Amidst the ever-changing underground ruins left behind after the death of humanity, one little robot friends finds an unlikely surprise, a human, looking worse for wear but a live human nonetheless. This is void tRrLM(); //Void Terrarium.
Void is is a roguelike game by NISA with a rather cute artstyle that deceives its rather grim atmosphere. As expected from the roguelike genre, dungeons are randomly generated, as well as items & the like. You will always start at level 1 & will have to make do with what you find in the ruins to survive, defeat enemies & get stronger. Certainly, the game has its challenge, but notably it isn’t entirely unforgiving. Death in a dungeon does not equate to a setback or game over. Items you’ve gathered get converted to their base elements, which in turn can be used to craft chips that grant skills or which influence them upon level up. These elements are also used in the crafting of mission items needed for progress as well. Lastly, they are used for the crafting of decorations for the game’s namesake terrarium, which besides being a cosmetic also grants a small stat bonus just for crafting it. A win-win. There is without a doubt a level of that trademark NIS grindiness, but by no means it is to the level of Disgaea or the like. The pick-up & play aspect of the genre also helps alleviate what might be an annoyance to some.
On the flip side to Robbie’s exploring, the care of the human named Toriko is akin to a virtual pet game. She does nothing but eat, sleep & be adorable. Nonetheless, it is up to Robbie and us as the player to deal with her needs. Be if finding food in the dungeons, healing her when sick, etc. As you venture deeper into the ruins you will be under more pressure to balance your time spent versus Toriko’s needs. Honestly, I never did find this to be a major annoyance as it was pretty generous in regards to timings.
Combat is turn-based, as per usual with these types of roguelikes, meaning for each action you take so do the enemies. It’s simple to pick up & play. There’s an energy meter that is used up as you move & you will have to balance this between your skill usage & occasionally providing some care for Toriko using a Tamagotchi-styled app while in-dungeon. The enemy variety I found to be on the low side, divided between robotic & organic varieties. The organic ones having more palette swaps, all save for a few of them providing a noteworthy difference. Status effects are what I would consider to be a common complaint with the game. The reliance of these to drive you insane & your eventual death is too damned high, be it floor traps or enemy induced effects. Being dragged back across the room along with every monster there, while another one afflicts everyone in the room with a random status certainly got me quickly killed a few times. Of course, there are counters to both of those problems, though unfortunately there appearance relies on RNG & needless to say RNG is a cruel beast.
The music, atmosphere & art is where it’s at. The cute chibi characters mixed with the gross, creepy & overall darker tone is something I am a sucker for. There is no gore, making it safe for the squeamish. The dungeons are in 3D on the other hand. They are not mindblowing but still carry the same overall tone well enough.
All in all, Void I found to be a neat game. Easy enough to grasp but still providing some challenge while also being pretty generous in regards to death. I honestly would recommend this to a newbie of the genre. Of course, if you need more convincing, what more than the adorable Toriko?
[REVIEW COPY WAS PROVIDED BY THE PUBLISHER]
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