Going Postal

Post Void is, without question, the strangest game I’ve played in ages. It violently blends the neon-soaked surrealism and bloody mayhem of Hotline Miami, the roguelike elements of Binding of Isaac, and the rigid gunplay of a mid-1990s FPS to create an experience that’s unlike anything I’ve ever played before.

Do you know what the strangest thing about this digital fever dream is? Despite being a seemingly unworkable amalgamation of disparate parts, it somehow works! Post Void is a brutal, frenetic shooter that will grab you by the throat and leave you begging for more.

Blink And You’re Dead

The goal of the game is simple enough. Post Void tasks you with blasting your way through 11 largely linear procedurally generated stages as quickly as possible. Sounds easy enough, right? Well, there’s a catch. Your health, which is represented by liquid sloshing around in an idol you clutch in your left hand, is continually draining. And once that precious ichor runs dry, it’s game over. Seeing as your life-sustaining noggin only holds about 10-seconds worth of liquid, that’s a really big problem.

Of course, a 10-second game wouldn’t be particularly exciting, would it? Thankfully, you can postpone your imminent demise by shooting the hell out of anyone that gets in your way. As you kill enemies, you’ll be able to refill the idol slowly. Get hit, and the idol drains faster.

With this in mind, you’ll need to learn to kill quickly and efficiently while dodging enemy fire to make your way through each stage. However, that’s much easier said than done. Especially considering the way your character moves as if he’s wearing rocket-powered rollerskates.

Needless to say, If you struggle with games built around twitchy gunplay and split-second decision making, chances are you’re going to have a tough time enjoying what Post Void has to offer. But if high-energy action games like Hotline Miami and Downwell are your thing, chances are you’re going to love what JCJY Games has managed to do here.

Making Difficult Choices

When you first start Post Void, all you’ll have to defend yourself with is a pretty puny pistol. Luckily, when you beat a level, you’ll be able to choose from three random power-ups to help level the playing field.

These bonuses range from things like being able to carry more ichor in your idol to slowing down enemy bullets. Hell, you can even make enemies explode upon death, which comes in handy when trying to kill clusters of baddies all at once.

In addition to power-ups, you’ll also be able to choose from a few different weapons throughout the game. These include a shotgun that’s slow but very powerful, an Uzi that has a high rate of fire but is tough to aim due to its recoil, and a knife that’s good for dealing death up close and personal.

For the most part, all of these are all useful. But I found myself sticking with the standard pistol. While it’s not the mightiest tool in the game’s arsenal, it’s accurate and reliable. And once you upgrade its reload speed and magazine size, it becomes a real force to be reckoned with.

Overall, I liked the different upgrades you can get in Post Void. While not all of them are equally useful, they do an excellent job of incrementally readying you for the challenges introduced in the later levels, and I rarely found myself cursing the RNG gods at the end of each stage.

Sweet Psychedelic Slaughter

Post Void isn’t a long game, at least not technically. If you manage a perfect run, you’ll breeze through the game’s 11 stages in as little as five minutes. But it’s going to take you a very long time to get to the point where you can accomplish that lofty goal.

No bones about it, Post Void is hard, very hard. From the moment the game begins until the credits roll, it’s an unrelenting meat grinder of a game that will chew you up and spit you out time and time again. But honestly, that’s half the fun. Post Void is a game that will challenge you every rocket-powered step of the way through its psychotic acid trip as it pushes you to become the ultimate killing machine.

I loved the time I spent with Post Void. But I’ll be the first to admit it’s probably not for everyone. The game’s crushing difficulty and blistering pace will likely push away casual shooter fans. But at just $3, hardcore gamers craving a unique addition to their Steam library will be hard-pressed to find a game that provides more bang for their buck than Post Void does.

Final Verdict: 4.5/5

Available on: PC (Reviewed); Publisher: JCJY Games; Developer: JCJY Games; Players: 1; Released: August 18, 2020; ESRB: N/A; MSRP: $2.99

Full disclosure: A review code was provided by the publisher.