Unique and interesting game, might be worth looking at: The Void

[CurseTheSky]

I just saw this on Steam for $20 (released in April 2008 in Russia, available on Steam as of December 16th 2009), took a look at the screenshots, and was intrigued. It's rated 80/100 by Metacritic, and 7/10, 80ish/100, and "A" by various other reviewers.

Here's a review: http://www.incgamers.com/Reviews/971/the-void-pc-review

For those of you who don't want to read through a two-page review, it's a first-person game that takes place after your death, set in "The Void," which is a bleak and gloomy sort of Limbo. There's a single resource called "Color," which is sought after by all in The Void, and can apparently help you to return yourself to life and escape fading into non-existence. So, you're tasked with collecting Color, but just about any interactions in order to collect Color or ward off predators consumes Color. So, you're stuck balancing your actions while appeasing seductive "Sisters" and avoiding or battling monstrous "Brothers." Apparently the atmosphere is excellent, and the translations / voice acting is very good. The only major complaint I've read is that you may find yourself stuck in a situation that requires loading up from a previous save (possibly a save from a long time ago), for example by using up too much Color and not having enough to complete a task.

Overall, it sounds completely different from any other game I've heard of, and really could be a breath of fresh air. I think I'm going to grab it and see how it is.

Here's the link to the game on Steam: http://store.steampowered.com/app/37000/. There's a trailer on Steam as well, but I won't link it due to (somewhat minor) nudity.

 

[Joemonkey]

the trailer really didn't explain much, looks interesting but would really prefer a demo so I had some idea WTF was going on. from the review, this doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me...

"The colour can be harvested in numerous ways. Small flowers will sprout naturally inside chambers every 'cycle', and can be taken for minimal reward. In order to cultivate higher yields, it's possible to paint trees in garden areas with a special glyph (drawn on-screen using the mouse), infusing the plant with colour that will blossom over the next handful of cycles. As the game progresses, other methods, with their own specific glyphs, become available - such as extracting colour from seams deep within rock faces, or catching shy fireflies. Whatever methods you choose, there will never seem to be enough. It certainly doesn't help that rogue Brothers can invade your precious garden chambers and bleed them of colour; though traps can be left to dissuade them. The traps, of course, require colour as well."

 

[totalnoob]

looks cool but $20 is too much for an Indie game. If they'd drop it to $5, sales would probably go up 1000X.

 

[GodlessAstronomer]

looks cool but $20 is too much for an Indie game. If they'd drop it to $5, sales would probably go up 1000X.

Yup

 

[CurseTheSky]

After playing for a couple of hours, I can say that it's definitely unique - more of a puzzle game with fantasy and FPS elements mixed in than anything else - and definitely hard.

For anyone that considers getting it, read up on some guides (if you can find them) before starting or you'll get frustrated and quit. Just don't read too much or it'll ruin the game on you.

 

[ixelion]

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2019171&highlight=