Voices of the Void, or VotV for short, is an indie horror game currently in development by EternityDev, an indie game developer who is currently most known for creating the game Advanced Education with Viktor Strobovski. It includes many elements of different survival games, exploration games, and life simulator games, all in a first-person perspective. An early version of the game is available on itch.io, which is being updated to include new content every few months.
In Voices of the Void, the player takes control of a radio space signal researcher named Dr. Kel, whose daily tasks include needing to make sure that they do not run out of electricity or food, needing to repair satellite dishes that go offline, and, most importantly, capturing, listening to, and uploading recordings of the sounds and signals from outer space.
Each day, the player is given a quota of signals that they must reach. When the player reaches the required number of signals, they can upload them into small cartridges, and send them off on a delivery drone back to the main company’s headquarters. When the package is received, the player will be rewarded with points that they can use to upgrade their equipment and buy different things.
While the premise of the game seems simple enough, it can quickly become terrifying. The base that you are given is old and falling apart, and so you must rely on old, malfunctioning doors and outdated equipment in order to protect yourself, while you are surrounded by a thick forest on a remote mountain, alone from any form of contact to other human beings. The game preys on people’s primal fears of being alone, vulnerable, and the fear of the unknown. You do not understand the true severity of your situation, until one of the base’s electric transformers breaks in the middle of the night, forcing you to travel alone, in the dark, to a place that is far away from the safer place that you know.
The gameplay is akin to games like Signal Simulator, survival horror games like Resident Evil, and Source Engine games like Half-Life 2 and Garry’s Mod, the combination of these ideas mixing to create a very unique experience. The game’s horror elements are also done very well. Unlike many recent games in the indie horror genre, there are no real “jumpscares” present within the game. The game, as stated before, mostly relies on its environment and worldbuilding in order to scare the player, but occasionally, there are “events” that can occur, either by random chance or during specific days. These “events” serve to keep the game fresh and interesting, and keeps the player on their toes at all moments. Unfortunately, there is not much that can be said about these “events” without spoiling the game, though.
Overall, if you are a fan of indie games, and more specifically, indie horror, this is the perfect game for you. It does a great job scaring players without being very in-your-face about it, and is a very fresh experience in the indie horror genre. 10/10
