#neozoid

I think Void Stranger is a 'perfect' video game because it is so very...video gamey. It does a multitude of things, both with how it presents itself, reveals its layers to you, and conveys its story through repetition, repetitive play, mechanics and the rules of those mechanics (and how you learn to understand those).

It's a piece of art that knows what the fuck it is, and is fairly unflinching towards that, unwilling to bend to the recipient and asking, inviting them, to understand it. It looks at standardised game design and goes 'fuck that' while still being a fairly approachable (and importantly, well designed) game.

Its a 'tile puzzler' puzzle game with no undo, forcing you to get better at playing it by really thinking your moves through.

Its 'sokoban'* but not really, a dungeon crawler with the guise of a sokoban. And while being both of those, its repetition hearkens to shmups and the repeat play within those...you're score chasing but there is no score...maybe some collectables to acquire but more often then not it is uncovering the secrets of the void. Finding tools that will help you progress and progress - faster and faster. And as you do that, you get better at playing the game. Much like the song that welcomes you into the game as you explore Void Stranger's depths it builds and builds and builds YOUR knowledge of it.

There is a story to it, one that drives your character, who is very much their own character but I took that more as a pleasant surprise. There's no secrets there, if anything the story is pretty straightforward. Without diving into the details much. Again the crux, the core of this game is the gameplay.

And that gameplay is going to ask a lot of you. Most importantly you need patience. Take your time - it is turned based after all. Nothing can act until you move. The store page even says to take breaks.

As for if you're willing to invest the time in it...well that's going to depend. I think there is a great deal of resistance from folks coming into it expecting one thing but getting something else (or just straight up not enjoying it - which is fine! but not so fine if you're forcing yourself to 'enjoy' something you don't.)

Otherwise, Sylvie of sylvie lime fame has made a wonderful and concise guide to finding some secrets - ultimately the guide is there to help you progress. Not individual puzzle solutions, there's plenty of those (and if you are really, really stuck I do recommend making use of them - I sure as hell did) but just the progress through each playthrough. The hints are just right.