Void Terrarium 2 review

There are dozens (maybe even hundreds) of games with Roguelike elements that I adore, but when it comes to more traditional Roguelikes I often struggle to see the appeal. Walking around a grid and bumping into enemies just never felt that thrilling to me, and no matter how many zany traps and items I get thrust upon me I struggle to get into the loop of trying to get further into a dungeon or equivalent. I guess I just hadn’t found the traditional Roguelike for me though, because Void Terrarium 2 is absolutely delightful.

Set in an apocalyptic world where the humans have pretty much gone extinct, you play the role of a little robot tasked with keeping the last remaining human alive in a glass jar. As you can imagine this important task isn’t particularly easy, especially with mysterious glitches and deadly spores lurking around every corner.

The story side of Void Terrarium 2 is as interesting as it is unnerving. From the very start of the game the young girl you’re in charge of has a mushroom growing out of one eye which means she can’t blink on that side, and almost immediately one of her arms drops off. It doesn’t take long to realise that something isn’t right, and once your mechanical character starts having flashbacks of humans trying to survive in this desolate world you know you’re in for a wild ride.

Enough about the past though, right now the important thing is keeping Toriko healthy. To do that you’ll be sent out into the wastelands by your AI computer screen companion to collect supplies, which is where the Roguelike gameplay comes in. Sometimes you’ll need to gather specific materials for medicine or the terrarium Toriko lives in, other times you’ll just need to collect a variety of items which are broken down into four core crafting components when you return home.

While you’re out in the wastelands though you’ll need to survive the various robot baddies lurking around every corner, which you’ll do by walking up to them and whacking them. Beat enough and you’ll level up, and are given a selection of perks to use to your advantage. These can be as simple as improving your attack or inventory space, or as complex as dealing damage back when attacked from certain angles. Mastering these buffs is key, because you’ll be trying almost every combination imaginable.

This is because every time you go out on a supply run your level is reset to zero, and you’ll have nothing but your base power and a bit of luck to help you survive. You don’t actually have to worry about dying most of the time though, because every time you do the supplies will be teleported back to base anyway with no punishment whatsoever. Sure it can be a little annoying to fail before reaching the floor containing your next objective, but at least you’re always progressing.

Although your level resets between runs, that doesn’t mean you don’t get stronger as you play more in Void Terrarium 2. By finding blueprints you can discover new craftable objects (from tables to stuffed toys) to create for Toriko. The first time you make one of these items you’ll gain a boost to your starting stats, and before you know it you’ll have tons more health, carry space and attack power than you began the adventure with.

The items you make can be placed in the terrarium too, and often provide benefits to Toriko. Some items make her happier, whereas others change the temperature and humidity so that you can grow plants in the jar with her. Getting the conditions right to grow pretty flowers and fungus for Toriko is tricky, but well worth doing to keep her happy.

For all intents and purposes looking after Toriko is pretty similar to looking after a virtual pet. She needs food (which you gather on your adventures) cleaning out and fun to thrive in her slightly tragic existence. You’ll need to perform these chores (alongside watering any plants) every time you return home, and sometimes in the middle of a Roguelike run via your computer at the cost of some battery power. Keeping your little human alive is an engaging balancing act, made all the more impactful by how endearing Toriko is.

When you aren’t focusing on childcare, the Roguelike side of Void Terrarium 2 really is fantastic. The range of abilities, weapons and items is so impressive, and none of them ever felt too confusing to me. Throwing grenades into a room rammed with monsters always feels amazing, as does facing a powerful boss and injecting yourself with ten turns of invincibility to overcome the odds. Since the stakes are so low there’s no need to worry about your experimentation ruining the rest of the game, so I went nuts and loved every minute.

As you progress in the game there are more complexities that reveal themselves too. Probably my favourite of all these are called Knacks, which are essentially different classes you can equip to your bot. Whichever of these you pick will determine how likely you are to be offered different level up perks, and it’s a really clever way to tilt the scales in your favour if you prefer a certain type of build.

As much as I really enjoyed my time with Void Terrarium 2, it isn’t without its issues. Your chores caring for Toriko at the base take just a little bit too long for my liking, and that time adds up throughout the game. There also just aren’t enough locations to explore early on, and because of that you end up facing the same enemies over and over again while waiting for plants to grow or new objectives to come available. Because everything is randomised this isn’t too tedious, but it isn’t ideal.

Void Terrarium 2 is a wonderful Roguelike with an incredible theme. Balancing hardcore dungeon crawling and looking after a girl in a jar is always compelling, and some of the mechanics in the game are truly genius. If you’ve struggled to get into traditional Roguelikes before, this might just be the game that gets you hooked.