If you combined a third-person action shooter, the evolution of alien creatures, and a fight for the survival of all life in the galaxy, the result would be this unusual sci-fi adventure named Voiling Bound, in which humanity’s fate depends on the bond between humans and mysterious creatures known as Voidlings. Created by former Skylanders developers who came together to form a studio called Hatchery Games, this charming little adventure is packed with fascinating creatures.
You play as a Space Wrangler, someone capable of directly controlling alien creatures known as Voidlings. As humanity faces extinction at the hands of a deadly parasite spreading across the planets, you and the Voidlings join forces to help said Voidlings evolve, strengthen their abilities, and stand against the growing threat. At the beginning of the game, you’ll be greeted aboard your ship by Rachael, the mission coordinator, who explains that your first objective is to locate a radio tower, which will help identify safe zones, find Voidlings, and plan a counteroffensive. She then sends you to Henry, who can be found in the Vivarium and provides you with a creature called Kwipeck. As your first Voidling, Kwipeck becomes your companion through a neural bond that allows you to control it during its first mission.
The opening mission is fairly straightforward. Since the parasite has spread across the planet, your goal is to clear away the purple corruption it has left behind, eliminate any parasites standing in your way, and gather as many samples as possible. After completing the mission, you’ll meet Leon, a world-renowned and occasionally very arrogant, geneticist who introduces you to the Evolution Chamber. There, using the samples and mutagens you’ve collected, you can grant your Voidlings new abilities. Alongside Rachael, Henry, and Leon, you’ll also meet Michael, a certified Voidling trainer.
Gameplay is divided into two parts – one where you play as the Wrangler and another where you take direct control of a Voidling. As a Wrangler, you can accept missions from Rachael. These are split into main and side missions, with side missions serving primarily as a way to level up your Voidlings, since certain missions require them to reach specific levels. Later on, you’ll gain access to the Atlas terminal and be able to select missions yourself. The missions are…repetitive. The first planet consists of Corruption Cleansing and Survival missions. Later planets introduce new mission types, but despite their different names, they largely follow the same formula.
Corruption Cleansing tasks you with removing corruption and defeating parasites, while Survival missions challenge you to withstand waves of enemies. Each NPC offers their own objectives, rewarding you with additional samples used to improve your Voidlings and unlock various upgrades. Michael, for example, runs a gym where you can send your Voidlings to train, and you can even watch them doing so. For example, a Voidling can train to reach level 5, then 10, then 15, and beyond, with each training session taking a certain amount of real time, ranging from ten to fifteen minutes, depending on its current level.
Henry handles breeding. By pairing two Voidlings of the same kind near a nest, you’ll receive an egg after completing a mission. Once hatched, it grants you another Voidling. Henry also offers upgrades such as larger nests for more eggs and vitamins that increase the chances of offspring inheriting the best traits from their parents. Rachael can upgrade the amount of health your Voidlings have during missions, while Leon sells a variety of mutagens, which we’ll be introduced to shortly.
There are nine different species of Voidlings, and you can learn more about each of them through the Voidpedia. Some of my personal favorites were Gilick, Anami, and Ur-Sek, while Nimiod surprised me the most in combat, largely because it initially appeared to be the simplest of the bunch. Although every Voidling has unique attacks, they all share the same basic combat structure which consists of a standard attack, a special attack that functions as a heavy attack with a cooldown, a melee style ability, and an ultimate attack.
These abilities are heavily influenced by the mutagens you use during evolution. There are five elemental mutagen types, and injecting them into a Voidling’s DNA causes it to mutate. Depending on your choices, it can gain entirely different attacks as well as a completely different appearance! In addition to mutagens, missions can reward you with eggs that hatch into either new Voidlings or ,,duplicates”. Duplicates can be transferred away to free up space while also providing samples used for each Voidling’s skill tree. Yes, alongside evolution, every Voidling has its own skill tree that allows you to improve its abilities. If a Voidling has a Dash ability, for example, you can increase its distance for 5%. AOE attacks can have their radius expanded, while minion summoning type Voidlings can improve either the number or strength of their minions.
The game gives you tremendous freedom to experiment with your creatures. After defeating the boss of the second planet, you’ll unlock even more customization options as a reward. Leon introduces you to the Splicing Station and provides a few Polychromes required to use it. These can be obtained by exchanging mutagens. The Splicing Station allows you to mix and match body parts from different Voidlings that you’ve unlocked through evolution. You can change colors, eye type and eye color, ears, horns, heads, body patterns, abilities, and even the elemental effects attached to those abilities! Once you’ve created your perfect Voidling and given it a name, you can send it out on the mission.
It’s worth noting that certain missions require specific Voidlings, making it important to train, evolve, and occasionally rework their abilities. Even though the mission structure remains largely the same, combat stays engaging because different Voidlings change how encounters play out. As threat levels increase, battles become faster and more intense, while boss fights demand that you balance avoiding incoming attacks with maximising your damage towards the boss.
Visually, the game is extremely colorful. Its planets are filled with vibrant hues and unusual alien flora, making exploration consistently enjoyable. Meanwhile, the Voidlings themselves strike a perfect balance between adorable companions, but they never fail to remind you that they are also dangerous predators. The developers did amazing at creating such memorable creature designs, as you’ll often find yourself eager to discover what the next Voidling looks like and what abilities it brings into the combat.
Although it may initially appear to be a simple, colorful sci-fi adventure aimed at younger audiences, the game hides a surprisingly deep evolution and customization system beneath its charming exterior. While the mission structure eventually becomes repetitive and doesn’t always make full use of its interesting world, the variety of creatures, extensive progression systems, and enjoyable combat manage to maintain a strong sense of progression throughout most of the experience.
We would like to thank Hatchery Games for providing us with a copy of the game for review purposes.
Voidling Bound (PC)
The game's greatest strength definitely lies in its Voidlings. Every new creature introduces a different playstyle, while the combination of mutagen based evolution, skill progression, and detailed customization creates the feeling that you're genuinely crafting creatures of your own, especially once you give them a name at the end. As a result, every new planet or another egg becomes a good enough motivation to keep playing and see what's waiting around the next corner. If you're a fan of creature collection, progression systems, and light hearted action adventures set in a colorful sci-fi universe, this is a game you'll likely enjoy. And if you're looking for an extra challenge, ,,The Abyss'' mode throws your Voidlings into increasingly difficult waves of enemies, putting everything you've learned about them to the ultimate test.
