Review of 'Void Disturbance' by DXsmiley

Play here

Space may be the final frontier in the real world, but here at yoyogames it's a veritable Las Vegas--albeit one with copious explosions and death (so in other words, exactly the same).  That is to say, there are a lot of space shooters on YYG.  And for all intents and purposes, Void Disturbance is basically a space shooter.  It may not take place in space (in fact, I don’t think there’s any way of telling where it DOES take place, outside of consuming dangerous amounts of LSD), but its mechanics and gameplay style are pulled right from the final frontier.

So… on that note, let’s discuss its mechanics and gameplay style.  They’re…err…pulled right from the final frontier.  You pilot a big green circle that shoots deadly yellow ovals at various red shapes, all of which are intent on killing you.  Like Asteroids, Void Disturbance takes place on a single wrap-around screen, which I suppose was meant to lend the game feeling of claustrophobia and tension, but in reality it just makes it feel uncontrollable and frustrating.  Too often you’ll fly off one side of the screen and find that a mass of enemies was waiting on the other side.  There’s really no dodging to be done, either, as enemy mobs become too thick to avoid by the third or fourth wave.  Spraying and praying and utilizing your shield are far more important than reflexes.  For the most part, though, the game is well-designed, featuring online high scores, weapon upgrades, and a slew of different game options.  And although I found the gameplay to be a little underwhelming, it can be entertaining in short bursts.

On the other side of things, the graphics are FAR from underwhelming.  In fact, they are borderline OVERwhelming.  There’s just so much stuff going on visually that the game.  The background alone is enough to cause seizures, and add in copious amounts of “spraying” effects that accompany your ship, explosive enemy deaths, and some foes that can fill up nearly a 4^th of the screen and the game most certainly deserves an epilepsy warning (which it actually has).  Void Disturbance certainly has style, but the sheer flashiness of the visuals can get in the way of functionality.  It can be difficult to make sense of all the insanity that’s going on onscreen.  That being said, it really is a very good-looking game once you get used to it.

The sound for Void Disturbance is pretty good.  Unlike the visuals, there’s a certain amount of reservation in the sound effects—only explosions for enemy deaths and your own death—and the music is appropriate, although I myself take some issue with some of it (the music for “Extreme Mode” in particular keeps pausing for a strange “piano solo,” which keeps it from ever reaching the sense of driving adrenaline that a game such as this requires).  It’s not quite at the level of, say, Strikers, but it’s good nevertheless.

Overall, Void Disturbance is a lot like caffeine: it lacks substance, but it’s good for a quick jolt.  It doesn’t have the gameplay chops to merit a 5/5, but it’s a fairly polished and professional-looking title.  I probably won’t be playing more after this review, but it’s a good choice for those who are just looking for a flashy, chaotic shoot-em-up experience.  I give it a 4/5.