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FULL VOID
review | WINDOWS
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Publisher: OutOfTheBit.
Developer: OutOfTheBit. Released: September 2023. Genre: 2D Cinematic platformer. Other versions: PS5; PS4; XSX; XONE; SWI. Posted 13th May 2026. By Tom Clare © 2026 |
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Cinematic platformers remain an eminently welcome occurrence: a genre that scaled incredible highs thanks to Delphine Software’s Another World and Flashback, but just as quickly disappeared without a trace as technology led gaming into a new era of 3D possibilities. Some thirty-five years later, the genre remains an enigma, one that harbours memories of absolute greatness, but also plenty of untapped potential. Thus, when a mini-renaissance saw Lunark and Full Void arriving in 2023, I was more than happy to take the plunge.
A contemporary dystopian story with sprinklings of science fiction, Full Void sees a boy on the run through city streets, abandoned factories and laboratories as he seeks to free his sister from a sinister, machine-controlled facility. Influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic and, in particular, the long spells of lockdown, the game references the sometimes soothing, sometimes suffocating presence of screens and technology in our lives during the period. The threat manifests in the form of robot sentinels, whose aim is to keep the population indoors and hooked up to headsets.
Full Void's visual design is superb, some of the finest the cinematic platformer has seen since the Delphine days of the early 1990s
With its focus on timing-related challenges, the absence of a head-up display, instant deaths and myriad hair-raising chases, Full Void’s gameplay is mostly closely aligned with Lester Chaykin’s travails in Another World. Though individually its puzzles aren’t as inspired or fiendishly staged as those in the nineties classic, there’s still plenty to admire, and the player will need to take note of the environments to find a way forward.
The connection with Another World is further enforced by the visual presentation. Full Void’s pixel-art graphics are gorgeous, capturing the zeitgeist of the cinematic platformer more effectively than perhaps any other title since the genre’s golden period. Such games can so easily come off as a crude pastiche, but the wobbly textures and smart use of colour instead lend the locations a bold, looming sense of oppression. The surroundings feel fragile: broken windows, decaying walls, and platforms that crumble after traversing them. Silhouettes dance amid the comfort of cosy, bright windows, forming an effective contrast to the quiet, seeping darkness and sense of abandonment that permeates the outdoors. There are plenty of appreciable, grimy details to be admired around the squalid streets, sewers and abandoned power stations.
The connection with Another World is further enforced by the visual presentation. Full Void’s pixel-art graphics are gorgeous, capturing the zeitgeist of the cinematic platformer more effectively than perhaps any other title since the genre’s golden period. Such games can so easily come off as a crude pastiche, but the wobbly textures and smart use of colour instead lend the locations a bold, looming sense of oppression. The surroundings feel fragile: broken windows, decaying walls, and platforms that crumble after traversing them. Silhouettes dance amid the comfort of cosy, bright windows, forming an effective contrast to the quiet, seeping darkness and sense of abandonment that permeates the outdoors. There are plenty of appreciable, grimy details to be admired around the squalid streets, sewers and abandoned power stations.
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This edginess is compounded by the central protagonist’s own fragility, harbouring more than a dozen distinct death cinematics, which include slipping into the river, being killed by steam, fire, electricity, and the various mechanical denizens out to stop you. Like the environments, the animations are superb, capturing the genre’s early-nineties rotoscope style to a tee. Fantastic, beautifully-drawn movements capturing climbing, leaping, and shimmying along ledges, and look spot-on during action sequences. Little mannerisms, such as the boy shifting a backpack on his shoulders, add further to the sense of immersion and quality.
Indeed, with sparing, impactful use of sound effects and the superbly stylish pixel cinematics, it’s a very convincing facsimile of the genre. There’s no weaponry or combat, meaning the player is encouraged to make use of their environment to get the better of foes. Sometimes, this means leading them into a trap, dropping heavy objects on them, or flooding their circuitry with a cascade of water. Other times, you’ll have no choice but to flee or blend in. There’s a fabulous section towards the end that sees you needing to mimic a child’s gymnastics routine to avoid attracting the attention of an adjudicating robot.
Indeed, with sparing, impactful use of sound effects and the superbly stylish pixel cinematics, it’s a very convincing facsimile of the genre. There’s no weaponry or combat, meaning the player is encouraged to make use of their environment to get the better of foes. Sometimes, this means leading them into a trap, dropping heavy objects on them, or flooding their circuitry with a cascade of water. Other times, you’ll have no choice but to flee or blend in. There’s a fabulous section towards the end that sees you needing to mimic a child’s gymnastics routine to avoid attracting the attention of an adjudicating robot.
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Cerebral sections task players with operating valves to open new paths, or hack computers to help direct a robot around to activate an otherwise impossible-to-reach switch. These function okay and provide some necessary variety, though they’re neither the most involved nor the most satisfying puzzles the genre has hosted. OutOfTheBit have, however, done a decent job of varying the pace of the adventure. Moments of quiet allow players to immerse themselves in the troubled landscapes, before being thrust back into perilous scenarios. Life or death leaps between apartment gantries, running across the roof of a train in a desperate attempt to flee your mechanical pursuer, or riding a barrel across a river to escape a ravenous dog: these instances see Full Void at its cinematic best.
The game’s Achilles heel lies in its lifespan. With more forgiving checkpointing, simpler platforming, and slightly less of an onus on pixel-perfect timing than its forebears, many gamers will polish off Full Void’s story in a couple of sittings. There are no difficulty settings, no New Game+, and only a very modest smattering of Easter eggs and achievements. I’d seen everything the game had to offer in a little under three and a half hours, meaning it’s very much a case of quality over quantity.
The game’s Achilles heel lies in its lifespan. With more forgiving checkpointing, simpler platforming, and slightly less of an onus on pixel-perfect timing than its forebears, many gamers will polish off Full Void’s story in a couple of sittings. There are no difficulty settings, no New Game+, and only a very modest smattering of Easter eggs and achievements. I’d seen everything the game had to offer in a little under three and a half hours, meaning it’s very much a case of quality over quantity.
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No pressure: Full Void challenges you to some high-stakes platforming, though it's more forgiving than its genre forbears
For fans of the cinematic platformer, or indie gaming more broadly, it’s still an easy recommendation, albeit with the caveat that its brevity means waiting for sale is your best bet. Stunning presentation and a smattering of great chase sequences see Full Void operating at the height of its powers, whilst middling puzzles and a lack of longevity pull it back down to Earth somewhat. On the whole, though, it’s a very decent outing.
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VERDICT
"A visually stimulating, beautifully designed cinematic platformer. A few tame puzzles and a shortage of longevity hurt its score somewhat, but Full Void is still worth experiencing." OVERALL: 7/10 |
OTHER CINEMATIC PLATFORMER GAMES REVIEWED
Another World (1991, Amiga)
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Heart of the Alien (1994, Mega-CD)
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