Upon it’s release, Full Void was probably the biggest release to come out on the Evercade at the time in many ways. Certainly, it was an indie title, and it didn’t have a big name license like Duke Nukem or Tomb Raider or Banjo Kazooie to back it up, but this game was a native port, a relativity new indie game, and also got the special edition treatment. It’s also the first game to release for Evercade to come on a cart on its own and not as part of a collection.
Up until it came out, the Evercade had seen cartridges feature sometimes up to twenty games with on average most of the early releases featuring seven to thirteen games. Recently there have been an increase in two and three game carts, but what makes Full Void so special to get its own cart?
A few reasons probably. As a native port, it requires more effort than just putting an old NES or Mega Drive game on a cart and sending it out to the world. The game is also a cinematic adventure and features a lot more animation and cut scenes of sorts than you’d find on the Atari Arcade Collection. Getting a special edition release also makes this game stand out more, and this is an important step for Evercade as a platform.
Up until this point Evercade has only received old games in collections at cheap prices which create the sense of quantity equalling quality to a degree. This is the first time the platform has been able to say ‘look at this. Get the system to get this game.’
So, what is the game? Fans of things like Flashback, Another World, and the first couple of Odd World games will feel right at home with this cinematic adventure platformer.
In the game you play as an unknown teenager who is in a futuristic world with robots and monsters who seem to have enslaved mankind and kidnapped the children. To quote Helen Lovejoy oh won’t somebody please think of the children!?
You go on a rescue mission, and have to navigate your way across a scary city where you don’t want to get captured and so will require stealth and your wits to avoid detection.
I love the atmosphere of this game. So much. It gave me vibes of Invasion of the Body Snatchers as you sneak past windows where you can see silhouettes of people who seem to have been taken over.
The game is very old school in ways where you have to know the exact solution of what to do on each screen in order to progress. It’s not like Mario or Sonic where you can just run through the game and bounce around and hope for the best. Each screen must be approached with caution and is something of its own puzzle.
The game also doesn’t scroll, and this is good as it means that everything you see on the screen has been put there for a reason and isn’t just filler in between activities for you to do.
The controls are very simple. You can jump, and you can crawl and you can interact with buttons and switches but that’s pretty much it. If you attempt a jump and only just make it, you may automatically cling to the edge of a platform and have to clamber up, and you can also choose to stand at the bottom of a ledge jump up to grab hold, or press down at the edge of one to lower yourself down. Stuff like this really does have the feel of the old Prince of Persia games or things like Flashback or Heart of Darkness.
Unlike most of those older games, this is a lot more forgiving. If you get caught or fall from a great height, you’ll just restart from a checkpoint. The game also saves along the way, and it’s worth noting as an Evercade title that there isn’t a quick save option. This may be frustrating for some who are used to quick saving every few seconds on the console, but the game is forgiving enough and generous enough with checkpoints and places where it saves that you can hopefully forgive the lack of quick save.
If there was a quick save option I’m sure many players would beat this within an hour or so which would then make the solo game cart nature of the release a bit less fun. It is a short game, but it can be enjoyed in a sitting or two and feels like engaging with a movie. I was very impressed with its ability to draw me in so I just wanted to play it through from start to end.
Along the way, you meet a friendly robot helper which is the cutest robot ball since BB8 in the terrible new Star Wars movies. This ball can be controlled but has to be given instructions in stages to get it to do anything. These are some of the best puzzles on the game and remind me of Bill’s Tomato Game if anyone remembers that?
You tell the robot to move step by step on a grid across the screen. Instructions you give it are like left, left, press button, right, right, grapple hook. In one sense this feels very dated and tedious, but it also makes for a nice change of pace compared to all the modern games which would have you control the robot in real time.
The game has detailed animation, although at the same time looks like Flashback and games of the era of Monkey Island 2. It shows you that any era of gaming can now be an arts style choice.
If you own an Evercade and want a game that feels premium and new, and special on the system then get Full Void.
For those who were able to get a copy of the special edition, they also got a double sided A4 poster, although this may be the worst design of a poster I’ve ever seen. One side just shows a location from the game of a lit-up pizza restaurant sign…You also get some stickers, a seven page comic prologue that if were A4 would only be a single page in size, an artbook which is pretty good and a cardboard sleeve for the box. The cart is then a fancy blue and you get the standard full colour instruction manual which is always nice with Evercade games. To be honest, many people who bought the Limited Collector’s Edition won’t even open it, so it’s not a big deal that the bonuses aren’t all that.
The game is also available on all other major platforms, and at the time of writing it’s cheaper on everything than on Evercade. So, if you do get the Evercade Limited Edition game and don’t want to open the box, you can pick it up on Steam or PlayStation cheaper.
It’s a good game that is worth your attention. If you’re an Evercade gamer, this is an essential purchase and one of the best indie games on the system. If you have another platform this is still a great indie game that is worth your attention.
What rating would you give this game?
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