Void Bastards Switch Review

What did you call me?

Void Bastards is on Switch. It’s one of those games that, upon seeing it existed in the first place, was immediately met with the chant of “Switch when?!”. There’s a good reason for that too, just look at the original review we did of Void Bastards when it first released. It’s fair to say that the reviewer loved it thanks to the slick gameplay, stunning visuals, and great sense of humour.

I love it too, and the gameplay translates perfectly onto the Switch, albeit with slightly longer loading times. I won’t retread much of the same ground as our excellent first review, but I do want to talk about my experience with it… obviously, that’s kind of the point of a review.

Comics Zone

So, I’m going to start with the visuals. Having seen screenshots of the game, you might think you know how good this game looks, but you’re wrong. Seeing Void Bastards in motion is lacking watching ink drip off of a comic book onto your floor, and then watching, mouth open, as it reforms itself into a series of moving images before your very eyes. It is, without a doubt, one of the best uses of cel-shading I have ever seen in gaming. It will look as good in 300 years as it does now, and the Switch fits this stylised visual flair perfectly thanks to its lack of power.

Often with multiplatform games, you find yourself very aware of the console’s limitations when playing the Switch iteration. That’s not an issue here, because the style of the game isn’t power-based, it’s magic. I don’t think there is a better-looking Switch game, and yes, I have played Breath of the Wild.

Dr Jan Itor

The gameplay is wonderful too. The light survival elements are great, and having to hunt for resources, or not having to hunt for them, turns each ship into an opportunity instead of a chore. The guns could feel better, in my opinion, but the strategy that goes into a lot of fights helps to offset that and keep each fight interesting.

I do feel a little bad gunning down the janitors and low-level workers aboard the ships you invade, but much less so when up against one of the many enemies that won’t stop shouting at me. I still thoroughly enjoy taking out the turrets in clever ways, even if they don’t seem to be quite as into the fight as I am.

Got any staples

The unlock system is great too, with you crafting new bits of kit as you scavenge the relevant parts off of the ships you find. It makes every little excursion outside of your ship worthwhile, and the fact that each one is procedurally generated means they’re always a lot of fun to explore too.

Overall, Void Bastards isn’t just a beautiful-looking game, but one that is incredibly entertaining to play. It mixes humour, style, and a good mix of stealth and action gameplay to make for something unique and well worth your time. It doesn’t last as long as some roguelikes out there, but its campaign is still well worth playing through at least once.

[Reviewed on Nintendo Switch]