With a name like Void Bastards, I shouldn't be surprised that this video's opener greets you with a little alien that says, "Surprise, buttface!" then shoots a spitwad of energy at you. Led by Irrational Games co-founder Jonathan Chey, Void Bastards puts you in a first-person-shooter world but requires some strategic thinking on your part. By "strategic thinking" they don't just mean "do I shoot them with the machine gun or a rocket launcher?" You're actually going to be scoping out maps of the derelict spaceships you're boarding, taking note of important resources, and making command decisions about what primary and secondary objectives take precedent, and which objectives perhaps don't get done at all.
I like the comic book look and feel. Games that seem like they're trying too hard for a laugh don't usually get my attention, but this one has some cutely gross parts mixed in with some stupidly fun-looking parts. Void Bastards claims inspiration from games like System Shock 2 and BioShock, but seems to have a lighter sense of humor, at least compared to those particularly excellent horror-lite shooters. I mean, someone shouts a very British, "Biscuits revoked!" before pumping somebody out of an airlock, so if that's the stuff that gets you rolling in the aisles, by all means. Yet the logistics and planning stage certainly makes it feels smarter than your average FPS.
Void Bastards is coming to Xbox One and PC in early 2019.
Inspired by BioShock and System Shock 2 and led by Irrational Games co-founder Jonathan Chey, Void Bastards is a revolutionary new strategy-shooter that will test your wits as well as exercise your aim. Can you lead the misfit prisoners of the Void Ark through the derelict spaceships and myriad dangers of the Sargasso Nebula? Will you make the right choices about what to do, where to go and when to fight? Master combat, manage ship controls, scavenge supplies, craft improvised tools and much more! Developed by Blue Manchu and Presented by Humble Bundle, Void Bastards will release in early 2019 on PC and Xbox One.
Forget everything you know about first-person shooters: Void Bastards asks you to take charge, not just point your gun and fire. Your task is to lead the rag-tag Void Bastards out of the Sargasso Nebula. You make the decisions: where to go, what to do and who to fight. And then you must carry out that strategy in the face of strange and terrible enemies.
On board derelict spaceships you’ll plan your mission, taking note of the ship layout, what hazards and enemies you might encounter and what terminals and other ship systems you can use to your advantage.
Move carefully through the dangerous ships, searching for supplies and manipulating control systems. React to what you find - will you detour to the generator to bring the power back online or will you fight your way into the security module to disable the ship’s defenses? Choose carefully when to fight, when to run and when just to be a bastard.
Use your hard-won supplies to improvise tools and weapons, from the distracting robo-kitty to the horribly unstable clusterflak.
Navigate your tiny escape pod through the vast nebula. Flee from void whales and pirates, and politely avoid the hungry hermits. All the while you must keep scavenging for the food, fuel, and other resources that keep you alive.
Void Bastards features a 12-15 hour campaign that you can complete with an endless supply of prisoners, each with their own unique traits. When one dies, another steps forward to carry on the fight. Don’t worry, though: Any crafting progress you’ve made is retained from one to another.
