Full Void Review

thesixthaxis.com:

In the wake of a seemingly endless barrage of Metroidvanias and roguelikes, the classic cinematic platformer has become a niche genre. Back in the days of my trusty Amiga 500+, games like Prince of Persia and Flashback pushed the envelope for immersion and graphics and it is from games like these that Full Void takes clear inspiration. Alongside the puzzles and platforming Full Void adds in a dash of dystopian science fiction and an emotional motivation to keep you moving onwards.

You begin Full Void as a teenager stranded in a city controlled by a rogue AI. As you make your way through the ruined environment you get occasional flashbacks to a more innocent time with a younger sibling. These are short moments, but do work well at setting the scene and explaining why your protagonist is risking their life in search of their captured family. It’s not an especially original story and has clear echoes of recent titles like Somerville and Planet of Lana. In effect Full Void falls somewhere between these two, being more enjoyable than the disappointing former but not quite reaching the heights of the latter.

The visuals here are hand drawn pixel art and look great. Animation is spot on as you jump, grab, and climb, whilst enemies have a suitably threatening alien style. Some are simple robot drones whilst others have a more biotech aesthetic, but all will kill you in a single hit. Alongside the fantastic pixel art, the soundtrack is filled with Amiga inspired tunes and everything is accompanied by some amazing atmospheric sound effects. The end result is a game that shows its influences clearly on its sleeves, but isn’t afraid to take advantage of modern techniques to enhance its retro sound and visuals.

The adventure is split