Void Bastards

 Xbox One
Metascore
75

Generally favorable reviews - based on 19 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 19
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 19
  3. Negative: 0 out of 19
  1. Everyeye.it
    Jun 6, 2019
    73
    The graphic style is captivating, as is the sheer volume of weapons and in-game situations. Unfortunately the initial surprise of the first few hours fades very quickly, and at the end of the campaign a certain repetitiveness is accused, although the work is not particularly long-lived.
  2. Metro GameCentral
    May 28, 2019
    70
    A very compelling mix of roguelike and first person shooter, with highly distinctive visuals and pleasingly difficult tactical choices.
  3. Official Xbox Magazine UK
    Aug 8, 2019
    60
    A fast, scrappy FPS with gorgeous art that’s sadly much less than the sum of its parts. [Issue#179, p.76]
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  5. XBLA Fans
    Jun 26, 2019
    60
    Instead of a game that grows on you, it starts becoming chore the more you play. If you die, you’re starting all the way back at the beginning. Just because you have more tools at your disposal doesn’t make it any more entertaining. There are great concepts here, which stem from Bioshock which was quoted as a main influence. From great to mediocre, Void Bastards is playable but becomes its own nuisance. There are both good ideas and bad ones that mix into an average shooter with a few annoying traits.
  6. GameSpew
    May 29, 2019
    60
    I reached the end of my first playthrough of Void Bastards in around 12 hours, and for at least half of that time it felt like a slog.
  7. Xbox Tavern
    May 28, 2019
    55
    Void Bastards is a serviceable first-person shooter, at best. Whilst intriguing, initially exciting, and quite deep as far as its crafting goes, the game’s lack of play depth and environmental variation makes for a very repetitive trek overall. On top of that, its unrefined combat and its lackluster AI proves to be a further hindrance throughout. Still, there’s certainly some fun to had in this loot-fueled space romp, it’s just very fleeting.

Awards & Rankings

77
#77 Best Xbox One Game of 2019
66
#66 Most Discussed Xbox One Game of 2019
2
#2 Most Shared Xbox One Game of 2019

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
7.2

Mixed or average reviews- based on 46 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 31 out of 46
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 46
  3. Negative: 9 out of 46
  1. Xbox_Alive
    May 29, 2019
    8
    Void Bastards certainly has a unique name but so are the gameplay and the comic book visuals within it. This uniqueness is felt almostVoid Bastards certainly has a unique name but so are the gameplay and the comic book visuals within it. This uniqueness is felt almost immediately thanks to its cartoon visuals and solid sound design which stay vibrant throughout your journey. Void Bastards is an FPS, but it’s not like other games in this genre so if you’re looking for something different then this game will be refreshing in that sense. Fans of the genre then will be pleased that the shooting elements are tight and responsive and that the combat has a surprising amount of depth to it along with plenty of weapons to use and craft. In regards to crafting the elements actually feel important to the game, and there’s a number of different items you can create which does give the game some replay ability. Unfortunately despite the replay ability the game doesn’t have a huge amount of content for you to finish which is little disappointing in the end, because the content that's there is packed full of style, fun and humor. Void Bastards has blown a breath of new life into the FPS genre, and it gets so much right that it makes this game a must buy for fans of the genre. You’ll even enjoy Void Bastards if you only have a slight interest in the genre. Nicely done Humble Bundle.… Full Review »
  2. Mindkiller7522
    May 14, 2021
    0
    1/26/21-3/12/21 100% Story

    This one is on me. I completely misunderstood what type of game this was. Some people may love it, but I    1/26/21-3/12/21 100% Story

    This one is on me. I completely misunderstood what type of game this was. Some people may love it, but I definitely didn't.

    The game has you taking on the role of an inmate (or several) on a prison starship that has been stuck in a Nebula along with a bunch of other ships. The ship's AI pulls you out of storage in order to find a way to free the ship and escape the nebula.

    Now, that seems like a fantastic premise for a story. I was picturing a group of rag-tag convicts reluctantly working with an AI for the everyone's survival. Struggling to survive while encountering the other inhabitants of the Nebula, having to trade goods and make complex moral choices. Ultimately, the AI may have turned on you at the very end in a climactic battle to free your fellow inmates. This is not the case.

    The game is not very story driven. There are a few comic book style cutscenes (The cheapest type of cutscene) depicting the AI instructing you what to make next. They are supposed to be funny, but missed the mark for me. Stuff like “You need a Printer to print a Citizen Card to escape the Nebula” and “The Printer broke, so you need a Cooling Device so it doesn't overheat”. Then you are put into they eyes of a generic inmate with a basic set of supplies to hop from ship to ship on a board game-esque map to find the components for these devices. Bring the components back and get sent out for another set of components for a different device, until the game ends.

    If you should die on these excursions, you are jumped back to the beginning of the board game map in the shoes of another inmate. The inmates have no spoken lines and nothing really distinguishes them is a trait or two (One may be taller or faster, or better with guns). Even in the cutscenes the inmate has a helmet on so the designers didn't have to worry about what they look like.

    Most spaces that you stop at on the board game map have a ship to explore, which could have been neat, but because each ship is randomized it winds up feeling repetitive and frustrating. Deaths come cheaply while you are trying to find supplies and components and you do almost no damage to any enemies. When stealth inevitable failed, I found myself just running as fast as I could through each ship to pick up anything I could reach. The ships can also have random variables like limited oxygen or complete darkness to make things more difficult.

    The graphics are cell shaded, which is fine in games like Borderlands. The thing that really made it feel crumby was the enemies looking like paper cut outs moving across the screen. Usually they would float so they didn't need walking animation.

    I get that all game developers don't have a huge budget to work with, but the only word that kept coming to mid for this game was “lazy”. The cheapest graphics, the cheapest mechanics, cheapest cutscenes. For some reason the advertising compared this to Bioshock, which makes no sense to me after playing it. The only similarity is that they are both first-person.

    It took me a month and a half to finish a six hour game. I would not recommend it and I'm very thankful that it was on Game Pass and I didn't buy it.    … Full Review »
  3. Broyax
    Apr 2, 2020
    0
    Oh respect, un FPS tout en 3D putain, ils se sont gavés comme des porcs...! quelle orgie graphique, quelle... euh... couleurs... 3 ou 4Oh respect, un FPS tout en 3D putain, ils se sont gavés comme des porcs...! quelle orgie graphique, quelle... euh... couleurs... 3 ou 4 simultanément, pas plus. Peut-être 16 en tout. Et pour tout. Comment ça, ça ressemble à rien ce gros tas de merde ?!... c'est un indé très frais, plein de frâicheur !

    Avec l'espèce d'humour en solde (des fonds de tiroirs et des fins de série) et la géniale idée de faire commencer le joueur dans ce FPS en carton (aussi dégueulasse soit-il) sans munitions ! puis de toute façon, il faudra recommencer puisque le genre des "rogue-machin-merde" est là pour combler la paresse et l'absence de contenu...

    Recommence le même niveau comme un con, Ducon ! tu pourras même en parler au prochain dîner, bâtaaard ! Quel vide en tout cas et quelle nullité ! voilà, c'était l'étron indé du soir, à balancer avec les restes.    … Full Review »
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