O-Void: Console Edition

Genre: Auto-Runner

Players: 1

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Review:

O-Void is an Auto-Runner released in 2023 on mobile devices and then ported in 2024 to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. This game has you controlling a small square trying to jump as obstacles are created ahead of you by a rotating ring.

The presentation here is extremely minimalist, with simple untextured 2D geometric shapes skewed to look 3D, with some catchy techno-style beats playing over the action, with some examples including Aqua, Pink, and Black.

The gameplay itself is pretty simple, with only one button input – you can jump. That’s it. The level is created ahead of you, and you need to anticipate it as it barrels toward you. To its credit, the game’s levels mix up the gameplay a bit by adding new challenges as you progress, such as your square suddenly moving while the rest of the level stays still, or part of the screen being hidden from you.

The problem here is that much of the challenge present here is manufactured by making the screen harder to read, with the circular layout being one factor, and the way the level’s geometry is created not too far ahead of you being another. Plus, this is one of those games where if you’re holding down the jump button as you land, you’ll jump again, which is always frustrating in a Platformer.

As Auto-Runners go, O-Void at least has a presentation with some style, but it’s never fun to feel like the only reason you died was because the game was messing with you, either due to bad controls or making it difficult to parse what’s going on on-screen. O-Void leans heavily into these issues, making it a game I recommend players to skip.

tl;dr – O-Void is an Auto-Runner that has you constantly moving forward in a circle as the level’s geometry is created in front of you. The presentation here is minimalist but not bad, and there’s even some variety in the challenges the levels throw at you. Unfortunately, it feels like all of this game’s challenge comes from poor gameplay and the game design making it difficult to see what’s going on. That’s rarely fun, and as a result I can’t recommend this game.

Grade: C

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