Void Stranger is a 2D sokoban-style puzzle game where every step counts. Descend into the forgotten labyrinth teeming with fiendish foes and traps that defy reason. A swift defeat lurks at every corner for those who neither study their surroundings nor think their moves through with care. Trust you wits and slowly, surely, you will conquer the mysteries before you. You do remember why you are here, right? Or have you lost something? Something very important to you.
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Decidí no continuar por un tiempo este juego, amo Zeroranger con todo mi corazón y tuve altísimas expectativas por este, y aunque me supo mantener atrapado y cautivado durante toda la trama de Gray con una historia relativamente solida, enternecedora y con sus momentos de brillantez que realmente me llegaron mucho (especialmente los primeros dos finales), la trama de Lilly simplemente me está perdiendo. La siento redundante y sin foco tanto en su historia como en su gameplay y level design, ya no hay sorpresas que no haya descubierto ya con Gray, y ya parece que la formula ambigua y obtusa de la narrativa se sigue por mero capricho y no por complementar al gameplay o una linea temática concreta, como sí sentía que ocurría con Gray.
Estaré sacando conclusiones apresuradas? Es más que posible, pero la verdad tengo miedo de terminar aún más decepcionado con lo mucho que esperé de esta obra, al menos de momento, prefiero quedarme con una experiencia sólida que supo atraparme con su ingenio y momentos enternecedores, al menos durante su primer trayecto, el cual ni siquiera es corto
Estaré sacando conclusiones apresuradas? Es más que posible, pero la verdad tengo miedo de terminar aún más decepcionado con lo mucho que esperé de esta obra, al menos de momento, prefiero quedarme con una experiencia sólida que supo atraparme con su ingenio y momentos enternecedores, al menos durante su primer trayecto, el cual ni siquiera es corto
This review contains spoilers
“Become endless? To hell with all of that! I'm happy because we're together, right here and now. Even when the last star burns out... This memory will surely remain. Because I love you.”
I am assuming that if you have decided to click on that ‘I’m ready’ button you have learnt of the curious decision made within the heart of the void. If you have not, I will not begrudge you of your agency if you decide to read on further. I myself cheated this game out of its many secrets similarly to this, yet by the time I did so, it was because I was fully enamoured with it. So, I give this final opportunity to turn back should you seek to form your own infatuation with this experience before I corrupt any preconception you have with that of my bias.
As you are left perhaps still reeling at the decision made by Lady Gray, you reload the game and are given a brief reprieve to absorb what exactly has just transpired before you are thrown back once more into the void. That initial premise of Void Stranger you just endured in that first playthrough, encapsulating those classical story archetypes, was merely there to serve as pretext. A formative basis in which to be iterated upon in a never-ending pursuit of recontextualization and retrospection. The first layer of many in which you engage and form an understanding with a literature’s thoughts and ideas. Conventionally most stories will end here leaving the reader on their own to pursue any further depths, Void Stranger however does the work for you in reframing itself. Narratively bringing itself forward an age, the world setting shifting to cement this change. Becoming modern, a more contemporary piece, self-critical and questioning. The game’s story structure has evolved paralleling that of how story frameworks have over time. You slowly discover that Void Stranger is about the ever-evolving nature of literature itself.
But no that is not the immediate concern is it, this realisation happens later when the dust is settled and the immediate fire is put out. The most pressing thought that dwells in one’s mind for the second playthrough is less abstract. This thought as you are given control over a new character, this stranger that Gray chose over the very charge in which she braved hell itself for, forms a simple question. Why? Why did she make that choice?
And here lies the focal point of this game. Void Stranger is ultimately not a drama nor a romance but that of a tragedy. It is about the insurmountable power of love yes, but more so about one of its perpetually recurring adversities. More specifically that of the irreconcilable differences between the understanding of love of a parent with that of their child. How these different interpretations of love between them are not reciprocated because they each are conceived from that which is fundamentally opposed.
Gray embodies limitless love for one person, but that devotion was never towards her daughters. Instead, Gray’s love and devotion is ethereal, directed towards the voided, to that of a deceased queen upon whom their lineage derives. In lieu of a living being of flesh in which to dedicate her love, there is only simple memory. If memory is all that remains then so be it, Gray will see to it that it persists eternally. A light that she must see become endless.
Parents do not love their children for who they are. How can they? Initially there is nothing in which to form such a connection. These fragile zygotes that only eventually grow into personhood have yet to form a self. They are naught more than a growing mass of flesh. To sincerely love a child before they can grow and realise themselves is impossible. Instead, a parent loves that which they can project onto, a perceived potential. A belief in the idea of what the child will eventually become. For Gray that belief is in that endless light. That these children, and their children, and their children will live ever eternal. Proxies for the endlessly recurring memory that she is devoted to. This is a sincere expression of love. The tragic rationale on how she made that choice in the void.
A child’s love in turn starts as something much cleaner but unfortunately no less delusional. It, at least, is founded upon something tangible, the corporeal and living caretaker in front of them. This person who seemingly loves them unconditionally. As the child grows and attains self-actualization, this formative perception of love is sought to be reciprocated. Lillie (and the Lily whom was lost to the void) loves Gray wholeheartedly. And in turn seek to express this love by embodying to become just like them, to honour them by living as their reflection. Eventually however, it is come to be understood that the unconditional basis that formed such a love is not real.
And yet it does not matter at all! Love is belief in as much as it is devotion. Lillie embodies a sincere unconditional love for her mother Gray naïve it may be. This love however is not what Gray sought. She cannot accept Lillie to live for her sake over that of her muse. To do so would extinguish her memory, her eternal light, to kill what little remains. And so Gray does not, and cannot, reciprocate this love coming from this reflection herself. And so she rejects it.
There is no recourse. The memory is still doomed to fade. Devotion without purpose is foolishness. As Gray too becomes only memory what then becomes of Lillie? This being whose self was conceived from the basis of these two irreconcilable and unreciprocated beliefs in love? The dawning realization that Lillie could never become someone Gray could see as worthy to love. That perhaps she only exists as a wrong choice, that it should have been her left behind in the void. What answer exists there for her should she return? For one devoid of devotion? I will not deny you from forming your answer by presenting my own.
Void Stranger does not end here. As far as I am aware Void Stranger does not end. It seeks to encapsulate something grander than a story. The journey of life itself in all its infinite recursion. It repeats that trick mentioned earlier once more. Bringing the story forward another age, recontextualizing itself. The nature of story itself now coming under scrutiny. The enigmatic purpose of demons and of void to be elaborated upon and revealed. A work as a living being in which we breathe life into. Now becoming post-modern.
But I am not capable nor willing to elaborate any further. Satisfied as I am to leave it here. The adventure of life goes on, with and without me.
“I don’t know what this feeling is, but… I was searching for it for a long time. Now that I’ve found it… I realize that it doesn’t belong to me.”
I am assuming that if you have decided to click on that ‘I’m ready’ button you have learnt of the curious decision made within the heart of the void. If you have not, I will not begrudge you of your agency if you decide to read on further. I myself cheated this game out of its many secrets similarly to this, yet by the time I did so, it was because I was fully enamoured with it. So, I give this final opportunity to turn back should you seek to form your own infatuation with this experience before I corrupt any preconception you have with that of my bias.
As you are left perhaps still reeling at the decision made by Lady Gray, you reload the game and are given a brief reprieve to absorb what exactly has just transpired before you are thrown back once more into the void. That initial premise of Void Stranger you just endured in that first playthrough, encapsulating those classical story archetypes, was merely there to serve as pretext. A formative basis in which to be iterated upon in a never-ending pursuit of recontextualization and retrospection. The first layer of many in which you engage and form an understanding with a literature’s thoughts and ideas. Conventionally most stories will end here leaving the reader on their own to pursue any further depths, Void Stranger however does the work for you in reframing itself. Narratively bringing itself forward an age, the world setting shifting to cement this change. Becoming modern, a more contemporary piece, self-critical and questioning. The game’s story structure has evolved paralleling that of how story frameworks have over time. You slowly discover that Void Stranger is about the ever-evolving nature of literature itself.
But no that is not the immediate concern is it, this realisation happens later when the dust is settled and the immediate fire is put out. The most pressing thought that dwells in one’s mind for the second playthrough is less abstract. This thought as you are given control over a new character, this stranger that Gray chose over the very charge in which she braved hell itself for, forms a simple question. Why? Why did she make that choice?
And here lies the focal point of this game. Void Stranger is ultimately not a drama nor a romance but that of a tragedy. It is about the insurmountable power of love yes, but more so about one of its perpetually recurring adversities. More specifically that of the irreconcilable differences between the understanding of love of a parent with that of their child. How these different interpretations of love between them are not reciprocated because they each are conceived from that which is fundamentally opposed.
Gray embodies limitless love for one person, but that devotion was never towards her daughters. Instead, Gray’s love and devotion is ethereal, directed towards the voided, to that of a deceased queen upon whom their lineage derives. In lieu of a living being of flesh in which to dedicate her love, there is only simple memory. If memory is all that remains then so be it, Gray will see to it that it persists eternally. A light that she must see become endless.
Parents do not love their children for who they are. How can they? Initially there is nothing in which to form such a connection. These fragile zygotes that only eventually grow into personhood have yet to form a self. They are naught more than a growing mass of flesh. To sincerely love a child before they can grow and realise themselves is impossible. Instead, a parent loves that which they can project onto, a perceived potential. A belief in the idea of what the child will eventually become. For Gray that belief is in that endless light. That these children, and their children, and their children will live ever eternal. Proxies for the endlessly recurring memory that she is devoted to. This is a sincere expression of love. The tragic rationale on how she made that choice in the void.
A child’s love in turn starts as something much cleaner but unfortunately no less delusional. It, at least, is founded upon something tangible, the corporeal and living caretaker in front of them. This person who seemingly loves them unconditionally. As the child grows and attains self-actualization, this formative perception of love is sought to be reciprocated. Lillie (and the Lily whom was lost to the void) loves Gray wholeheartedly. And in turn seek to express this love by embodying to become just like them, to honour them by living as their reflection. Eventually however, it is come to be understood that the unconditional basis that formed such a love is not real.
And yet it does not matter at all! Love is belief in as much as it is devotion. Lillie embodies a sincere unconditional love for her mother Gray naïve it may be. This love however is not what Gray sought. She cannot accept Lillie to live for her sake over that of her muse. To do so would extinguish her memory, her eternal light, to kill what little remains. And so Gray does not, and cannot, reciprocate this love coming from this reflection herself. And so she rejects it.
There is no recourse. The memory is still doomed to fade. Devotion without purpose is foolishness. As Gray too becomes only memory what then becomes of Lillie? This being whose self was conceived from the basis of these two irreconcilable and unreciprocated beliefs in love? The dawning realization that Lillie could never become someone Gray could see as worthy to love. That perhaps she only exists as a wrong choice, that it should have been her left behind in the void. What answer exists there for her should she return? For one devoid of devotion? I will not deny you from forming your answer by presenting my own.
Void Stranger does not end here. As far as I am aware Void Stranger does not end. It seeks to encapsulate something grander than a story. The journey of life itself in all its infinite recursion. It repeats that trick mentioned earlier once more. Bringing the story forward another age, recontextualizing itself. The nature of story itself now coming under scrutiny. The enigmatic purpose of demons and of void to be elaborated upon and revealed. A work as a living being in which we breathe life into. Now becoming post-modern.
But I am not capable nor willing to elaborate any further. Satisfied as I am to leave it here. The adventure of life goes on, with and without me.
“I don’t know what this feeling is, but… I was searching for it for a long time. Now that I’ve found it… I realize that it doesn’t belong to me.”
“For these defects, and for no other evil, we are now lost and punished just with this: We have no hope and yet we live in longing”
Devotion is an incredibly potent motivator. Our capacity to love something or someone to such an extent that we can pledge every facet of our being to their cause is both a wonderful, yet tragic curse. This infatuation we have can allow us to endure even the circles of hell itself, but in turn it makes us blind. We forgo all else around in the pursuit of perpetuating the eternal memory of our devotee.
Void Stranger is a hard game to discuss for several reasons. The most pressing of which is that you simply are not allowed to speak of it in any meaningful capacity lest you give its game away to the uninitiated. So sacred are its labyrinthian secrets revered by those privy that they are selfishly hoarded, and only dispensed piecemeal to the desperate to prevent them from succumbing entirely to the void. It should be self-evident from this alone that there is much value to be had from this game through self-discovery. That to discuss the contents within its locker is tantamount to sin.
Yet to not talk about it defeats its message! Did others not play the same game as I? Did they not learn of the ultimate tragedy that ensues when keeping something so tight to one’s chest? To keep silent of our experiences is to allow them to die with us! These bearings are to be exposed. These walls we build around ourselves must crumble away so that who we are may be shared.
This review is a compromise of these two thoughts and split accordingly into two parts. The first, in which you are reading, to serve as mere bait to entice the curious and hungry into a deadly snare. A brief synopsis of memory deliberately obfuscated to reveal limited truth and provide some initial guidance. A second intended to be read for those whom have completed a ‘successful’ dive into the void, in which I will elaborate upon the true nature of the abyss. Such tiered structure of revelation is at the very core of this story that I would seek to have you to play.
Void Stranger presents itself as a classical story about how one’s devotion can surpass all. Lady Gray is the embodiment of traditionally noble ideals. Conviction and duty are paramount to her. She honours that which she loves by seeking to exist as an extension of their will. There is no burden too great that she is unwilling or seemingly unable to bear. This to her is the nature of love itself, the meaning she has ascribed to it. She expresses love through her devotion.
And yet this labyrinth she is made to endure is ultimately one of judgment. A condemnation of those who wander its ever-twisting halls. These puzzles that you initially meet with earnest resolve, they will slowly wear you ragged. They will wear away at your soul. They will surely consume you. You will soon come to an understanding that playing this much Sokoban truly is hell! The question becomes what do you do afterwards when your resolve falters?
There are a few options available to you when this occurs. Not all are obvious. ALL of them are valid ways to progress. The one and only meaningful purpose of this initial review is to provide this assurance. That each of these paths will ultimately, albeit differently, lead to payoff.
The most intuitive of course being to press onwards undeterred. Conviction, duty, devotion, so neatly align with that of a quality that games as a medium tend to cultivate within its players. Determination. With simply enough perseverance you will succeed. And although I offer alternatives do not let this dissuade you from this road. It is the intended path to follow, and you will be uniquely rewarded should you tread it.
Perhaps though you will try again. Repeat the game fresh from the start. Carrying over only a more experienced perspective. A less naïve and more discerning approach. There are secrets to these halls after all, that which you may have noticed but were too late to act upon in retrospect.
Or perhaps you will simply give up. Move on and play something else. This too is a valid conclusion to the journey. There is no shame in doing so. So many others have fallen to these halls after all and so too will all in time. To perpetuate memory eternal is foolish. Let it fade.
However most controversially I offer a final recourse that some would consider taboo. Cheat. Cheat a little. Cheat a lot even. Cheat as much as you think you have been cheated by. Look at floor puzzle guides. Ask for advice or hints from others whom have undertaken this journey. I will not pretend that the other roads are not more ideal. But you have nothing to prove. It is not your devotion that is being tested after all.
Ultimately Void Stranger is a game that seeks to hurt you. It hurt me and it is this grievance that I wish to share. And at the end of the void, if you have not lost yourself, you will discover the folly that is devotion. Can you remember why you are here?
(I recommend this game first and foremost to those who wish to see videogames elevated as a form of literary art. After playing this it has shown my faith in the medium in being able to convey unique and profound experiences to not be misplaced. However, that is not without caveats. This is a long and grueling journey with an initially uncertain payoff. It demands a lot of time from you. Some knowledge is gatekeeped until you have endured a requisite amount of suffering. This however is a part of the ‘art’. It is absolutely my favourite game I have played in quite some while. Sokoban fans may even find they might enjoy this too!)
“I wonder... Maybe we're simply too late. All light that reaches us is just a faded memory. If we wish to escape their fate... We must shine even brighter. Our light must become endless.”
Part 2 is here (Full of spoilers): https://www.backloggd.com/u/GingerV/review/1566841/
Devotion is an incredibly potent motivator. Our capacity to love something or someone to such an extent that we can pledge every facet of our being to their cause is both a wonderful, yet tragic curse. This infatuation we have can allow us to endure even the circles of hell itself, but in turn it makes us blind. We forgo all else around in the pursuit of perpetuating the eternal memory of our devotee.
Void Stranger is a hard game to discuss for several reasons. The most pressing of which is that you simply are not allowed to speak of it in any meaningful capacity lest you give its game away to the uninitiated. So sacred are its labyrinthian secrets revered by those privy that they are selfishly hoarded, and only dispensed piecemeal to the desperate to prevent them from succumbing entirely to the void. It should be self-evident from this alone that there is much value to be had from this game through self-discovery. That to discuss the contents within its locker is tantamount to sin.
Yet to not talk about it defeats its message! Did others not play the same game as I? Did they not learn of the ultimate tragedy that ensues when keeping something so tight to one’s chest? To keep silent of our experiences is to allow them to die with us! These bearings are to be exposed. These walls we build around ourselves must crumble away so that who we are may be shared.
This review is a compromise of these two thoughts and split accordingly into two parts. The first, in which you are reading, to serve as mere bait to entice the curious and hungry into a deadly snare. A brief synopsis of memory deliberately obfuscated to reveal limited truth and provide some initial guidance. A second intended to be read for those whom have completed a ‘successful’ dive into the void, in which I will elaborate upon the true nature of the abyss. Such tiered structure of revelation is at the very core of this story that I would seek to have you to play.
Void Stranger presents itself as a classical story about how one’s devotion can surpass all. Lady Gray is the embodiment of traditionally noble ideals. Conviction and duty are paramount to her. She honours that which she loves by seeking to exist as an extension of their will. There is no burden too great that she is unwilling or seemingly unable to bear. This to her is the nature of love itself, the meaning she has ascribed to it. She expresses love through her devotion.
And yet this labyrinth she is made to endure is ultimately one of judgment. A condemnation of those who wander its ever-twisting halls. These puzzles that you initially meet with earnest resolve, they will slowly wear you ragged. They will wear away at your soul. They will surely consume you. You will soon come to an understanding that playing this much Sokoban truly is hell! The question becomes what do you do afterwards when your resolve falters?
There are a few options available to you when this occurs. Not all are obvious. ALL of them are valid ways to progress. The one and only meaningful purpose of this initial review is to provide this assurance. That each of these paths will ultimately, albeit differently, lead to payoff.
The most intuitive of course being to press onwards undeterred. Conviction, duty, devotion, so neatly align with that of a quality that games as a medium tend to cultivate within its players. Determination. With simply enough perseverance you will succeed. And although I offer alternatives do not let this dissuade you from this road. It is the intended path to follow, and you will be uniquely rewarded should you tread it.
Perhaps though you will try again. Repeat the game fresh from the start. Carrying over only a more experienced perspective. A less naïve and more discerning approach. There are secrets to these halls after all, that which you may have noticed but were too late to act upon in retrospect.
Or perhaps you will simply give up. Move on and play something else. This too is a valid conclusion to the journey. There is no shame in doing so. So many others have fallen to these halls after all and so too will all in time. To perpetuate memory eternal is foolish. Let it fade.
However most controversially I offer a final recourse that some would consider taboo. Cheat. Cheat a little. Cheat a lot even. Cheat as much as you think you have been cheated by. Look at floor puzzle guides. Ask for advice or hints from others whom have undertaken this journey. I will not pretend that the other roads are not more ideal. But you have nothing to prove. It is not your devotion that is being tested after all.
Ultimately Void Stranger is a game that seeks to hurt you. It hurt me and it is this grievance that I wish to share. And at the end of the void, if you have not lost yourself, you will discover the folly that is devotion. Can you remember why you are here?
(I recommend this game first and foremost to those who wish to see videogames elevated as a form of literary art. After playing this it has shown my faith in the medium in being able to convey unique and profound experiences to not be misplaced. However, that is not without caveats. This is a long and grueling journey with an initially uncertain payoff. It demands a lot of time from you. Some knowledge is gatekeeped until you have endured a requisite amount of suffering. This however is a part of the ‘art’. It is absolutely my favourite game I have played in quite some while. Sokoban fans may even find they might enjoy this too!)
“I wonder... Maybe we're simply too late. All light that reaches us is just a faded memory. If we wish to escape their fate... We must shine even brighter. Our light must become endless.”
Part 2 is here (Full of spoilers): https://www.backloggd.com/u/GingerV/review/1566841/
-Uh........
Absolutely incredible puzzle design and story. Even though I love puzzles games, it's rare to find one that compels me as hard as this did.
I'll write a real review but for the moment just know that this might be one of the most phenomenal piece of game design, and one of the best thing that came out of indie video games.
And I'm not even a fan of sokoban!
And I'm not even a fan of sokoban!