Void Raiders (2016)

trash

I boarded the enemy ship — it was empty except for a kettle and a note saying “we left”.

Void Raiders is a compact but relentlessly intense indie roguelike that leans hard into repetition, persistence, and gradual mastery. Developed and published by Tryzna83, the game situates players in a hostile sci-fi universe where survival is fleeting and death is an expected part of progression. Rather than attempting to reinvent the twin-stick shooter formula, Void Raiders focuses on layering familiar mechanics—procedural levels, permanent progression, and chaotic combat—into a loop that rewards patience and long-term investment. The result is a game that can feel punishing at first, but steadily reveals its depth to players willing to embrace its trial-and-error philosophy. Gameplay centers on fast-paced top-down shooting through procedurally generated areas packed with enemies, hazards, and environmental obstacles. Encounters are dense and unforgiving, often filling the screen with incoming fire that forces constant movement and quick decision-making. Standing still is rarely an option, and success depends on learning how to read enemy patterns, manage positioning, and prioritize threats under pressure. Each run pushes the player forward until they inevitably fall, at which p…

Solid arcade action for a reasonable price. Unfortunately, it's sorta outclassed by other similar games like Enter the Gungeon and Nuclear Throne and such, but it holds up well on its own. It's just not exceptional. This is a Toyota Corolla or Camry. It's not K.I.T.T. or the Batmobile. But hey, it's serviceable and you can still take it out on a mild joyride.

I am 32 years old. My ex-wife and I have a daughter together, and we adopted our son together. Both are now 4 years old. When we were going through our separation, I felt lost and unhappy. I was self-destructive. One day, I was so angry with everything spiraling out of control that I punched a concrete wall in a moment of overwhelming emotion. This resulted in breaking my fifth metacarpal in my right hand—the hand I worked with, played games with, and used to carry my children to bed—the hand I desperately needed to ensure I could continue providing. Upon learning the severity of the self-inflicted damage, I became almost suicidal. Keep in mind that just a few months before this, I was the happiest man, with no history of depression or anxiety. I had never experienced anger outbursts, nor was I the type to break down and cry, but I was in a tough situation that truly prevented me from seeing the light on the other side. With nothing better to do, I looked for a game I could play WITH ONE HAND while recovering. Somehow, I stumbled upon this game and read some of the comments. I decided it was worth a try... I must admit I didn't beat the game, nor did I play as much as some of y…

Twin stick roguelite shooter a bit similar to Nuclear Throne but with meta progression improving your characters in between runs. Meta progression pretty much guarantees the game will be unbalanced and that it is with everything starting out super easy and then quickly getting very hard if you haven't level up between runs. The art is fairly nice but the color choices are on some levels very grating on the eyes.