Voidwrought Review
Powersnake and Kwalee’s cosmic horror Metroidvania Voidwrought is a gorgeous game with snappy 2D platforming and combat.
Voidwrought. (Credit: Powersnake / Kwalee)
Voidwrought, developed by Powersnake and published by Kwalee, is a dark and stylish 2D Metroidvania. Though its story was inscrutable to me, I enjoyed the game’s tight combat, varied biomes, and polished visuals.
In the game, you explore a lost civilization on a ruined planet to seek powerful relics, fight ancient gods, and have cultists build a shrine for you. I didn’t care about the ins and outs of what was happening and why, but it didn’t matter because I loved the cosmic horror vibes of the game. Honestly, I can’t describe the game’s story. However, I believe the story is the least important part of a game like Voidwrought. I care much more about its mechanics as a Metroidvania, with compelling exploration and rewarding character ability growth.
Voidwrought. (Credit: Powersnake / Kwalee)
Voidwrought has a large world to explore. I’d say it’s designed in a traditional Metroidvania fashion, with areas gated by requiring you to have specific items or abilities, but Voidwrought enables and encourages sequence breaking. You can often reach areas you technically aren’t supposed to yet by being crafty with what you can do at a given moment, doing things like pogo bouncing off enemies’ heads, and more. Sometimes, knowing where to go next can get confusing, but I never stayed lost for long.
Voidwrought feels great to play. The controls are tight and responsive, and your character moves with satisfying weight and agility. Jumping and aerial movement feel precise and never floaty; the game requires precision jumping during traversal and combat, so this quality is a huge plus. Combat is speedy and enemies hit hard, especially at the early stages of the game, so mastering movement quickly is essential and the game’s playfeel makes this very intuitive. The only detail that took a little getting used to is that hitting enemies with your attack will push you back slightly—an unusual choice in the design that you need to learn to compensate against, but it is ultimately a blessing.
Voidwrought. (Credit: Powersnake / Kwalee)
Combat is visceral and fast, especially against bosses. You only have a multidirectional melee attack, aside from ranged attack relics that require recharging, so you’re usually up close and personal with your enemies. There’s no parry, and your dodge roll has no invincibility until you can modify it, so combat is all about precise movement and avoidance, something that feels pleasantly old school. Like the classic NES platformer Duck Tales, you can bounce on enemies’ heads by carefully timing your downward aerial attacks, a technique I used extensively that makes for fun battles.
Voidwrought is one of the best-looking Metroidvanias that I’ve played recently. The game’s art features deep black linework in both the characters and environments. The color palette is muted, but it feels natural for the game and never dull, appropriate for the horror visuals. The player character, supporting NPCs, enemies, and bosses all have cool, creepy designs and are gorgeously animated. The animation is complemented by 2D slashing and particle effects that help make the combat tactile and weighty. It makes all your actions feel satisfying and adds a lot of visual flair that elevates the game.
Voidwrought. (Credit: Powersnake / Kwalee)
Voidwrought isn’t a very long game, but it’s challenging. You’ll spend between 7 and 12 hours playing to finish it, depending on how deeply you want to dig for secrets—and there are plenty. As a bonus, it plays beautifully on the Steam Deck, so this game is an excellent choice if you like your Metroidvanias on the go.
Voidwrought is available now on PC (Steam) and Nintendo Switch.
Overall Score: 7/10
Played on: Steam Deck
