| Voices of the Void | |
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| Mode | Single-player |
Voices of the Void (VotV [1] ) is an early-access [1] [2] [3] indie [1] [2] [4] horror simulation video game. The player controls a scientist tasked with operating an observatory that detects radio signals from space. As time passes, the player experiences unusual events, such as encounters with extraterrestrial life.
Voices of the Void's first version was released for Windows on August 2022. [‡ 1] Its latest version, 0.8.2c, was released on June 2025. [‡ 2] Critics have commended its gameplay and atmosphere.
Voices of the Void is a first-person [1] [2] horror [4] simulation video game. [1] [3] The player controls a scientist sent to an isolated Swiss observatory administering machinery [2] that detect and analyse radio signals from space. [3] The player is given tasks each day to complete, [2] which constitute operating the physical buttons of the observatory's computer terminals. [2] Physical drives are used to store the data of a signal and transfer it between terminals. [2]
While operating the observatory, the player needs to manage their hunger and sleep. [1] [2] Machinery can also break, reducing the observatory's processing power and possibly requiring physical repairs from the player. [2] When the player completes tasks, they are given points that serve as currency for buying items like food and upgrading machinery. [2]
In the process, the player may experience unusual events, such as deadly weather events and encounters with extraterrestrial life. [3] [4]
In an August 2022 Dread Central article, Jesse Grodman generally commended Voices of the Void, saying that it has an "excellent premise, narrative pacing, level of detail, interactable environment, great sound design, expansive area to explore, deep and challenging puzzles, incredible atmosphere, beautiful meteor showers, unsettling planets to discover, and terrifying moments". However, Grodman added that "scrambling to get objectives done before running out of stamina [ironically] wore my real-life stamina down a bit." [1]
In an October 2022 Rock Paper Shotgun article, Alice O'Connor also generally commended Voices of the Void, saying that "I like when games are unconventional enough that I never feel I have a firm handle on what they are. Without comforting knowledge of genre conventions, it could be anything ... Now my brain is running wild imagining what Voices Of The Void could do." O'Connor added that "the controls are odd ... The tutorial riffing on Portal seems odd ... It feels a mistake to start you off without every computer terminal unlocked ... I don't like the HUD ... But it's not worth quibbling too much at this stage of development. I am excited to see what this game will become". [2]
In the text, these references are preceded by a double dagger (‡):