In 2018, it takes a lot to make a roguelike interesting. Void Bastards is one of those games that is trying to shake up the genre. It’s a strategy focused first-person shooter and will have you looting space stations and crafting wacky weapons while trying to stay alive. If you happen to die, your backpack just pops off and returns home to clip onto the next lucky recruit. It’s also launching on Xbox Game Pass when it comes out in early 2019.
The game is attempting to be strategic by making every goal about more than annihilating everyone you meet. You have to scavenge what you can from each station and try to escape to repair your own ship and escape the nebula. Space stations have realistic systems, so you can blow enemies out of the airlock or hack the security panel to bypass defenses. Void Bastards features a 15-hour single player campaign where you’ll be working towards your final escape using whatever resources you can find.
The voice in the trailer is the announcer and might ring a bell or two for some people. One of the most recognizable narrators in all of gaming, Kevan Brighting will guide you through your adventure. You might not recognize the name, but you will recognize his work at the heart and soul of The Stanley Parable. Outside of that, Kevan has only worked in a few other games, most notably offering his services as an alternate announcer for DOTA 2.
Blue Manchu previously made their name as the developer of Card Hunter, a free to play collectible card game that derives its theme from tabletop gaming. It is a drastic change of pace, which the studio acknowledged.
“After learning to build persistent online free-to-play games, we’re following that up with a single-player first-person shooter—because why not?” the studio said in a statement.
