Reviews

• gamedeal user

  Jan 11, 2015

  More of a proof of concept than a game, this is a bare bones 3d platformer with a simple twist: you can create temporary platforms underneath you to stop you from falling. Left click drops a green platform and right click drops a blue platform. The green platform is a stepping stone. The blue platform is a springboard that launches you into the air. The levels are small but have a great deal of verticality to them. There are collectables to pick up along the way but the goal is to find and press a sequence of red buttons which will open a gateway to the next level. It plays and feels a bit like Portal sans portal gun mechanics. You can finish Over the Void in well under an hour, with most of that time spent looking down as you tend to fixate on the platforms you create rather than the brilliantly bizaare and colourful environments. You will regularly bump your head on ceilings and floating objects that you never see until they are below you. The game experience generally does not feel structured. The ability to launch yourself into the air with the click of a mouse button precludes the possibility of having platforming puzzles. You never wonder how you can climb your way through a level and your platforming ability is never tested because you can prevent a fall at any time. Whereas Portal felt like a 3d puzzle game, this does not. I adored the aesthetic and the music, despite the platforming mechanics affording you little time and space to appreciate your surroundings. Over the Void works well as a 10 minute distraction every now and then but don't expect anything as substantial as a game or you will be disappointed.
• gamedeal user

  Nov 13, 2014

  This game gave me what I was looking for, gameplay and objective are quite simple to understand, so I felt free to explore astonishing environments while playing. Moreover Music and graphics goes very well together, I had a very pleasant time.
• gamedeal user

  Jan 4, 2015

  [b][u]Context[/u][/b] Over the Void is more of an atmospheric art piece than a game. You have several levels to explore, with a few game elements to guide you through them. You also have a somewhat free movement to complement it all. Overall, I don't think it succeeds as a game, but is certainly a very nice experience. If you want something to simply jump into and be immersed in, I think this is very good! You'll navigate a very expressionist world, with huge, abstract architecture, all backed up by a very nice and soothing electronic soundtrack. If this sounds good to you, give it a go! I've taken one hour in my first play-through, and about half of that on my second. It's short, but it's the type of platform that you can easily revisit just to relax and look around, if you're into that. [b][u]Presentation[/u][/b] This is undoubtedly the most important aspect of the game. This is something you play for the audio-visual experience, and not for the challenge or the story. So, how exactly does it compell the player? Well, looking at the screenshots, you can have a very good idea of it. It looks amazing! It uses shape and color in a very unique way, and the scale makes you feel tiny, in a good way. Just moving around feels good, in this game. It's not without its faults, however. I have a relatively small complaint just regarding the visuals: [b][i]Levels feel a bit inconsistent[/i][/b] The first few levels take a very simplistic stance, but one that makes each level feel very unique and gives off a completely different vibe. Later levels, however, feel a bit too [i]full[/i], regarding both the colors, geometry, and particles effects. Those levels still look very good, don't get me wrong, but they're not quite as astonishing and the first ones. Regarding the [b]music[/b] and [b]sound-effects[/b], I have a similar perspective. First off, they fit the overall experience very well, and are certainly pleasant to the ear. I'm not into electronic music, for the most part, but I still enjoyed this a great deal. A very nice detail of how the sound ties with the visuals, is the way some of the objects and particle effects pulse with the music, as well as your jumps emit a fitting sound-effect. Neatly done, so far. I do have a problem with the sound design, however. While it may seem very minor, I think it makes a big impact on the experience, but is also easily fixed. [b][i]Pausing in the musics breaks the flow of the game[/i][/b] Both upon dying, and finishing a level, the music completely stops. In a game about immersing yourself in the levels it creates an unwelcome dissonance, in my opinion. When you die, the music of the level simply restarts. When finishing a level, the music stops, and a new song starts on the next nevel, which loads very fast, without a loading screen (a way of loading that would contribute to the immersion, if not for the music). There are as many games that fall into this as there are those who overcome this issue. FTL, the Bit Trip Series, Thomas Was Alone, and even Super Meat Boy are but examples of how to do it well. Making music flow continuously is fairly easy to do and does wonders to the game, in my opinion! Regardless of the issues that I point out, I think that the game is definitely worth playing for the presentation alone. It's not perfect, but I find it unique, and more games are certainly welcome to improve this style. [b][u]General Structure[/u][/b] Now, I'll look at Over the Void as a game. As I said, the you go through various level, all with the same objective: opening the void to progress to the next level. You do it by pressing buttons throughout the stages. There's no story or objectives for you to complete, necessarily, and each level is self-contained. You also have a counter on the top right of the screen, with x/50. This refers to several Orbs spread around the levels (in this case, not self-contained). They serve absolutely no purpose that I saw, aside from being yet another way of guiding you through the beautiful levels. I've also ended up with 51/50. As far as I can see, the game elements are very artificial, serving as a vehicle for the player to look at the environment. Take that as you will. Another issue (which isn't crucial, but would have benefitted the game if it had been done differently) is the lack of an ending altogether. I realize that there's no build-up to it, per se, but the last level simply leads to the credits screen without any kind of aknowledgement of the player's actions. I would have enjoyed something like what Antichamber did, even. Just a small animated section, some little detail about [i]The Void[/i]. There's nothing. It's fine, but the addition would make it more charming, in my opinion. [b][u]Movement and General Gameplay[/u][/b] Now that you have an idea of what to do, here's how to do it. You can walk, jump (pretty high) and create 2 types of platforms: solid, and bouncy. These platforms disappear as you go away from them, or when you press K to destroy them all. Basically, you simply place these platforms in front, or under you, and you go everywhere you want. The game's gravity isn't too strong, giving the player more liberty. It also features more vertical gameplay than horizontal. About 95% of the time, you'll be moving through your own platforms, rather than using the game's structures. Aside from this, there are 2 hazards, so to speak. One, is air bubbles that push you up, slowly, and the other is downwards wind, to push you down strongly. [b][i]It tries a bit too hard to be considered a game[/i][/b] Personally, these 2 shouldn't be there at all. Yet another "game element" that doesn't seem to have been thought out from the beginning, but as a way of making Over the Void a "game". The biggest problem I have with it, is the way it tries to feel more like a game, but being rather unsuccessful. You die when you go off the limits of the level (sometimes too high, altough it's rare, as you're mostly confined), or going into the void (or water) below you. The air bubbles serve more as an aid, and are there to change up your movement feeling. The wind, is there to kill you, and increase the challenge. However, this challenge comes more as an annoyance, as it doesn't add to the overall experience. You'll simply have to use your platforms to go around it... Meh. [b][i]How the level design could have gone hand in hand with the art...[/i][/b] As I've said, the game elements feel forced. But there was a way of taking the strong point of games AND the twisted architecture and make it into one cohesive experience. This is a 3D platformer. And some parts of the levels work pretty well for you player to walk around and jump from one point to another (although not for anything significant - you can jump around a bit, but it never leads anywhere). But since you always have access to platforms, it's much easier to navigate that way. With more work and thought put into it, you could use the twisting architecture as platforms, and have the player work through it to reach a given button. There, it would be easier to integrate the hazards into the level design, and have it fit well. Some parts the player would float to reach higher places, while trying to avoid the strong winds. That would require a whole redesign of a game, which isn't to be expected, of course. Just brainstorming, here. Constantly looking down is also a downside to it. Exploration and Navigation are almost mutually exclusive. Aside from these, the games works well, for me most part. It has a few technical issues like getting stuck between platforms, some visual clipping, the game not responding after you Alt-Tab, and also a major lag issue in the second level (only). These are all easy to ignore, though, in favor of the beautiful environments! This review may seem too negative, but I enjoyed it a lot! Please, take it as constructive criticism. Try it!
• gamedeal user

  Nov 19, 2014

  A majestic game, where a simple gameplay allows you to challenge gravity while wandering in a cosmic universe. The music is amazing, environments stunning, spending a few minutes/hours in the game is the best way to relax and empty your head. Congratulations Marie!
• gamedeal user

  Dec 23, 2014

  tldr: colourful platformer that gets boring really fast. start was feeling good but the concept became boring very fast. i also felt like the movement was a little bit slow in later stages of the game. additionally you cant change the preset keybindings to better ones than QSDZ for movement. especially the Z movement is kinda annoying for european keyboards. gametime was really low with < 1hour for me. discovered one bug in that gametime. only positive things in my opinion are the colourful design of the levels and the music (both are my taste and it can differ for you)
• gamedeal user

  Jun 16, 2018

  I enjoyed visuals and soundtrack a lot! For sure, game is not for everyone, mainly for artsy people. Totally recommended playing after watching the movie [b]"Enter the Void"[/b]. Dreamy, trippy and beautiful journey. Go collect all 50 orbs. 8/10