Void Bastards is a roguelike spaceship simulator that asks you to manage a crew of misfits, scavenge for supplies, and fight off enemies across a series of randomized planets. It is also one of the strangest games about space I have played. The game was developed by DrinkBox Studios, and it trades traditional combat for a system where you manage health, food, oxygen, and morale while navigating a ship that is mostly broken.
The premise is simple. You are the captain of a derelict spacecraft, and your goal is to survive long enough to reach the next planet. Each run is a new story, built from a combination of procedurally generated rooms, enemy encounters, and environmental hazards. The game is available on PS4, PC, Mac, and Xbox One, and it has an IGDB aggregate score of 8.1 out of 10.
Trailer, via Blue Manchu.
The Crew of Misfits
Your crew is the heart of Void Bastards. Each member has a unique personality, a set of skills, and a backstory that unfolds through text logs you find scattered across the game’s worlds. Some are friendly, some are paranoid, and some are just plain weird. They include a former soldier, a disgraced scientist, and a talking cat named Mr. Whiskers, who offers advice that ranges from helpful to hilariously useless.
The crew members are not just flavor. Their skills affect how you solve puzzles and overcome obstacles. One character might be able to repair systems faster, while another can spot hidden dangers. Managing them is a constant juggling act, especially when you have to decide who lives and who dies when resources run low.
Managing the Ship
The ship itself is a hodgepodge of scavenged parts, duct tape, and jury-rigged systems. You spend most of your time in the cockpit, moving from room to room, fixing leaks, refilling oxygen, and patching up damage. The game tracks four main resources:
- Health: repairs from scrap and medical supplies
- Food: ration packs and edible plants found on planets
- Oxygen: tanks and air scrubbers to keep the crew breathing
- Morale: entertainment, clean clothes, and a sense of purpose
Each resource interacts with the others. Running low on food lowers morale, which makes your crew less effective. Running low on oxygen kills everyone instantly. The game does not hold your hand. There is no tutorial telling you how much of each resource you need. You learn by dying.
The game does not hold your hand. There is no tutorial telling you how much of each resource you need. You learn by dying.
The Randomized Planets
Void Bastards generates its levels dynamically, so each planet looks and feels different. Some are lush with vegetation, others are industrial wastelands, and some are purely abstract, filled with floating rocks and strange structures. The variety is impressive, and it keeps the game from feeling repetitive.
Each planet also contains a set of challenges. You might have to navigate a maze of corridors, avoid patrolling drones, or hack into a security system. The puzzles are clever, and they often require you to think creatively about your current resources. One level might force you to use a stolen security code to open a door, while another might require you to feed your crew a rare plant to boost morale.
Combat Is a Last Resort
Combat in Void Bastards is not the focus. You can avoid most fights by sneaking past enemies or hacking doors. When you do engage, the battles are quick and chaotic, with you commanding your crew to fire weapons while dodging incoming projectiles. The combat is serviceable, but it is not the reason you play.
The game’s real tension comes from managing your resources and making difficult decisions. Should you spend your last health pack on a wounded crew member, or save it for later? Should you risk entering a dangerous area to find better supplies, or play it safe and stick to the obvious path? These choices make each run feel personal, even though the game is entirely randomized.
The Humor
Void Bastards is not a serious game. It is absurd, darkly comic, and often very silly. The humor comes from the characters, the situations, and the way the game subverts expectations. For example, one planet is filled with giant insects, and the game tells you that they are harmless. That is until you touch one.
The game also features a running commentary from a narrator who comments on your actions. He is snarky, sarcastic, and occasionally helpful. His jokes land about half the time, but when they do, they are genuinely funny. The tone is consistent throughout, and it helps sell the game’s world as a place that is both hostile and strangely welcoming.
Performance Across Platforms
Void Bastards runs well on all its platforms, but the experience differs slightly depending on what you have. The PC version offers the best performance, with fast loading times and smooth frame rates. The PS4 version is solid but can suffer from occasional slowdown during busy moments. The Mac version is a close match to the PC build, though it can lag in demanding sections.
The Xbox One version is the weakest link. It struggles with frame rate dips and longer load times, which can break the flow of a run. If you have a choice, the PC or Mac versions are the way to go. The game supports multiplayer, though it is limited to a few modes and is not the centerpiece of the experience.
Where It Falls Short
Void Bastards is not perfect. The game’s difficulty spikes can feel unfair, especially when you lose due to a random event you could not predict. Some runs feel like a waste of time, and the game does not always communicate why you died. The lack of a proper save system means you lose progress if you quit mid-run, which can be frustrating after a long session.
The game also lacks a strong sense of progression. While you unlock new tools and abilities over time, the core loop does not change significantly from the first hour to the last. This means that after dozens of hours, the game starts to feel repetitive, even with the randomized content.
Final Verdict
Void Bastards is a creative, challenging, and often hilarious game that rewards patience and planning. Its crew management system is one of the best I have seen in a roguelike, and the randomized planets keep it fresh. The humor lands more often than it misses, and the game’s willingness to be absurd sets it apart from other sci-fi adventures.
It is not a game for everyone. Players who want a straightforward action experience will find the pacing slow, and those who dislike management systems will struggle with the complexity. But for those who enjoy thinking about their decisions, Void Bastards is a standout.
The game’s score of 8.1 out of 10 reflects the aggregate judgment of critics, not my own view of its strengths and weaknesses. It is a game that demands attention and offers a payoff, but it is not without its flaws. It is a bold experiment that mostly succeeds, and it deserves credit for trying something different in a genre full of similar titles.
If you have the time and the patience, Void Bastards is worth playing. It is a game that respects your intelligence and rewards your curiosity. Just remember to keep your crew alive.
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