Post Void | PS4 Review

Post Void is a fever pitched and frenzied futile fight to the finish. A flashy first person shooter centered around a man/being longing for peace in the void, and a new beginning from within. Carrying a bleeding head in hand that is the life essence, and a gun with which he can kill and refill said life source the man/being ventures forth against all odds in an attempt to make it to the end of his suffering. Not pausing in his efforts, but relentlessly running forth against the clock and against the loss of life itself.

As challenging as "Post Void" is, and as simple a gameplay concept as it might be completing the eleven levels contained within might just be impossible. As you run, slide, jump and shoot enemies your life bleeds out quickly through the severed head in your hands. Only refilling when a killing shot is landed. Thus lingering too long in an area, and not continuing forth will spell certain doom as life ticks away at breakneck speed. 

In total there are eleven levels to clear within the corridor confines of 'Post Void'. All centered around a collective of maze-like hallways filled with twisted enemies who themselves are taking aim at you as you progress. Utilizing your gun you must make quick work of them lest you fail in the process. Whenever you do fail your efforts, in a scoring sense, are tallied with kills, time, and progress accounted for. Landing you in the game's leaderboard rankings if you are lucky enough. 

Outside of gameplay settings can be tweaked to dumb down the flashy nature of the game if need be. You can even toggle on or off the vsync. Visually, 'Post Void' is an abusive blast of neon colors with subliminally flashy images thrown in to accent it's enigmatic nature. The game is very cryptic by design, and borders on being like "Polybius", or other such games. Birthing in it's wake one hell of a psychedelic trip.

The Verdict ...

As hard as I tried I could not get past the first level. The game is brutally difficult, and damn near unbeatable. It requires constant movement, and precision aiming to be able to maintain the momentum needed to make it through to the end. That, and instantaneous spatial awareness. Something I obviously lack. 

Despite it's off putting nature "Post Void" does carry with it the allure of the unknown. A hint at something going on behind the scenes. The story, which is told through cryptic lines of text only serve to further this game's mystery, it's intent, and it's message. It is apparently, by my guess, a metaphor for life and death to some extent. The longing for either, and the escape from neither. It teeters on the brink of insanity in this mental conflict, and offers the only solace as a path through hell itself. To that end I commend the developer's efforts in making the game, but simultaneously wish they'd had not went so harsh with the difficulty, and learning curve. Perhaps, though it's a solid lesson in perseverance that if bested will be the greatest achievement of any gamer in any game. Lending credence to the idea that the impossible isn't quite as impossible as it might seem.