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• gamedeal user

  Oct 29, 2015

  This review refers to episode 1 at launch: Void and Meddler makes a messy first impression. It relies heavily on its writing, and yet that writing has not been edited and polished. It’s hard to go ten minutes through this game without coming across a jarring grammar error or a typo. This is of course something which can be fixed, and would raise the overall rating of the game a good 5% on its own. The writing is also “purple prose”--as in, it’s ornately written, all the time, with little clean text in between to make metaphors stand out. This is clearly meant to be a tool to create dreamlike atmosphere. The problem is, even dreams have solid parts which lure you to think that they are real. I think that the writing could use more solid parts to achieve that effect. Of course, the main draw of the game is its atmosphere. The artwork and music take every opportunity to exude atmosphere. “Blade Runner” (the movie, not the game) with dirtier undertones, essentially. If that attracts your attention, then it’s probably worth getting. That’s only atmosphere, though, not story. If you’re looking for a story arc and good puzzles, this is probably not the point and click to pick up. It doesn’t strive for a story arc, and the puzzles are barely puzzles at all.
• gamedeal user

  Nov 9, 2015

  Void and Meddler contains a lot of things that I love - Cyberpunk, adventure and queer/trans elements, but sadly that doesn't stop the game from falling into a few pitfalls of bad Point and Click adventures, as well as few of its own problems. Credit where it's due, the art in this game is lovely, especially the backgrounds which have a gorgeous colour palette that create fantastic atmosphere. The characters themselves are pixel art and while it's an artstyle you've seen before many times in indie games, it still looks nice. As well as being visually pleasing, the soundtrack too is very good and suitable for a Cyberpunk adventure. It's similar to Hotline Miami's in some places, which is wonderful. A lot of bad Point and Click games share the same flaws - the objective isn't inherent, which means you'll spend a lot of time just clicking things or go look up a walkthrough and that can happen here. Another is that while a puzzle or item combination may make sense in the head of the game designer, to a player it's completely unobvious. Some spoilers but let's go through one I just did; there's a guy at the arcade who will exchange drugs for an item that belonged to a famous person. At the beginning, you can get a rubber duck from your bathroom and outside a nightclub, there's a bottle of smelly liquid in a hobo's corner. Combine the two to get a dirty duck and you give it to the guy, lying about what the item is. Maybe I missed some things in game, but I'd gone to every location and looked around properly before reading the Steam Discussions forum for this but I honestly have no idea how you would link the two items together on your own. I'm not finished with this game and if similar puzzles later on in the game are like this, I probably won't do so. The game mentions itself being non-linear in the Steam description and I honestly do not think that's a good thing for Point and Click games. Now hear me out, I'm not saying it shouldn't be done - having multiple solutions to a puzzle or way to progress the story is a really good idea that adds replay value and suits different play styles but if you're going to be open, then please make it more obvious what you have to do or how to progress, because otherwise it only means I have to click more random shit in hopes of moving forward. The main character is not likeable in the slightest and just constantly acts incredibly shitty without even a drop of remorse. Once again, spoilers, but you want to distract a person who works at the arcade. There's a guy plugged into a machine, dancing. You fry his brain by insulting him and saying it's his fault his girlfriend left. The writing overall is okay but as others have mentioned, comes across as trying too hard to be edgy which explains Fyn's attitude. I'm going to continue playing Void and Meddler, because I feel like I should give it more of a chance. It has the potential to be an amazing game and I hope it gets there.
• gamedeal user

  Nov 10, 2015

  The art, the music, and the way they come together to create a gloomy, oppressive, nihilistic, 'true' cyberpunk atmosphere are fantastic, and I enjoyed checking this episode out for that reason. I do think the writing is where it mis-steps (not helped by a somewhat artless translation). Although it's ambitious and stylistic in its noirish, eurocomic-esque cynical poetry, It feels teenaged and strained, often not really achieving what it's going for or making much impact beyond the surface. It would be easier to swallow if it didn't fall prey to the classic problem(s) of classic-style point-and-click adventure games. The solutions feel arbitrary and come down to clicking every option on every thing, with the game's sullen attitude to the player and its world just becoming irksome as it chides you with every attempt you make to progress, Having said that some of the game's wry responses and the over-the-top degeneracy of the protagonist and world did get a few chuckles out of me. I think there's potential for this to be built upon in later episodes which makes me not want to give up on it yet. And just to emphasize again, the art and music really are fantastic and worth seeing!
• gamedeal user

  Dec 6, 2015

  I really enjoyed Void and Meddler, and I'll get into why at the end of this review, but first I think I should list a few major caveats: 1. This is an adventure game, and it indulges in some of the worst elements of the genre; i.e. the puzzles tend to involve combing over every single screen and interacting with everything in every possible way until something actually happens. It's also obscure enough that there are no walkthroughs online yet, so have fun getting all the achievements! (I managed it with some help from the Steam forums). The game also features multiple ways to progress at points, which can be a little confusing when you're trying to figure out what to do with the items in your inventory, since they're not all actually necessary. (Using different items can lead you to different endings for each of the two "acts" in episode 1; bizarrely, the standard ending of act two is far more counter-intuitive than the "hard" ending). 2. This is episode 1 of a longer story; as such, the ending is pretty abrupt. Actually, the plot in generally is pretty incoherent. I didn't actually have a problem with that, as I'll explain below, but if you go into this one expecting a clear story, you'll likely be disappointed. So, why did I like this strange, flawed little game so much? Well, the atmosphere is truly fantastic. I'm a big cyberpunk fan, and the visuals and and music here do an incredible job of conveying that classic dark cyberpunk atmosphere (seriously, the soundtrack is AMAZING). The writing sometimes feels like it's trying too hard to be edgy, and sometimes feels like it's been badly translated, but there are also wonderful moments of humor too, and the overall effect is wonderfully hypnotic. It's one of those games that makes you feel like you've really stepped into another world, one where you barely have any idea what's going on, and that fits perfectly with the main character's hazy detachment from reality. I loved existing in this world; I loved playing as Fyn, who is one of those cyberpunk protagonists who's always starving and strung out and lurking around in grimy clubs and working dead-end jobs just to get by. If you're a fan of the genre, Void and Meddler is definitely worth checking out; just be aware of its flaws before you buy.
• gamedeal user

  Dec 22, 2015

  Pros - Gorgeous graphics - Sweet soundtrack - Interesting, and very surreal cyberpunk story. - Multiple ways to solve puzzles and progress to the end of the game. Cons - Some of the writing is a little over the top - The puzzles are a bit obscure at times, like a lot of adventure games I guess. I'd recommend this game if you're wanting something quiet and peaceful to do. Looking forward to the next episode!
• gamedeal user

  Mar 23, 2016

  Void and Meddler has an amazing Cyber Punk feel that I haven’t seen done that well for a long time, at least as an adventure game. There is a big Bladerunner heart pumping all over! Therefore, I highly enjoyed it! The graphics are pure sweet burning eye candy, creating goose bumps in combination with the music. So make sure you get the soundtrack, as well! Though be aware that the game isn't that long. I'm about 100 minutes into the game and the episode already ended. But!!! You have three different paths you can choose – unfortunately that wasn't really visible to me. I only recognized the possibility after I checked the achievements and did some research. They should at least give you a hint about that, after you finished the game. Sadly, the same goes for the puzzles: They didn't feel neither fun nor new. I mostly hated them, solving them by trial and error. I also did a lot of unnecessary walking. There are not much puzzles, though, but I got stuck several times and walking made it really hard to keep patient. For me the game felt good enough to wait for the next episode, because it has a really amazing, tight atmosphere. Nonetheless, I hope the next episode might have more to offer, like more interesting characters (that actually talk to me) or that the story is more focused. The character can sometimes feel a bit too 'Whatever', which makes it a bit hard to really feel for her and not dump her and explore the city on your own ;) But fans of adventure games and cyber punk will find a friend in the game, come what may!
• gamedeal user

  Jul 15, 2016

  [b]Void & Meddler is a cautionary tale to any who might choose to meddle with the void: style is no substitute for substance, and a story cannot survive a central vacuum.[/b] Mechanically, the game is unremarkable, a fairly linear point and click adventure. The puzzles are simple, though sometimes nonsensical. Aesthetically, there is a lot to praise - a strong visual style with rich use of light and shadow, a simple yet flavourful soundtrack, crisp details - the cyberpunk setting really comes together. Unfortunately, the powerful setting and solid mechanics are in the service of a game which is not enjoyable. Fyn, the protagonist, lacks both empathy and any measure of self-awareness, which renders play somewhat unpleasant. The dialog is disjointed, repetitive, and at times painfully derivative, unintentionally reflecting the shallowness of the protagonist in musical references and nihilistic cliches. The plot itself, already hampered by Fyn and the dialog, is uneven and underdeveloped. Void & Meddler touches upon well-established cyberpunk tropes and themes, but in an exploitative manner, without any discussion or - in some cases - reason. It is hard to pan a game at all, let alone one which clearly has so much earnest effort behind it, but I would counsel most to avoid Void & Meddler. You [i]may[/i] like it if you are a fan of cyberpunk and neo-noir from a stylistic perspective, particularly if the sociopathy of the protagonist is no barrier.
• gamedeal user

  Apr 2, 2017

  Just like many of the negative reviews say, this game is good in aestheticism but disappointing in gameplay. The artwork and the music certainly deserve a praise. This game depicts a world with neon lights, cold rain, high tech, multi-ethnic and lots of things you can find in a cyberpunk world. What I love the most is the verisimilitude of the effect of the raindrop rolling down the screen. So when I first got into this game, these just had me "wow!". Then it came the disappointment. The writing is the major shortcoming for me. The developers tried to make Fyn, the protagonist, sound cool. But those lines came out from her mouth just made her sound like a high school dropout punk girl who try to be cool but end up obnoxious. Those 'coolness' was full of act. As for the story, there wasn't a solid story. And if you don't look up the walkthrough, you won't get to know what to do next. Plus, the character walks way too slow. When she is outside the condo, it just takes too long for her to get to the other end. I wonder if the developers couldn't get her walk a little bit faster, then why they made this scene so big so that she could not pass by soon? Overall Art 9/10 Music 9/10 Story and characters 6/10 Gameplay 7/10 If you don't like cyberpunk, there is no need to check out this game. It is like the recent movie Ghost in the Shell ----- a shallow kernel in a marvellous cyberpunk setting.
• gamedeal user

  Apr 24, 2017

  I really, really wanted to like this game. On paper, it's basically my dream game. The graphics are gorgeous. The music is nice but very repetitive. The world building, what I saw of it, was great. I want to play a game in this world. But not this one. I feel like this game should have been built on Ginsberg's Howl and Kerouac's On The Road and instead I got Camus' The Stranger. Everything feels disjointed and like nothing happens for a reason. I'm down with that, that's very mid-century existentialist. But it also feels very pointless and dead. Where Kerouac saw a world without purpose and decided to make his own purpose, Camus' protagonist Meursault, and Void and Meddler's protagonist, see a world without purpose and decide to be pointlessly cruel. It's not fun, but I've played and enjoyed many artsy games that were not fun. This is both not fun, and bad philosophy. Enjoy the screenshots and play something else.
• gamedeal user

  Jun 26, 2017

  Recommended with reservations (after completing Episode 1). Void and Meddler has a gorgeous aesthetic. The beautiful graphics and music combine to create a lovely cyberpunk city populated with the best kind of strange characters. Regular humans, humans with horns, cat people, bird people, and others all intermix beneath the neon lights. It's a unique and refreshing setting, and I find myself wanting to explore more of it. The game looks even better in play than in screenshots. Void and Meddler grows on you. There are amusing and clever bits that you discover throughout. The first "quest" is to turn on some music to relax, and of course the protagonist's relaxing music is the most horrendous noise. There are different ways to finish each act, and the way you pick describes the character you're playing - a violent solution paints a violent character, while a clever solution a clever one. The protagonist is unsympathetic, which makes for an unusual game. You can do something really awful in Episode 1, which I found horribly distasteful, but who could I blame? Sure, the devs coded it in, and the protagonist carried out the action, but I was in control - I was the one who chose to do something I knew was wrong, that I didn't have to do to advance the story, so who can I blame other than myself for the awful outcome? Where Spec Ops' nastiness was forced, here it was optional - I didn't have to turn off the game to make it stop, I merely had to find another way to advance. The writing was a mixed bag. The descriptions of people and things were often lovely, but the sometimes long monologues upon visiting a location for the first time seemed unnecessary and out of place. It seemed that the writing was trying too hard at times, and worked better when it wasn't. Part of it is expectations - I expect a description when I examine an item, I don't expect a monologue when I arrive at a new place. Other reviews mention the walking speed, but it seemed perfectly fine to me, and at times beautifully synchronized with the music. Episode 1 does lack quick transitions for double-clicking on an exit, but that is added in Episode 2. Unfortunately, despite looking into the future for its setting, Void and Meddler brings with it frustrations from Point & Click Adventure past. There is little direction, though it's partially forgivable given that the protagonist is supposed to be aimlessly stumbling her way through the night. I was able to get through the normal ending of Episode 1 without a guide - relying on just stumbling around, clicking on everything, talking to everyone, picking up everything in sight. But the alternate and hard endings to Episode 1 require leaps of logic that seem impossible without a guide - having to examine or use the same item twice, trying to pick up things you'd never think to pick up, combining items without any reason or explanation for doing so. I'm not sure if Episode 2 improves on it yet. So I recommend Void and Meddler, but with reservations. If you like cyberpunk and unique games, and don't mind having to blindly stumble around or use a guide to get through the illogical puzzles, you'll find a lovely neon city to explore and bizarre characters to encounter. The visuals and music are a potent and delightful combination, and the setting is refreshing and begging to be explored. Also, note that you do not need to purchase the Deluxe edition if you don't care about the soundtrack. The Season Pass includes all the episodes, and is less than half the price of the Deluxe edition.