Like many households in the 90’s, we had a Tamagotchi. Well, more specifically my sister had one and that thing did not shut up. It would beep and chirp at all hours of the day and seemed to be harder to look after than the gerbils we had. This seems like a strange way to start a review of a Switch game, but Void Terrarium is basically what Tamagotchi would be if they turned it into a rogue-like.
In fact we have several genres here but the main objective is to look after the last surviving human. Yet again we’re visiting post-apocalyptic earth but we’re doing so in a different way.
Journey to the Centre of the Earth
Things kick off like a 2D platformer, with all the associated bells and whistles. You’ll do a little bit of wandering and then stumble upon a sentient AI who regales you with the details of the downfall of humanity. At this point, the AI realises there is a living being nearby in the wasteland and this is the human you will care for throughout the game.
But this is where things change. The simple 2D platformer gives way to an isometric dungeon crawler that plays a lot like Crypt of the Necrodancer without the need to follow the rhythm. When you move, so do the enemies. If you stand still, again so do the enemies.
Combat works on the same principle and ends up being reasonably strategic. Stepping inside something’s attack range on your turn means the enemy gets the first hit. This means movement and baiting enemies into tunnels is key to prevent yourself from being surrounded and taking a pummelling.
The Art of War
As expected, defeating enemies doles out an arbitrary amount of XP. Levelling up offers two upgrade options for the character which provide a variety of benefits. The usual damage, health and defence boosts are all present and correct, but occasionally it offers a new special attack or a boost to the battery meter.
Speaking of which, every run is on a timer from the start. The battery indicator at the top slowly depletes as you navigate the maze like levels, attack enemies or use special attacks. So it’s sort of a cross between a timer and a mana bar. This can be topped up with batteries that are found lying around. Tool kits can also be found to top up health but this also auto regeneration outside of combat.
The interesting twist of Void Terrarium though is that any collectables that are found also have a contamination level. The higher the level, the higher the risk of being impacted by adverse affects. Sometimes a grenade may be a dud or a battery will give less of a top up as well as applying a poison effect. Considering the risks and rewards associated really comes to the fore when delving deeper into each level.
Do you risk using the knackered battery to get to the next floor and find the thing you’re looking for? Or do you push on in hope that you find a better one before the main battery goes dead? If the battery goes flat or you run out of health, you need to go back to the base and start from the beginning of the dungeon, all of which are randomly generated. Every fresh run also sees all skills and collected items being reset so every run provides a fresh challenge. Nothing is permanent.
Needy Baby
On top of this, the human also has needs like food and clean lot that need to be attended to. Every second you spend in a dungeon sees their hunger levels increase or they’ll make more of a mess of the place. Let them get too hungry or too dirty and they will fall sick and potentially die. So again, it’s a case of weighing up whether to cut a run short or keep looking for more supplies. It’s a pretty clever system that keeps challenging your decision making skills.
Managing each of the systems at play never becomes overwhelming, but starting from scratch every time and dealing with the randomness of things does present its own challenges. It’s easy to have runs cut short because the upgrades weren’t right. Or occasionally the sheer number of enemies in a level can annihilate what little health you have.
Being unable to make even the most basic of preparations means it is easy to hit the occasional roadblock. Even early on in the game, whilst still getting to grips with the mechanics, I found myself having repeat the same part over and over for about an hour until everything clicked into place. However, half the fun of a roguelike is never knowing exactly how successful a run is going to be.
The Tunnels are Collapsing
The biggest issue of all with Void Terrarium is the repetitive nature of the game. This impacts every facet whether it’s enemy designs or levels. With everything being randomly generated, it all starts to look the same and feel the same. Texture work is bland and basic, utilising a limited palette to build the world. Enemy attack patterns are easy to learn and it starts to become a bit of a chore. When some of those roadblocks pop up, it becomes difficult to keep motivated to progress.
The sound track is pretty good though and helps set the tone and the atmosphere nicely. Attacks have satisfying thwacks and crunches. Explosions are also reasonably meaty.
A Dead End?
The overall problem is that it doesn’t all come together cohesively. Hand-crafted environments and a more diverse lineup of enemies might have been a better idea here. The core idea is clever and feels quite unique but the game-play becomes frustrating and a little stale after a while.
Longevity is artificially increased by the randomness of each run much like most rogue-likes but it want overly compelling. Whilst many players will be satisfied with the repetitive nature on Void Terrarium, this isn’t the sort of title that will keep most persevering until the end.