If you’re one of the people who has played Boneraiser Minions then you’ll already be aware of caiys, the developer behind Voids Vigil; however many of you there are, it’s not nearly enough, if you ask me.
This talented indie dev has already one game that has made my top list of Bullet Heavens, and I’m going to have to update that article once I’m done writing this, because I really like Voids Vigil, too.
What is Voids Vigil all about, then?
The aforementioned Boneraiser Minions is a fantasy action-RPG with a striking colour palette and surprising depth in all the right places. Voids Vigil is completely different in terms of theme and even execution, although like its predecessor it retains that all important nuance and depth.
Playing as one of several different “vessels”, you must float around spaceships full of gnarly mechanical enemies that are, of course, out to get you. The game’s store description mentions Brotato, and the different starting vessels that you unlock over time here are similar to the various playable spuds in its reference.
Each vessel has own base starting stats, which does make it feel different each time. You must blast your way through chambers full of said robotic enemies, where your auto-firing weapons must deal damage while you deftly avoid getting tagged by an enemy. If you’ve played Vampire Survivors then you already know the score, except here there are little objectives to capture, and the smaller level size keeps thing moving along.
Spend your cogs wisely
Each mission is on a timer, and when the clock runs down, a void opens, sucking you into the next challenge. Between battles you have a chance to upgrade yourself via the game’s shop system. There are actually several different sellers who can give you different gear.
The obvious one is the arms dealer from whom you can buy guns and melee weapons from an ever growing shopping list. Then you can upgrade elemental sub-systems, which reinforce the different weapon types, add passive upgrades, unlock blueprints for future runs, and purchase other items for your inventory, such as shields and upgrades to your health or boost.
Then it’s back into battle, using your new and improved weapons, dodging ever-more-dangerous enemies, and working through each string of battles until you get to the boss. Once completed, you can restart on harder settings, and replayability has been baked into the Void Vigil cake thanks to a surprisingly broad range of weapons and unlocks.
Campaign Reconnexus
This replayability is most obvious in the new campaign mode, which has been added to the game, and which has been kicking my ass on and off this past couple of days.
This newly added mode includes a map of interconnected events, and you must move between them as you gather strength. There’s a bit more personality in this part of the game and it’s not just combat as there is some light decision making.
Having written all that, your forward progress is less certain in campaign, and the challenge is sterner. Playing this way, you’ll have to keep going again and again as you look to put together a winning build in more trying circumstances.
The Beautiful Void
I love the grimy metallic tones of the game’s space hulks, which house the tightly focused survivors-like gameplay loop. caiys’ use of colour once again shines and the art direction is borderline faultless. The pixel art graphics are relatively simple yet clearly crafted with care, and there’s just enough visual detail in the enemies you encounter for you to work out what is going on at any given moment.
The soundscape is similarly thoughtful, and overall I’m really impressed with how polished this little gem has turned out. Considering this is an indie project, and the price of admission is very low, I don’t think you can really ask for more.
Voids Vigil is a lovely little game and a fine follow-up to Boneraiser Minions. It’s tight and compact, but packs enough punch to keep you on the hook for just one more run. I really like the way it looks and also how it feels to play, and while I got frustrated once or twice, the juice was most definitely worth the squeeze.
