It’s easy to think of specific genres when the term “arcade” is mentioned. Beat-’em-ups are kind of a given. But there are also rhythm games, shooters, and racing games. That word, though — “arcade” — definitely has multiple meanings. In the case of Post Void, “arcade” means giving it everything you’ve got before it all comes crashing down on you and it’s over. This is also in line with roguelikes, which Post Void can also be described as, but its flavor is very much rooted in its arcade influences.
The object of Post Void is simple: Run, gun, and try to survive 11 levels. You’ll make your way through quick stages, killing enemies that pop up in long hallways, large rooms, and labyrinthine passages. You can’t aim down your sights. You don’t have multiple lives. And your health — which is a white liquid seen in an idol that you hold with your left hand — is constantly depleting. Killing enemies fills it a tiny bit, but you’ve got to stay on the move, as it’s constantly draining.
The first time you play Post Void, you’ll probably last five to ten seconds. At that point, you’ll see the “game over” screen, where you’ll be able to start over. Like many other roguelikes, the game’s levels are procedurally generated, so you won’t be able to memorize layouts, either. Instead, you just have to keep trying and honing your aim and movement. As you make your way past enemies, killing them as you go, you’ll eventually reach an area with an oasis. Jump into the oasis and you’ve cleared the level.
Upon finishing a stage in Post Void, you can choose from one of three available upgrades. These include situational upgrades like slowing enemy bullets and faster backward movement to new weapons like a rapid-fire uzi or a powerful shotgun. Like the stage layouts, these upgrades are randomized, so you won’t always have access to the same ones every single time you clear a stage during different play sessions.
Gaining new upgrades makes it so that you have a better fighting chance in the next level. Though given the game’s cruel health depletion, chances are you’ll die before you make much progress at first. Of course, that’s the whole point of Post Void: You’re going to die, and you’re going to retry, and it’s all going to happen over and over again, but hopefully, you’ll improve along the way.
This is a very specific type of game, with very specific mechanics and very specific goals. You’re either going to enjoy it for what it is, or you’re going to hate it for what it’s not. And what Post Void is not is a traditional first-person shooter. If you’re looking for something like Doom or Call of Duty, you won’t find that here.
That’s fine, though, because you can always play one of those titles if you really want to. That said, given just how stylish Post Void is, it’s easy to understand why someone would want to play an FPS that looks and sounds like this, because it has a pretty dope vibe about it.
Everything in Post Void has this sort of pixelated, psychedelic look to it. It’s sludgy as hell, but it looks so freakin’ cool. It’s also loud and abrasive, with heavy rock beats playing throughout. Of course, the music might get a tad repetitive since you’re playing and replaying everything over and over in quick bursts, but it’s also super catchy.
If you want a no-nonsense roguelike shooter where death is constant and progress is a total coin toss, that’s exactly what you’re going to get with Post Void. There’s no identity crisis here — this game knows exactly what it is, and it revels in the madness it creates.
Disclaimer: I was given a review code for Post Void on Nintendo Switch, but the opinions expressed in this article are my own.
