Bit.Trip Void

Genre: Bullet Hell Shmup / Music-Rhythm

Players: 1

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Review:

Note: Included in Bit.Trip Collection, along with Bit.Trip Beat, Bit.Trip Core, Bit.Trip Fate, Bit.Trip Flux, and Bit.Trip Runner.

Bit.Trip Void is a game that combines elements of a Bullet-Hell Shmup (minus the shooting) with Music-Rhythm elements, with even a little Katamari Damacy thrown in for good measure. This game was originally released on the Wii’s WiiWare service in 2009, gradually making its way to other platforms, and eventually finding its way onto Nintendo Switch in 2020. This game is the third release in the Bit.Trip series, and has gameplay where players control a circular black “void” that grows when players pick up black dots, and players must also avoid white dots.

The presentation here is simple, but appealing, making use of low-res 2D pixel art visuals for the most part, backed by a nice chiptune soundtrack. In this game, the visual and audio elements combine in a way that’s almost hypnotic, with the gameplay tying into the sound and visuals really nicely. The only real complaint I have here is that these visuals generally lack color, which doesn’t quite fit with what otherwise feels like a rave in pixelated form.

When it comes to the gameplay, Bit.Trip Void doesn’t do a very good job of explaining its mechanics to players. Clearly, you’re meant to grab black dots, which make you grow, and avoid white dots, which make you shrink. However, players can also opt to press A to deliberately shrink, which doesn’t penalize the player. Through these mechanics, players are meant to snatch up as many black dots as possible, and miss white dots as often as possible, and the clever element here is that growing makes it easier to grab the black dots, but also makes it easier to collide with the white ones, so there’s a bit of a risk-reward element here.

The other element holding this game back somewhat is the often unpredictable movement of the dots, which can make for missing black dots or colliding with white ones through no fault of the player. As you can imagine, this can be frustrating.

Still, overall Bit.Trip Void is a fun game that does a good job combining numerous different elements in a fun and engaging way. There are definitely areas where it could do with improvement, but overall the simple but enjoyable gameplay and the engaging presentation make this one of the better games in the Bit.Trip series.

tl;dr – Bit.Trip Void is a game that combines elements of Bullet Hell Shmups, Music-Rhythm games, and even a little Katamari Damacy to make for simple gameplay that’s compelling and works well with the game’s hypnotic presentation. There are definitely areas where this game could be improved, but it is overall an excellent title well worth checking out.

Grade: B-

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