summers and a minimum wage job meant staying in and playing a game I’d beaten to death was a fiscally responsible decision. I’ve played BioShock 27 times, to completion. ![]()
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