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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Void Stranger is an unprecedented game and a true gift for fans of the Puzzle/Adventure genre, akin to Outer Wilds. However, there's one condition.
If you enjoy Sokoban-style games and the need to note down every clue and piece of information, then Void Stranger will take you on such a winding journey that you won't even be able to describe what you've seen — it contrasts so sharply with the game's Steam page screenshots and general project description.
Without spoilers, Void Stranger is not just a Sokoban game. It's a trove of mysteries. It's a game based on the principle of "the more I know, the more I can do." It's a complex story that requires you to record everything you hear and see to understand it. It's a deep well of lore.
It's worth noting that if you've come across this review, that's good. In various reviews, people didn't play the game to completion, so some claims don't reflect reality. The following statements ARE NOT TRUE (trust me on this, it's not subjective opinion but based on factual mechanics):
- The game doesn't respect your time and might even delete your save (NOT TRUE).
- All you do in this game is repeat the same levels several times (true in projection, but NOT TRUE OVERALL).
- This game needs an "Undo" or "Restart Level" function (NOT TRUE).
- It's impossible to move quickly through levels in this game (NOT TRUE).
Let's start with the basics. The visuals and music. Despite the retro style, the visuals are incredibly consistent and well-executed, with beautifully drawn art. The music is among the best in the 8-bit genre, if not the best.
Regarding lore and story—the less said, the better. Although I consider the lore very well-written, the story is at times too strongly inspired by certain manga and anime, occasionally featuring fan service elements. However, in the context of the lore and game, it works and maintains intrigue. Don't consider this a cold assessment. It's just that against the backdrop of other 5/5 game elements, the story is the only 4/5 element, which is why this game ultimately scores 4.5.
The core of the game is Sokoban-style gameplay. If you're new to the genre, it's worth trying classics like Patrick's Parabox, Baba is You, or The Monster's Expedition Through Puzzling Exhibitions (preferably the latter). If you find you can digest this gameplay, then welcome to Void Stranger.
But don't let the game fool you. Although 90% of the time it's Sokoban, albeit with interesting rules and mechanics, there's a more important aspect looming over the game—meta-puzzles and knowledge-based secrets. Sometimes these puzzles and secrets can border on madness. But it's advisable to WRITE DOWN EVERYTHING and STRUCTURE everything you see. Then it'll be okay. If it's not okay and you're at an impasse, no one will reproach you for turning to forums with what you know and asking for hints on where to go next (to avoid spoilers). Or, if you're immortal, consult guides. Because in certain places, the game does have high difficulty.
Returning to the Sokoban aspects, the game has a brilliant design. It provides you with tools to simplify level completion, but you can also complete them without these tools. This regulates the game's difficulty, effectively turning one level into several. Completing levels without simplification is an idea bordering on insanity, because a good half of the puzzles can take not just minutes and hours, BUT DAYS. So it's advisable to "abuse" the game.
Yes, abuse the game. You record and note everything you see to break the game. To gain an advantage over it. To break its rules. To outplay the existing status quo. And the game will see this too. It might even mention it. But, with the necessary knowledge, you'll become an unstoppable force. But only if you allow the game to immerse you in its world of mysteries.
The game has an incredible number of secrets and endings... And, most likely, you won't find more than half of them unless you look at the game's wiki. Or maybe you will. If you allow yourself to dedicate 50+ hours to the game.
Void Stranger is an incredibly complex, intricate game that combines several genres, deconstructs them, regularly blows your mind, and constantly presents new mysteries to solve. It can be recommended to all players with some gaming experience and an affinity for the Sokoban genre. It has excellent lore, a good story, masterful soundtrack, and stylish graphics. And great depth.
And I'm very glad that when I refunded the game after two hours of play and wrote a negative review, I reconsidered, and ultimately gave it a second chance and tried to immerse myself in the world of the Void.
Bravissimo.
If you enjoy Sokoban-style games and the need to note down every clue and piece of information, then Void Stranger will take you on such a winding journey that you won't even be able to describe what you've seen — it contrasts so sharply with the game's Steam page screenshots and general project description.
Without spoilers, Void Stranger is not just a Sokoban game. It's a trove of mysteries. It's a game based on the principle of "the more I know, the more I can do." It's a complex story that requires you to record everything you hear and see to understand it. It's a deep well of lore.
It's worth noting that if you've come across this review, that's good. In various reviews, people didn't play the game to completion, so some claims don't reflect reality. The following statements ARE NOT TRUE (trust me on this, it's not subjective opinion but based on factual mechanics):
- The game doesn't respect your time and might even delete your save (NOT TRUE).
- All you do in this game is repeat the same levels several times (true in projection, but NOT TRUE OVERALL).
- This game needs an "Undo" or "Restart Level" function (NOT TRUE).
- It's impossible to move quickly through levels in this game (NOT TRUE).
Let's start with the basics. The visuals and music. Despite the retro style, the visuals are incredibly consistent and well-executed, with beautifully drawn art. The music is among the best in the 8-bit genre, if not the best.
Regarding lore and story—the less said, the better. Although I consider the lore very well-written, the story is at times too strongly inspired by certain manga and anime, occasionally featuring fan service elements. However, in the context of the lore and game, it works and maintains intrigue. Don't consider this a cold assessment. It's just that against the backdrop of other 5/5 game elements, the story is the only 4/5 element, which is why this game ultimately scores 4.5.
The core of the game is Sokoban-style gameplay. If you're new to the genre, it's worth trying classics like Patrick's Parabox, Baba is You, or The Monster's Expedition Through Puzzling Exhibitions (preferably the latter). If you find you can digest this gameplay, then welcome to Void Stranger.
But don't let the game fool you. Although 90% of the time it's Sokoban, albeit with interesting rules and mechanics, there's a more important aspect looming over the game—meta-puzzles and knowledge-based secrets. Sometimes these puzzles and secrets can border on madness. But it's advisable to WRITE DOWN EVERYTHING and STRUCTURE everything you see. Then it'll be okay. If it's not okay and you're at an impasse, no one will reproach you for turning to forums with what you know and asking for hints on where to go next (to avoid spoilers). Or, if you're immortal, consult guides. Because in certain places, the game does have high difficulty.
Returning to the Sokoban aspects, the game has a brilliant design. It provides you with tools to simplify level completion, but you can also complete them without these tools. This regulates the game's difficulty, effectively turning one level into several. Completing levels without simplification is an idea bordering on insanity, because a good half of the puzzles can take not just minutes and hours, BUT DAYS. So it's advisable to "abuse" the game.
Yes, abuse the game. You record and note everything you see to break the game. To gain an advantage over it. To break its rules. To outplay the existing status quo. And the game will see this too. It might even mention it. But, with the necessary knowledge, you'll become an unstoppable force. But only if you allow the game to immerse you in its world of mysteries.
The game has an incredible number of secrets and endings... And, most likely, you won't find more than half of them unless you look at the game's wiki. Or maybe you will. If you allow yourself to dedicate 50+ hours to the game.
Void Stranger is an incredibly complex, intricate game that combines several genres, deconstructs them, regularly blows your mind, and constantly presents new mysteries to solve. It can be recommended to all players with some gaming experience and an affinity for the Sokoban genre. It has excellent lore, a good story, masterful soundtrack, and stylish graphics. And great depth.
And I'm very glad that when I refunded the game after two hours of play and wrote a negative review, I reconsidered, and ultimately gave it a second chance and tried to immerse myself in the world of the Void.
Bravissimo.
This review contains spoilers
Algumas pessoas têm a impressão de que conseguimos viver isolados, no microscópio, isolados da sociedade. Eu entendo que é frustrante ter a sua obra interpretada de modos que você não imaginou, que não condizem com a sua intenção, mas a verdade é que é impossível fazer uma obra totalmente descontextualizada.
Nós dependemos do contexto de vários campos diferentes para trazer valor para o que criamos. Saber que escadas são objetos que nos ajudam a transitar entre andares diferentes nos ajuda a entender que devemos usar essas escadas quando aparecem em jogos sem que os desenvolvedores precisem apontar isso, baús é onde são guardadas coisas valiosas e por isso um baú fechado em um cenário é algo que deve ser buscado.
Um jogo totalmente isolado sem contexto nenhum seria algo totalmente sem sentido para nós, e a gente pode querer recortar e fazer com que as pessoas usem somente algumas referências específicas para interpretar nossas obras, mas é um esforço inútil, como tentar evitar que um gelo derreta em nossas mãos.
Digo isso porque, quando, no final do jogo - ou pelo menos da primeira parte dele -, depois de passar por inúmeras salas, depois de fazer e refazer puzzles para descobrir segredos, me deparar com uma narrativa em que é apresentada para a protagonista a escolha entre salvar uma mulher ou o bebê ainda em seu ventre me deixou com um gosto amargo na boca.
Acho que para quem se preocupa com direitos da mulher e de autonomia sobre seus corpos, é difícil ver uma cena dessa e não fazer um paralelo com tudo o que estamos vivendo hoje, no Brasil, nos EUA, no mundo. É difícil ver uma mulher tendo seu destino decidido por outra pessoa, sem seu consentimento e autorização e não lembrar de todos os casos em que isso acontece diariamente aqui, no mundo real.
E eu realmente não acho que essa foi a intenção dos devs e que essa era a interpretação desejada da história. Não acho que essa é uma obra de defesa do movimento pró-vida. Não é uma acusação e sim uma provocação. Será que não devemos desconfiar mais de outras interpretações que estão fora das nossas intenções quando criamos algo?
E é claro que existem milhares de interpretações diferentes e não dá para prever tudo. Talvez eu crie algo que seja totalmente ofensivo para o povo mongol e que realmente não tenha sido a minha intenção, por eu não ter a menor conexão com a cultura dele e saber o contexto em que vivem.
No entanto, algumas causas e alguns contextos estão muito mais próximos de nós. Se esse jogo fosse lançado nos anos 90, talvez essa questão não aparecesse na mente mesmo das pessoas mais progressistas, mas em 2024 é outra história. Mesmo quem não tem uma posição clara sobre o assunto dificilmente desconhece que existe uma polêmica e uma disputa entre pessoas que acreditam que o mais importante é o direito de escolha e pessoas que acham mais importante o direito a vida. É mais difícil ignorar que esse contexto existe e que ele pode ser usado para interpretar sua obra.
Que eu me lembre, durante os flashbacks, em nenhum momento Lily fala sobre um desejo de ser mãe, sobre querer ter um filho, qualquer coisa que me desse a dica que que a escolha de não salvá-la seria a certa. Eu me pergunto, será que tendo mais desconfiança desses diversos campos e contextos, as mesmas escolhas seriam tomadas?
Sei que esse não é o final da história no jogo e que existe uma continuidade para a história das personagens, mas não acho que muda essa minha percepção e não tira esse gosto estranho que senti ao chegar nesse momento.
Tirando isso, ótimo jogo.
Nós dependemos do contexto de vários campos diferentes para trazer valor para o que criamos. Saber que escadas são objetos que nos ajudam a transitar entre andares diferentes nos ajuda a entender que devemos usar essas escadas quando aparecem em jogos sem que os desenvolvedores precisem apontar isso, baús é onde são guardadas coisas valiosas e por isso um baú fechado em um cenário é algo que deve ser buscado.
Um jogo totalmente isolado sem contexto nenhum seria algo totalmente sem sentido para nós, e a gente pode querer recortar e fazer com que as pessoas usem somente algumas referências específicas para interpretar nossas obras, mas é um esforço inútil, como tentar evitar que um gelo derreta em nossas mãos.
Digo isso porque, quando, no final do jogo - ou pelo menos da primeira parte dele -, depois de passar por inúmeras salas, depois de fazer e refazer puzzles para descobrir segredos, me deparar com uma narrativa em que é apresentada para a protagonista a escolha entre salvar uma mulher ou o bebê ainda em seu ventre me deixou com um gosto amargo na boca.
Acho que para quem se preocupa com direitos da mulher e de autonomia sobre seus corpos, é difícil ver uma cena dessa e não fazer um paralelo com tudo o que estamos vivendo hoje, no Brasil, nos EUA, no mundo. É difícil ver uma mulher tendo seu destino decidido por outra pessoa, sem seu consentimento e autorização e não lembrar de todos os casos em que isso acontece diariamente aqui, no mundo real.
E eu realmente não acho que essa foi a intenção dos devs e que essa era a interpretação desejada da história. Não acho que essa é uma obra de defesa do movimento pró-vida. Não é uma acusação e sim uma provocação. Será que não devemos desconfiar mais de outras interpretações que estão fora das nossas intenções quando criamos algo?
E é claro que existem milhares de interpretações diferentes e não dá para prever tudo. Talvez eu crie algo que seja totalmente ofensivo para o povo mongol e que realmente não tenha sido a minha intenção, por eu não ter a menor conexão com a cultura dele e saber o contexto em que vivem.
No entanto, algumas causas e alguns contextos estão muito mais próximos de nós. Se esse jogo fosse lançado nos anos 90, talvez essa questão não aparecesse na mente mesmo das pessoas mais progressistas, mas em 2024 é outra história. Mesmo quem não tem uma posição clara sobre o assunto dificilmente desconhece que existe uma polêmica e uma disputa entre pessoas que acreditam que o mais importante é o direito de escolha e pessoas que acham mais importante o direito a vida. É mais difícil ignorar que esse contexto existe e que ele pode ser usado para interpretar sua obra.
Que eu me lembre, durante os flashbacks, em nenhum momento Lily fala sobre um desejo de ser mãe, sobre querer ter um filho, qualquer coisa que me desse a dica que que a escolha de não salvá-la seria a certa. Eu me pergunto, será que tendo mais desconfiança desses diversos campos e contextos, as mesmas escolhas seriam tomadas?
Sei que esse não é o final da história no jogo e que existe uma continuidade para a história das personagens, mas não acho que muda essa minha percepção e não tira esse gosto estranho que senti ao chegar nesse momento.
Tirando isso, ótimo jogo.
A delightful Sokoban that marries puzzles with fun mysteries and meta elements. New candidate for the brainveinia pantheon. Game of the year 2023. Dude, trust me.
Your reaction to Void Stranger will largely be shaped by your enjoyment of Sokoban games. Not just because of the puzzles, but also how it reveals its secrets.
The Steam page isn't kidding when it says "every step counts". This is one of the most exacting games I've ever played. It is also, however, a game that keeps on giving.
There's an abundance of intrigue and discovery to be had here. Just be ready to work for it.
The Steam page isn't kidding when it says "every step counts". This is one of the most exacting games I've ever played. It is also, however, a game that keeps on giving.
There's an abundance of intrigue and discovery to be had here. Just be ready to work for it.
???????????????????????
jogo dificil do carai
jogo dificil do carai
What does it mean to "complete" a game that doesn't reveal how many endings it has? I suppose I could google hints and clues for puzzles, but why bother. I've done a lot in this game, I've seen credits, so I suppose I can file this under "completed". Maybe the rest of the game relies on me editing its files, or maybe I've missed something simple, I have no idea.
When it comes to my favorite puzzle games, they are all very different. Tetris, obviously, is a reaction-based arcade game. Baba is You is a level-by-level rule-breaking masterpiece. La-Mulana is an open Metroidy adventure full of hints and dickish obstacles. Outer Wilds is a free-roaming space adventure that makes you feel like you're discovering something new.
If I were a Youtuber, I'd do a smash cut to saying "Void Stranger is bad", but... No, that's not true. I like the game. However, with a game like Void Stranger it's hard for your last moments with it to be pleasant ones, since you're likely going to get hopelessly stuck.
On its surface, it's a Sokoban-like puzzle about descending into a strange structure. You move on a grid and can take floor tiles and place them on pits. A simple enough mechanic that grows in complexity via the game featuring more and more elements to its levels.
This is not what Void Stranger is. It lulls you into thinking it's just a basic puzzle game before, sooner or later, pulling a rug from under you and showcasing its meta puzzles. Now, I've been playing this game for what feels like forever, so my memories are a little scrambled as to whether the player is given unsubtle hints about more game existing somewhere deep inside, or if they need to discover stranger things themselves. I do remember doing it fairly early on and being amazed, though.
I think this moment, when you realize just what you CAN do is the single greatest achievement of this game, comparable with what wowed people about Outer Wilds. However, I find it really hard to praise most other aspects.
I'm not the kind of person who thinks games should be fun. I do think that they shouldn't be tedious, though, and Void Stranger, unfortunately, is. Or rather, becomes. After you see some of the story and experience a few weird things, you begin to realize that trying something new is costly in this game. I'm not going to spoil some of game's surprises, but I will say that everything it does feels a little too long. The prime example here is that there's no fast travel. There are ways to be faster, but if you'd like to skip to a certain floor you need to solve a lot of puzzles that you've already seen and solved. There might be some differences in how you approach them, but nonetheless, you play this game's puzzles a LOT.
There are a few games that go so deep into meta-puzzles that it feels like a community effort is required to solve them, but what it boils down to usually is that the player will look up a solution. I never really liked or got this approach to game design, because in a puzzle game searching for said community will just likely show you tons of spoilers. If you're not already a part of some Discord, you're likely just gonna see answers and not participate in the game by being either too late or not knowing where to go. I don't mind this with games like Dark Souls, which was thought to have a mystery of the pendant, or something like that, but with a puzzle game you're just asking me to look at spoilers! At least with La-Mulana I could be sure I've seen everything before I've learned of a super secret area that's effectively a troll level.
There is a story to Void Stranger, and it seems a lot of people connect with it. Can't say I did, even if I enjoyed it. It's mostly presented with broken memories that you see after a game forcefully closes in certain rooms in yet another instance of the game just being a little too annoying. I think the overall narrative is pretty neat, but the characters and humor are a little too anime, especially when it comes to funny over-exaggerated manga-esque faces and straight-up punchline drawings which I've not liked and found annoying.
I know a lot of people love this game, and maybe if I looked at some solutions I'd be happier, but I find this to be akin to watching a playthrough of a Mario level instead of playing it. I want to solve it myself! I'm not sure the game wants to be solved, however. And in the game like that, how do you end it with a feeling of satisfaction? I still feel like there are mysteries that I just can't solve and have no hints towards.
When it comes to my favorite puzzle games, they are all very different. Tetris, obviously, is a reaction-based arcade game. Baba is You is a level-by-level rule-breaking masterpiece. La-Mulana is an open Metroidy adventure full of hints and dickish obstacles. Outer Wilds is a free-roaming space adventure that makes you feel like you're discovering something new.
If I were a Youtuber, I'd do a smash cut to saying "Void Stranger is bad", but... No, that's not true. I like the game. However, with a game like Void Stranger it's hard for your last moments with it to be pleasant ones, since you're likely going to get hopelessly stuck.
On its surface, it's a Sokoban-like puzzle about descending into a strange structure. You move on a grid and can take floor tiles and place them on pits. A simple enough mechanic that grows in complexity via the game featuring more and more elements to its levels.
This is not what Void Stranger is. It lulls you into thinking it's just a basic puzzle game before, sooner or later, pulling a rug from under you and showcasing its meta puzzles. Now, I've been playing this game for what feels like forever, so my memories are a little scrambled as to whether the player is given unsubtle hints about more game existing somewhere deep inside, or if they need to discover stranger things themselves. I do remember doing it fairly early on and being amazed, though.
I think this moment, when you realize just what you CAN do is the single greatest achievement of this game, comparable with what wowed people about Outer Wilds. However, I find it really hard to praise most other aspects.
I'm not the kind of person who thinks games should be fun. I do think that they shouldn't be tedious, though, and Void Stranger, unfortunately, is. Or rather, becomes. After you see some of the story and experience a few weird things, you begin to realize that trying something new is costly in this game. I'm not going to spoil some of game's surprises, but I will say that everything it does feels a little too long. The prime example here is that there's no fast travel. There are ways to be faster, but if you'd like to skip to a certain floor you need to solve a lot of puzzles that you've already seen and solved. There might be some differences in how you approach them, but nonetheless, you play this game's puzzles a LOT.
There are a few games that go so deep into meta-puzzles that it feels like a community effort is required to solve them, but what it boils down to usually is that the player will look up a solution. I never really liked or got this approach to game design, because in a puzzle game searching for said community will just likely show you tons of spoilers. If you're not already a part of some Discord, you're likely just gonna see answers and not participate in the game by being either too late or not knowing where to go. I don't mind this with games like Dark Souls, which was thought to have a mystery of the pendant, or something like that, but with a puzzle game you're just asking me to look at spoilers! At least with La-Mulana I could be sure I've seen everything before I've learned of a super secret area that's effectively a troll level.
There is a story to Void Stranger, and it seems a lot of people connect with it. Can't say I did, even if I enjoyed it. It's mostly presented with broken memories that you see after a game forcefully closes in certain rooms in yet another instance of the game just being a little too annoying. I think the overall narrative is pretty neat, but the characters and humor are a little too anime, especially when it comes to funny over-exaggerated manga-esque faces and straight-up punchline drawings which I've not liked and found annoying.
I know a lot of people love this game, and maybe if I looked at some solutions I'd be happier, but I find this to be akin to watching a playthrough of a Mario level instead of playing it. I want to solve it myself! I'm not sure the game wants to be solved, however. And in the game like that, how do you end it with a feeling of satisfaction? I still feel like there are mysteries that I just can't solve and have no hints towards.