Let’s find out together, in this fleeting review of Voyage, if the title of Ratalaika Games and Venturous managed to conquer us in addition to its splendid initial facade: get ready for a new journey
The concept of “Journey” in the videogame world is the basis of many productions that can be considered “minor”, in a mere simplistic sense. Surely the first title that comes to your mind in this sense is that masterpiece it was Journey way back in 2012, with a Thatgamecompany that tried to show us how the interaction between the players could also take place only, precisely, by traveling together. We also like to remember the ever-eternal Gris, who was able to represent a journey into pain and the acceptance and subsequent rebirth of him. If we go down a few steps in terms of pure quality, however, we also find the delicious Hoa or the exciting Lost Words: Beyond the Page.
The little Voyage, developed by Ratalaika Games and published by Venturous, also fits into this sentimental-like trend very linked to the theme of travel. recently arrived on consoles after some time in the PC market alone. We took a few hours to get absorbed in the delightful and colorful world that is the background to the two protagonists of Voyage, we learned the structural rudiments and finished the game, and then decided to sit here at the desk to bring you this review. A short trip, not free from various problems, will it have been significant in some way? Let’s find out together.
Survivors
For this review of Voyage one must start from one premise: the game can be played in a local co-op with another player. And as in other cases (A Way Out, It Takes Two on all) perhaps it is also the best way to live this short experience, accompanied by another person who experiences our same sensations next to us. Whether you choose this option or let the AI accompany you (although you can obviously change the protagonist at each occurrence) you will still find yourself traveling, precisely, in a magical world with a “hand-painted” effect that recalls, in some situations, some old Studio Ghibli movies.
Survivors of an interstellar shipwreck, our protagonists find themselves in an unknown and dangerous alien planet, characterized by different biomes all very distinguishable from each other and wonderfully represented on the screen. Although few, in fact, the settings of Voyage are the first point in favor of the title, as whether it is a desert or a dense forest, the feeling of actually living in an inhospitable environment is the master. The two will have to make their way through these environments, traveling towards what, initially at least, is a destination completely unknown to the player.
Side scrolling and puzzling | Review Voyage
To do this, they will have to solve small environmental puzzles, consisting mainly of moving boulders of various kinds to make their way or, in some contingencies, “light”, to drive away the fearsome aliens that infest the place. The title is rather linear, there are no large branches, and apart from pulling levers, moving stones and, occasionally, being faced with the need to necessarily switch the partner (apart from these cases, we admit, changing the protagonist is almost completely nutile , as well as playing it in co-op in reality … ed). A rather linear title, therefore, was born simply with the intention of telling a story and a world.
The game has a side scroller structure, and you will therefore move from right to left or vice versa, with not exactly fluid controls. We did notice some input lag, in fact, but nothing necessarily annoying or ruining the experience. With a front button then you can interact with the surrounding environment (or hug your travel companion, very sweet) and with another the game will give you visual clues to understand how to continue, in the rare case in which you get stuck for any reason . There is no leap, there is nothing else: pure and simple linearity.
Linear | Voyage review
Which is not necessarily bad, mind you. Titles like Voyage are entirely based on narrative, on how it is expressed and on how, in the end, the gamer manages to approach it. If, for example, Gris’s descent into pain is the most distressing and permeating thing, as it is completely akin to specific periods of life of each of us and empathy is the cornerstone of productionin other exponents of the genre, such as What Remains of Edith Finch, how the story is told and the interest it arouses are fundamental.
Here’s the real problem with Voyage: it’s not interesting. The crypticity and lack of clarity with which the events are narrated, both those that take place on the screen, and those that happened to our protagonists before the crash, makes everything too uninteresting or compelling, and the climax that one would have liked to have in the ending dulls towards the illusion of having actually experienced something. The game lasts just over a couple of hours, if played calmly, and also suffers from some rhythm problems: if in fact the most beautiful aspect of playing Voyage are its settings and the mood it emits at each backdrop, live dark and poorly characterized caves dampen the interest even more.
We don’t have much to say from the technical side of Ratalaika Games’ production, other than to point out some jams in the frame rate in some transitions. Considering the low budget nature of the title, such infractions are surely due to one imperfect optimization in the transition from the PC version to that console. The soundtrack is really well elaborated, both as regards the tracks and the ambient sounds, which immerse even more in the world designed in Voyage.
What a shame!
In short, to conclude this fleeting review of Voyage, the title of Ratalaika Games and Venturous seemed to us a small wasted opportunity. We are lovers of narrative games, simple and linear, even of Walking Simulators if done well, but they must, precisely, know how to convey something. Voyage seemed like a small moment in which to experience something extremely captivating, visually speaking, but terribly empty if you look at it from a simple content point of view. Don’t fail, of course: if you have an evening to spend and a friend to share it with, it’s not that bad. However, you will forget it very soon.
Voyage is currently available on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X | S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch. Let us know if you have played it and what you think below in the comments, we will continue to keep you updated with all the news, guides and reviews on gaming and tech themes! And if you are interested in game keys at advantageous prices, we recommend that you take a look at the InstantGaming catalog!
Points in favor
- Beautifully represented settings
- Brilliant and bewitching colors
- Playable in co-op …
Points against
- … even if the interaction is minimal, in game
- Fiction too cryptic to be interesting
- A forgettable story-driven title