Void Stranger is a Sokoban-style puzzler with its fair share of mysteries

destructoid.com:

There’s been a lot of big, blockbuster games hitting over the last few weeks, and that can get a bit tiring. So this weekend, as I was perusing the Steam new releases, I spotted a curious-looking game called Void Stranger. I didn’t know what to expect, but it had some eager positive reviews and a novel idea.

What I got was one of the more pleasant surprises of the year. Void Stranger is a puzzling gem that I haven’t been able to get out of my head.

Made by ZeroRanger studio Systems Erasure, Void Stranger is a puzzle game in the Sokoban genre; essentially, pushing and manipulating blocks. Even if you don’t know the origin, you probably recognize the style from games like Baba Is You, Chip’s Challenge, or (arguably) Catherine. The vast majority of your time playing is spent in a Game Boy-stylized world, manipulating the small amount of real estate you have, thinking about how every step, direction, and manipulation can get you toward the next set of stairs.

It goes on and on like this, down flight after flight. Your protagonist is tumbling down a labyrinth, reminding me of games like Dungeon Encounters or another recent indie surprise, Demon Lord Reincarnation. But it has some surprises of its own, too.

As you can tell from the trailer, Void Stranger doesn’t just do one look. It’s got a whole wealth of gorgeous pixel art it uses to tell its story, in very vague and interpretative ways. It pulls some really clever tricks that will make fans of Inscryption or Doki Doki Literature Club sit up a bit in their seats. I’m hesitant to share any of them because at least the first one—involving a brief respite—got several genuine laughs of appreciation out of me.

Even just briefly eyeing the discussions happening on the Steam