I have a love-hate relationship with roguelikes. While I love a good challenge and like being treated to a different experience each run, the genre is supersaturated with every indie title wanting to be either a roguelike or a roguelite these days. There’s just too many to choose from and half of them are mediocre experiences while the good half does not get enough exposure thanks to Steam’s ‘OP’ algorithm. Gee, thanks Gaben. Still, I’m willing to take a leap of faith on some of the newly released roguelikes every now and then. But this time, I believe I’ve hit the motherload in the form of Post Void.
Must Be Some Artsy Stuff
To tell you the truth, I have no idea what Post Void is about. There was some artsy Begotten-esque stuff about the nothingness of the void and how the player carries his decapitated head filled with enemy juice trying to revive the flower of hope, which will, in turn, rejuvenate new life into the world. All I know is that you basically play as a Kamikaze from Serious Sam and kill every unfortunate soul on your way to reach the fountain. The story is as important as a curry leaf in a cooked meal- it doesn’t come up ever again but you can sure taste its presence. Maybe it’s a super deep allegory about our futile existences or maybe the developer was super high when he wrote it- I’m leaning towards the latter.
You Stop, You Die
Post Void is a first-person roguelike shooter that makes you feel like you’re on a bad acid trip. Being a roguelike, the gameplay is rather simple but highly addictive and replayable. The premise is quite basic- you have to make it to one end of the map to the other before the fluid in the idol in your left-hand drains out. You can refill the liquid by killing enemies but taking damage will drain the liquid faster and touching enemies will slow you down. In simpler terms, the liquid doubles down as both your health as well as the timer.
Each level is a procedurally generated maze of winding corridors and constricted pathways and can be completed under a minute. The game is all about constantly moving, and constantly moving down enemies. The movement speed is straight out of a 90s FPS and you even have the ability to perform prolonged slides to make navigation faster. At the end of each level, you are given a score based on the accuracy, enemies killed and time taken that can be compared to the global leaderboards. It’s fast, frantic, and so damn fun.
It wouldn’t be a roguelike without some random mutators in play. Each time you finish a level, Post Void gives you the choice to select one out of three randomly selected abilities that will stick with you till the end of the playthrough. Upgrades like new weapons, explosive ammo, ricocheting bullets, a way pointer, and more serve to make your life a little less miserable in the long run (pun achieved). But once you die, you start over from scratch. Considering that there are only 11 levels and each level is a speedrunner’s wet dream, dying in Post Void is less of a frustration and more of a chance to learn the ins and outs of the game.
My Peepers Are Bleeding
When it comes to the aesthetics, Post Void is like having a mercury enema but for your eyes. The piercing colors, pixellated art style, psychedelic imagery, and ear-thumping music have the power to make your heart go boom and jumpstart it back at the same time. It goes without saying that Epilepsy patients and people who have motion sickness or have problems with flashing lights should stay one mile away from Post Void. I do wish enemies were more distinguishable from the rest of the scenery as the later levels really, really fucks up your vision. Thankfully, your senses adjust with the hallucinogenic visuals sooner than later and you’ll be pulling off headshot after headshot.
There are some quality of life features that are missing from the game- an FOV slider, crosshair customization, Steam overlay, and the likes. But, considering that Post Void is cheaper than a good biriyani, most of these complaints come off as nitpicks than anything else.
Verdict
Post Void is arguably the best bang for your buck game released this year. It’s what you get when you combine Suffer, Crank, and Hotline: Miami and goes to show how much you can achieve with just a concrete vision. It’s simple, frantic, adrenaline-pumping, and highly addictive. But before playing, go out and buy some eye-protective gear if you value your eyesight. Oh, and don’t forget to wear a mask.
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