Full Void

Fantastic old school platformer, but less punitive and cryptic (I have Flashback or Heart of Darkness in mind). Still, the stiff controls and die/retry loops may not be for everybody. Narrative design, even without text, is also top-notch, and I found the art more impressive than most souless realistics AAAs.

Let me say this first: this was not my type of game. I did not enjoy the gameplay, the controls were a clunky sometimes and the ending was unsatisfying. However, the graphics were well-done, same with the atmosphere. For this reason, I can't say I would not recommend this game to someone who enjoys these types of games.

Fans of Amiga classics like Flashback or Another World will instantly feel at home with this game and will know exactly what to expect. Anyone else needs to read the full review to decide whether or not it's for them.

First of all, the graphics do a fantastic job of capturing the 16 bit era. Lovely detailed sprites and backdrops really invoke a sense of nostalgia. The same is true for the sound effects.

The gameplay is also strong with an intriguing plot that pulls you in. For much of the game, your objective is not clear - you just know you have to keep going and escaping the dangers you face. As you progress, you uncover little clues which prick your interest further, before you finally uncover exactly what is happening. Plotting is well-paced and tight.

The game itself is a puzzle-platformer that will be instantly familiar to older gamers - pixel perfect leaping, precise timing to escape hazards and lots of use of switch mechanics to unblock the way forwards. There's nothing revolutionary here, but it's all really well implemented.

BUT (and it's a big but), you need to be patient because throughout the game, you will die a lot. Touch water? You die. Mis-time a jump? You die. Fall too far? You die. Don't run fast enough.... you get the picture. Thanks to the game's plot, mechanics and liberal use of save points this never gets too frustrating, but if you're type of person who hates frequent (often hidden) deaths, this isn't the game for you. Personally, I enjoyed it - each time you die, you learn how to do better next time and the game somehow never feels unfair, even when it is! I was completely addicted and played it until I uncovered the whole plot.

The other thing to be aware of is the playing time. The game is very short (the frequent deaths are partly there to mask this). The playing time logged at the point of this review(around 3 hours) is how long it took me to complete the main game (although not to complete all achievements). It's not a long game by any stretch of the imagination and once you know what you're doing, you can probably play through from beginning to end in around an hour. Still, I'd rather play a short, well-put together game like this than one which feels drawn out and becomes a grind to play

If you're happy to accept the frequent deaths and short play time, Full Void comes highly recommended. Easily one of the best games I've played in 2024.

A small sized cinematic platformer that you can finish in about 3 hours. It's incredibly on point when it comes to recreating the vibe of the 16bit wave of the genre. I think it could've gone for longer, specially since the last third of the game is when it starts introducing more original imagery and situations. It's consistently good, but nothing outstanding.
If the developers keep making cinematic platformers in this vein, I bet they could make a classic. They just need to cut down the time you spend in ventilation vents, focus more on dynamic/original situations, and double the length. As it is, Full Void is neat. A nice time. I would easily recommend it if you crave a game in the same gameplay and visual style as Flashback and company. Could've been more, but it's still really cool to get a game like this when Inside/Planet of Lana and other modern approaches are dominating the subgenre.

I'm a bit ambivalent. On the one hand, the story is somewhat exciting, but totally straight forward, which in turn restricts it and makes it tedious. The pixel art and probably hand-drawn animation is quite nice, so I can only support the devs with a positive rating.

this game is sooo good. reminded me of another world. also very impressive that the entire game is just 46 mb! great job devs!

Really fun game, but short. Graphics brought me back to a past era in a great way, fun puzzles. Probably wait for a sale: it only took me ~2 hours to beat.