[EXPlay] POST VOID (Nintendo Switch)

Welcome to EXPlay, (Explain & Play) the review series where we care not for scores but tell it how it is when it comes to every game we get our hands on, whilst also taking the time to include some lengthy gameplay, to give you the reader, the chance to shape your own impressions and views whilst watching and reading. In this installment, we’re covering Tiny POST VOID by developer Y/CJ/Y Games.

POST VOID: (The Explanation)

POST VOID is a fast-paced, first-person shooter game by Y/CJ/Y Games and published by the Super Rare Originals label by Super Rare Games. The game is inspired by FPS games from the early 90’s but with a difference as it strongly emphasizes on speed above all else (oh, and a lot of shooting, of course). We got to play a demo of this game back at WASD in London and again at EGX last year and had a blast. We couldn’t wait to play this game again and now almost a year later since we first got to play the game, it is finally here for Nintendo Switch.

The premise of POST VOID is a simple one; get to the end of the level as quickly as you possibly can. Time is your health and your health is time. Your character literally holds their life in their hands as the glass vial in their left hand is shaped like a head is called an idol. The idol contains your life essence but it is leaking like a sieve so you have to get to the pool at the end of the stage to replenish your health fully or you will die. Enemies will hinder your progress and you will have to kill them before they kill you. By killing enemies, you will replenish a little bit of health but time is literally of the essence as every second that ticks by brings you that ever much closer to death.

Getting hurt by enemies will also drain your health so you do have to constantly battle with your fight or flight urges as avoiding conflict altogether, will ultimately mean death for you. This is because you will need to steal the life force of your enemies (at least a good number of them) in order to stand a chance of reaching the end. Also, it is worth noting that trying to clear rooms of enemies can also be a waste of time as you will spend all your time fighting them for precious seconds, only to waste it fighting other enemies.

As for how to kill enemies, you will start the game armed with a pistol. It is simple but effective against enemies but upon beating each stage, you will be given the option to choose one of three perks. These perks can be anything from slowing down bullets, making reload times pass quicker, filling your idol with more liquid, and also trading your pistol for a shotgun or an UZI. What perks you select is up to you but choosing wisely makes all the difference on how far you can possibly get in a run.

There are only 11 stages in POST VOID for you to fight your way through but the game is a literal gauntlet with no save states or checkpoints. When you die (and you WILL die, a LOT), you will earn points that will be tallied up to total your high score. You will then have to start from the beginning again but to keep things from becoming too monotonous, in typical roguelike fashion, each level is randomly generated so you can’t rely on muscle memory to get you through stages and will have to constantly think and make decisions on the fly.

POST VOID is not a long game by any means but you can guarantee you can spend a long time playing it. It is crazy addictive and even after playing for an hour or so, you still get the urge for “Just one more try!” The price of the game is also pretty affordable at $5.99. It is more than reasonable as the gameplay is pretty solid and more than justifies the asking price though we wouldn’t say no to maybe a “Casual Mode” being added later down the line for some of us that may lack the finesse and skill to beat the game as it is (I am referring to myself here).

If you love crazy fast shooter games that will test your FPS skills or are just looking for a bizarre shooter to lose yourself in, then this game should definitely be on your radar because POST VOID is so crazy addictive, we just keep diving back into it again and again.

 

POST VOID: (The Gameplay)

Game Specifications:

Developer: Y/CJ/Y Games
Publisher: Super Rare Games
Platform: Nintendo Switch (eShop)
Category: First-Person, Action,
No. of Players: 1 Player
Release Date: March 16, 2023 (EU & NA)
Price: $5.99
File Size: 260 MB
Nintendo.com Listing