It’s almost unbelievable; a space game that doesn’t take a decade to develop and over $250,000,000? Watch out Star Citizen, it seems that there are developers that are doing a wee bit more than selling massive ships with tons of power if and when they finally release. Void Destroyer 2 has been in Early Access on Steam for three years, and releases their stylized space sandbox today.
With delicious cell-shaded graphics and wonderful reviews so far, development studio Iteration 11 has plenty of reason to pop the champagne tonight.
In Void Destroyer 2, you start with next to nothing. A small ship to your name barely worthy of flight, much less combat, and one hell of a dream. As you slowly progress through the space sandbox, featuring trade, mining, combat, and everything else you could possibly imagine, you begin to upgrade your ship, customizing it to your preferences in terms of both capabilities and aesthetics.
You can choose to become a space pirate, preying on traders attempting to transport their cargo safely (and occasionally escorted by guards), or a miner, or even as a mercenary for hire, protecting others that may occasionally have dubious intent. Regardless, it’s an actual sandbox that lets you play and progress however you desire, and the title doesn’t require hours of research in how to play beforehand.
OMG guys. Guys. GUISE! Void Destroyer 2 is out of early access!!! HUZZAH!!! https://t.co/zsvX7chYOI
— Space Game Junkie (@spacegamejunkie) February 6, 2020
With dogfighting an inextricable segment of combat, players will be pleased to know that they can hire other ships to join them, from combat-oriented ships to more delicate non-combat vehicles; miners and trade ships. Eventually, players are rolling deep around space, striking fear (or hope) into any that see them.
The worst parts are that Void Destroyer 2 takes place similarly to Mount & Blade; that may be a positive or negative, depending on your view. You’ll travel around the galaxy in an overworld map, zooming in exponentially for dog fights and other operations that you’ll come across.
For some, this design works well; players don’t have to worry about falling asleep at their desks while making the six-hour journey between distant planets. Others dislike it; the inability to manage your fleet beyond the world map can occasionally seem stifling and frustrating.
A universal truth, however, is that for a game that has just launched, Void Destroyer 2 is doing rather well, minus errant crashes that some players are reporting. Even more so considering that the entire title was crafted by one developer. If this release can offer enough profit, we could very well experience a more fleshed-out Void Destroyers in the future.
