downtime»games
V
oidBastardsis
describedasa
strategyshooter
inspiredbySystem
Shock 2 andBioShock,and
itfeaturesthetalentsof
someformerIrrational
staffwhopreviouslymade
2013’sCardHunter.Youare
aprisoner,travelling
acrossthegalaxytofulfil
thewhimsofanHR
computerthatmight
eventuallygrantyouyour
freedom.Yougetacrossthe
mapwithanFTL-style
interface,andwhilemost
locationsareenemy
spaceshipsthatyoucan
board,lootandescape,
therearealsostores,
asteroidrangesanddeadly
hazardstobeawareof.
Mostly,though,yourtime
isspentnavigatingshipsin
first-person,lookingfor
specificitemstoprogress,
thenescapingbeforeyou’re
killed.
Whilethereisastealth
elementtoVoidBastards
andyoudohavesomesilent
weapons,it’smostlyabout
shootingweird,British
aliensinsmallcorridorsand
rooms.Thestandard
immersivesimelementsare
here:youcanhackturretsto
fightonyourside,orshut
down security from aterminalontheship.You
haveadartgun.
Thetoolsaregreat,and
oftenfuntouse,butthe
enemytypesaremostlya
poorfitforwhatyouhavein
yourinventory.Someare
deliberatelyoverpowered
andmeanttobeavoided,
whichisfine.Exploding
enemiesthatsometimessit
behinddoorsandblowup
beforeyoueverseethemare
notfavouritesofmine,
though.It’stheNPCbarks
thatreallyturnmeoffthe
enemiesinVoidBastards.
Oneofthebasicenemies
shouts“surprise,buttface/
twatface!”wheneveryou’re
caughtbythem,whichIjust
can’tstand,andthegameis
rifewithenemiesbarking
irritating British things.Sometimesthegamedoes
capturethethrillingfeeling
ofbeingathiefwhograbs
theobjective,getscaught,
thenescapesinahailof
gunfire.Mostly,though,I
foundfirefightsjustabitof
aslog,withsomelevels
jam-packedwithenemies.
It’lltakearound12-15hours
tofinishasinglerun,and
evenafterdoingthat,you
cancarryonunlockingstuff
andtakingonharder
enemies. Samuel RobertsVerdic t
Aslightlymessyfirst-person
shooterelevated by a gorgeous
art style.$36| PC,MAC,XB1| WWW.VOIDBASTARDS.COMVoid Bastards
Get bombarded by British jokes and annoying enemies.
TheInterlude
Tenminutesof
incredibletension.
FREE| PC|
CRAWLSPACESTUDIO.ITCH.
IOTheInterludewill
consumeonlyten
minutesofyourtime,the
gameendingsuddenly
oncethose 600 seconds
areup.Yourjob,as
perhapsa getaway
driver,is tomakecontact
withanassociate,but
whatyoudobeforethat
happensis uptoyou.
Asyou’restuckinthe
driver’sseat,youcan’t
getuptostretchyour
legs,butyoucantakea
sipofcoffee,playa game
ofSnakeonyourphone,
orreadyourmessages
fora fewtantalising
scrapsofhistory.Initially,
thethrillis inplaying
withyourenvironment,
asyoumessaboutwith
thewingmirrors,or
flipyourwipersonand
offtoseeif youcan.A
fewminuteslater,it’s
infiguringoutjustwhy
you’rethere,andwhat
youhavetodowhen
yourmomentcomes
up.That’sTheInterlude’s
master-stroke.Therole
you’rethereforwillonly
takemomentsofyour
time,butasyoudon’t
knowwhenit willbe
requiredofyou,you’re
onedgefortheentirety
ofthegame.
To m Sy ke s