Bit.Trip Void
Encyclopedia
Bit.Trip Void, marketed as BIT.TRIP VOID, is an arcade-style
bullet hell rhythm game
developed by Gaijin Games
and published by Aksys Games
for the Wii
's WiiWare
download service. It was first released in Japan in 2009, and later in North America and PAL regions in 2009 and 2010, respectively. It was designed by Alex Neuse and Chris Osborn, while the visuals were designed by Mike Roush. While initially having what they now describe as "noisy" audio and visuals, they changed them to be more minimalistic to alleviate this, a decision which worked well with their minimalistic design for the HUD
. Neuse designed it so that it could be open to interpretation by players, though stating that they intended it to delve into starring character Commander Video
's psyche, and "what it means to have emotions and personal space."
It puts players in control of a void, and represents the end of Commander Video's first chapter. Players move the void around with the joystick of either the Classic Controller
or the Nunchuk, attempting to collect all of the black squares that appear, causing the void to grow; however, if hit players hit a white square, the void will be reduced to its regular size. Players are also able to reduce their void in size to avoid the white blocks. It features a heavy emphasis on retro-styled visuals and audio, with the audio composed by electronic music
ian Nullsleep
. It was followed by three more games in the series, all developed by Gaijin Games: Bit.Trip Runner
, Bit.Trip Fate
, and Bit.Trip Flux
.
Bit.Trip Void was well-received both before and following its release; it currently holds aggregate scores of 79 and 80.08% at Metacritic
and GameRankings, respectively. It was praised for its audio and visuals, as well as its unique concept and 8-bit style. However, the high level of difficulty was still a problem, with IGN
citing how the game sometimes blends the black squares with a black background, as well as a lack of leaderboards, which both IGN and GameSpot
deride. Video Gamer named it as one of their recommendations for the WiiWare service.
and IGN
as a bullet hell game. It is controlled using either the Nunchuk or the Classic Controller
. Void has three levels, with two checkpoints and a boss at the end. Before each level is a cutscene of the main character, Commander Video. Players are tasked with hitting every black square, while avoiding the white ones. With each black square hit, the void grows, and the player's combo grows with it, increasing the score more with every combo increase; however, if a white square hits the void, it will undo the void's growth and reset the combo to zero. The void may grow to great sizes, taking up most of the screen. Sometimes, the size will be too large to not hit a white square. This forces players to return to normal size by pushing a button, though without the added punishment of losing their combo. When the void returns to normal size, it will often be accompanied with a beat with squares coming out of the void.
Occasionally, players will obtain the ability to repel white squares, crucial for some parts. Hitting white squares or missing black squares too often will send the players' void to the netherworld; if they continue to fail to hit the black squares or dodge the white squares, they will get a game over, and will have to start over at the last checkpoint. After dying in or beating a level, players are shown their final score, and if it is a high score, will be able to enter it in. The HUD
information such as the score and combo are shown in the background. Anywhere from two to four players may play at one time, with each player's void connected to each other, making any white squares that hit any void affect everyone.
and published by Aksys Games
for the Wii
's WiiWare
digital download service. It was first released in Japan on October 27, 2009, and was later released in North America and PAL regions on November 23, 2009 and March 5, 2010, respectively. It was announced with an official website called explorethevoid.com. It was produced by Alex Neuse, illustrated by Mike Roush, and composed by electronic music
ian Nullsleep
. Initially, it was to be controlled using the Wii Remote
's pointer technology, where the void acts as the pointer's cursor and grows and shrinks based on how close the pointer is to the Wii's Sensor Bar. However, Neuse felt that it "completely destroyed the sense of meandering and flow they strove for"; additionally, the mechanic of adjusting size with the distance from the sensor bar was too complicated, leading to them using the Nunchuk. Because of its freer movement compared to that of its predecessors Bit.Trip Beat
and Bit.Trip Core
, it enabled Neuse to design levels to have patterns coming from all sides of the screen.
The visuals and audio were initially designed to be complex, but the developers found this to be too "noisy"; as a result, they made it more simplified and minimal. He described the current build as "black and white over a sunset background", versus the early build, which he describes as "midnight colors". Roush was not satisfied with the earlier design, feeling that nothing about it was exciting, leading to its current design. The game was designed without a HUD
, an idea that they've had from the very beginning; the minimalistic design that they went with fit in well with this. While it had less time to complete, due to E3 2009, it was considered their easiest game to develop at the time. In discussing the underlying meanings behind Void, Neuse explains that Void "delve into his psyche, and what it means to have emotions and personal space. Not only what it means to have those things, but to use and abuse them." However, he noted that this was only their intention, and that he wanted it to be left up to interpretation by players. A Void-themed level was featured in the iOS release of Bit.Trip Beat. Bit.Trip Void was designated the end of a chapter of games consisting of itself and its predecessors; however, at its reveal, Gaijin Games stated "But as one chapter ends, another begins.." It was followed up by three more games, namely Bit.Trip Runner
, Bit.Trip Fate
, and Bit.Trip Flux
.
's Stephen Totilo called its controls the most comfortable in the series, also praising its graphics, sound, and for being the most "gamer-friendly". IGN
's Levi Buchanan found himself "hooked" on Void after playing it at Penny Arcade Expo
in 2009, citing the retro aesthetic used. GameSpot
's Sophia Tong found it easy to play it for a long period of time due to its implementation of checkpoints, also calling it as engaging as the others.
and GameRankings respectively. IGN
's Daemon Hatfield praised the Atari 2600
-like visuals and soundtrack, in particular the players' ability to contribute to it. And while he found the game's appearance stylish, he found it too difficult to track the black squares when the background fades to black. He also derided the lack of online leaderboards, commenting that "it is becoming less and less acceptable to overlook the most basic of online functionality." GameSpot
's Lark Anderson praised Void for making the traditionally difficult more forgiving with the implementation of checkpoints and continues, as well as its "risk-versus-reward" mechanic, which he describes as a "refreshing spin" on the bullet hell genre. However, like Hatfield, he found fault in the lack of online leaderboards, adding that the number of levels is small.
Video Gamer's James Orry named it one of their WiiWare recommendations, particularly if readers are looking for something a "little different". Eurogamer
's Kristan Reed described it as a "deeply unhinged voyage into the realms of chiptune rhythm-action." Reed, however, did describe it as being difficult, and that even with checkpoints, the game is a "rough ride". Kotaku
's Mike Fahey called the backgrounds psychadelic, and praised Gaijin Games
for creating "compelling modern games with 8-bit sensibilities." Destructoid
's Stella Wong called it a stellar entry in the series, praising its atmosphere. She felt that the audio was less prominent than it was in Bit.Trip Core, comparing it to Rez
. Official Nintendo Magazine described it as "Insanely hard retro magic." While NGamer
found it to be a "one-trick pony", they called its idea "neat" and "well-executed".
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
bullet hell rhythm game
Music video game
A music video game, also commonly known as a music game, is a video game where the gameplay is meaningfully and often almost entirely oriented around the player's interactions with a musical score or individual songs...
developed by Gaijin Games
Gaijin Games
Gaijin Games is an independent video game development studio, best known for their BIT.TRIP series of video games. The studio was founded in 2007 by Alex Neuse and is located in Santa Cruz, California.-History:Gaijin Games initially emerged in 2004...
and published by Aksys Games
Aksys Games
Aksys Games Localization, Inc. is a video game publisher that specializes in translating and localizing Japanese video games for English-speaking markets. It was founded by Akibo Shieh in 2006. Some of its clients include Namco Bandai Games, Xseed Games, and Atlus USA. Aksys Games is best known for...
for the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
's WiiWare
WiiWare
WiiWare is a service that allows Wii users to download games and applications specifically designed and developed for the Wii video game console made by Nintendo. These games and applications can only be purchased and downloaded from the Wii Shop Channel under the WiiWare section...
download service. It was first released in Japan in 2009, and later in North America and PAL regions in 2009 and 2010, respectively. It was designed by Alex Neuse and Chris Osborn, while the visuals were designed by Mike Roush. While initially having what they now describe as "noisy" audio and visuals, they changed them to be more minimalistic to alleviate this, a decision which worked well with their minimalistic design for the HUD
HUD (video gaming)
In video gaming, the HUD is the method by which information is visually relayed to the player as part of a game's user interface...
. Neuse designed it so that it could be open to interpretation by players, though stating that they intended it to delve into starring character Commander Video
Commander Video
Commander Video, was an alternate reality game and viral marketing campaign created by Gaijin Games and Aksys Games in order to promote their recently released WiiWare game Bit. Trip Beat....
's psyche, and "what it means to have emotions and personal space."
It puts players in control of a void, and represents the end of Commander Video's first chapter. Players move the void around with the joystick of either the Classic Controller
Classic Controller
The is a video game controller produced by Nintendo. It is used to play games on the Nintendo Wii video game console.-Classic Controller:The Classic Controller is plugged into the Wii Remote in order to be used. It features two analog sticks, a D-pad, face buttons labeled "a", "b", "x" and "y",...
or the Nunchuk, attempting to collect all of the black squares that appear, causing the void to grow; however, if hit players hit a white square, the void will be reduced to its regular size. Players are also able to reduce their void in size to avoid the white blocks. It features a heavy emphasis on retro-styled visuals and audio, with the audio composed by electronic music
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
ian Nullsleep
Nullsleep
Nullsleep is an American electronic musician and computer artist currently residing in New York City. In 1999 he co-founded the low-bit art collective 8bitpeoples, and has served as its lead director since its inception...
. It was followed by three more games in the series, all developed by Gaijin Games: Bit.Trip Runner
Bit.Trip Runner
Bit.Trip Runner, marketed as BIT.TRIP RUNNER, is an arcade-style 'rhythm game' developed by Gaijin Games and published by Aksys Games for the Wii's WiiWare download service...
, Bit.Trip Fate
Bit.Trip Fate
Bit.Trip Fate, marketed as BIT.TRIP FATE, is an arcade-style scrolling shooter rhythm game developed by Gaijin Games and published by Aksys Games for the Wii's WiiWare download service.-Gameplay:...
, and Bit.Trip Flux
Bit.Trip Flux
Bit.Trip Flux, marketed as BIT.TRIP FLUX, is an arcade-style rhythm game developed by Gaijin Games and published by Aksys Games for the Wii's WiiWare download service.-Gameplay:...
.
Bit.Trip Void was well-received both before and following its release; it currently holds aggregate scores of 79 and 80.08% at Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
and GameRankings, respectively. It was praised for its audio and visuals, as well as its unique concept and 8-bit style. However, the high level of difficulty was still a problem, with IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
citing how the game sometimes blends the black squares with a black background, as well as a lack of leaderboards, which both IGN and GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
deride. Video Gamer named it as one of their recommendations for the WiiWare service.
Gameplay
Players take control of a spherical black void while black and white squares come from all sides of the screen in a modern retro game described by GameSpotGameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
and IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
as a bullet hell game. It is controlled using either the Nunchuk or the Classic Controller
Classic Controller
The is a video game controller produced by Nintendo. It is used to play games on the Nintendo Wii video game console.-Classic Controller:The Classic Controller is plugged into the Wii Remote in order to be used. It features two analog sticks, a D-pad, face buttons labeled "a", "b", "x" and "y",...
. Void has three levels, with two checkpoints and a boss at the end. Before each level is a cutscene of the main character, Commander Video. Players are tasked with hitting every black square, while avoiding the white ones. With each black square hit, the void grows, and the player's combo grows with it, increasing the score more with every combo increase; however, if a white square hits the void, it will undo the void's growth and reset the combo to zero. The void may grow to great sizes, taking up most of the screen. Sometimes, the size will be too large to not hit a white square. This forces players to return to normal size by pushing a button, though without the added punishment of losing their combo. When the void returns to normal size, it will often be accompanied with a beat with squares coming out of the void.
Occasionally, players will obtain the ability to repel white squares, crucial for some parts. Hitting white squares or missing black squares too often will send the players' void to the netherworld; if they continue to fail to hit the black squares or dodge the white squares, they will get a game over, and will have to start over at the last checkpoint. After dying in or beating a level, players are shown their final score, and if it is a high score, will be able to enter it in. The HUD
HUD (video gaming)
In video gaming, the HUD is the method by which information is visually relayed to the player as part of a game's user interface...
information such as the score and combo are shown in the background. Anywhere from two to four players may play at one time, with each player's void connected to each other, making any white squares that hit any void affect everyone.
Development and release
Bit.Trip Void was developed by Gaijin GamesGaijin Games
Gaijin Games is an independent video game development studio, best known for their BIT.TRIP series of video games. The studio was founded in 2007 by Alex Neuse and is located in Santa Cruz, California.-History:Gaijin Games initially emerged in 2004...
and published by Aksys Games
Aksys Games
Aksys Games Localization, Inc. is a video game publisher that specializes in translating and localizing Japanese video games for English-speaking markets. It was founded by Akibo Shieh in 2006. Some of its clients include Namco Bandai Games, Xseed Games, and Atlus USA. Aksys Games is best known for...
for the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
's WiiWare
WiiWare
WiiWare is a service that allows Wii users to download games and applications specifically designed and developed for the Wii video game console made by Nintendo. These games and applications can only be purchased and downloaded from the Wii Shop Channel under the WiiWare section...
digital download service. It was first released in Japan on October 27, 2009, and was later released in North America and PAL regions on November 23, 2009 and March 5, 2010, respectively. It was announced with an official website called explorethevoid.com. It was produced by Alex Neuse, illustrated by Mike Roush, and composed by electronic music
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
ian Nullsleep
Nullsleep
Nullsleep is an American electronic musician and computer artist currently residing in New York City. In 1999 he co-founded the low-bit art collective 8bitpeoples, and has served as its lead director since its inception...
. Initially, it was to be controlled using the Wii Remote
Wii Remote
The , also known as the Wiimote, is the primary controller for Nintendo's Wii console. A main feature of the Wii Remote is its motion sensing capability, which allows the user to interact with and manipulate items on screen via gesture recognition and pointing through the use of accelerometer and...
's pointer technology, where the void acts as the pointer's cursor and grows and shrinks based on how close the pointer is to the Wii's Sensor Bar. However, Neuse felt that it "completely destroyed the sense of meandering and flow they strove for"; additionally, the mechanic of adjusting size with the distance from the sensor bar was too complicated, leading to them using the Nunchuk. Because of its freer movement compared to that of its predecessors Bit.Trip Beat
Bit.Trip Beat
Bit.Trip Beat, marketed as BIT.TRIP BEAT, is an arcade-style music video game developed by Gaijin Games and published by Aksys for the Wii's WiiWare download service. It was released in 2009 in North America, and released in Japan and PAL regions in the same year...
and Bit.Trip Core
Bit.Trip Core
Bit.Trip Core, marketed as BIT.TRIP CORE, is an arcade-style rhythm game developed by Gaijin Games and published by Aksys Games for the Wii's WiiWare download service...
, it enabled Neuse to design levels to have patterns coming from all sides of the screen.
The visuals and audio were initially designed to be complex, but the developers found this to be too "noisy"; as a result, they made it more simplified and minimal. He described the current build as "black and white over a sunset background", versus the early build, which he describes as "midnight colors". Roush was not satisfied with the earlier design, feeling that nothing about it was exciting, leading to its current design. The game was designed without a HUD
HUD (video gaming)
In video gaming, the HUD is the method by which information is visually relayed to the player as part of a game's user interface...
, an idea that they've had from the very beginning; the minimalistic design that they went with fit in well with this. While it had less time to complete, due to E3 2009, it was considered their easiest game to develop at the time. In discussing the underlying meanings behind Void, Neuse explains that Void "delve into his psyche, and what it means to have emotions and personal space. Not only what it means to have those things, but to use and abuse them." However, he noted that this was only their intention, and that he wanted it to be left up to interpretation by players. A Void-themed level was featured in the iOS release of Bit.Trip Beat. Bit.Trip Void was designated the end of a chapter of games consisting of itself and its predecessors; however, at its reveal, Gaijin Games stated "But as one chapter ends, another begins.." It was followed up by three more games, namely Bit.Trip Runner
Bit.Trip Runner
Bit.Trip Runner, marketed as BIT.TRIP RUNNER, is an arcade-style 'rhythm game' developed by Gaijin Games and published by Aksys Games for the Wii's WiiWare download service...
, Bit.Trip Fate
Bit.Trip Fate
Bit.Trip Fate, marketed as BIT.TRIP FATE, is an arcade-style scrolling shooter rhythm game developed by Gaijin Games and published by Aksys Games for the Wii's WiiWare download service.-Gameplay:...
, and Bit.Trip Flux
Bit.Trip Flux
Bit.Trip Flux, marketed as BIT.TRIP FLUX, is an arcade-style rhythm game developed by Gaijin Games and published by Aksys Games for the Wii's WiiWare download service.-Gameplay:...
.
Pre-release
KotakuKotaku
Kotaku is a video games-focused blog. It is part of Gawker Media's "Gawker" network of sites, which also includes Gizmodo, Deadspin, Lifehacker, io9 and Jezebel. Named to CNET News' Blog 100, Kotaku is consistently listed in the top 40 of Technorati's Top 100...
's Stephen Totilo called its controls the most comfortable in the series, also praising its graphics, sound, and for being the most "gamer-friendly". IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
's Levi Buchanan found himself "hooked" on Void after playing it at Penny Arcade Expo
Penny Arcade Expo
The Penny Arcade Expo is a semi-annual gamer festival held in Seattle and Boston. PAX was created by Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik, the authors of the Penny Arcade webcomic, because they wanted to attend a show that gave equal attention to console gamers, computer gamers, and tabletop...
in 2009, citing the retro aesthetic used. GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
's Sophia Tong found it easy to play it for a long period of time due to its implementation of checkpoints, also calling it as engaging as the others.
Post-release
Since its release, Bit.Trip Void has received generally positive reception, holding aggregate scores of 79 and 80.08% at MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
and GameRankings respectively. IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
's Daemon Hatfield praised the Atari 2600
Atari 2600
The Atari 2600 is a video game console released in October 1977 by Atari, Inc. It is credited with popularizing the use of microprocessor-based hardware and cartridges containing game code, instead of having non-microprocessor dedicated hardware with all games built in...
-like visuals and soundtrack, in particular the players' ability to contribute to it. And while he found the game's appearance stylish, he found it too difficult to track the black squares when the background fades to black. He also derided the lack of online leaderboards, commenting that "it is becoming less and less acceptable to overlook the most basic of online functionality." GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
's Lark Anderson praised Void for making the traditionally difficult more forgiving with the implementation of checkpoints and continues, as well as its "risk-versus-reward" mechanic, which he describes as a "refreshing spin" on the bullet hell genre. However, like Hatfield, he found fault in the lack of online leaderboards, adding that the number of levels is small.
Video Gamer's James Orry named it one of their WiiWare recommendations, particularly if readers are looking for something a "little different". Eurogamer
Eurogamer
Eurogamer is a Brighton-based website focused on video games news, reviews, previews and interviews. It is operated by Eurogamer Network Ltd., which was formed in 1999 by brothers Rupert and Nick Loman. Eurogamer has grown to become one of the most important European-based websites focused on...
's Kristan Reed described it as a "deeply unhinged voyage into the realms of chiptune rhythm-action." Reed, however, did describe it as being difficult, and that even with checkpoints, the game is a "rough ride". Kotaku
Kotaku
Kotaku is a video games-focused blog. It is part of Gawker Media's "Gawker" network of sites, which also includes Gizmodo, Deadspin, Lifehacker, io9 and Jezebel. Named to CNET News' Blog 100, Kotaku is consistently listed in the top 40 of Technorati's Top 100...
's Mike Fahey called the backgrounds psychadelic, and praised Gaijin Games
Gaijin Games
Gaijin Games is an independent video game development studio, best known for their BIT.TRIP series of video games. The studio was founded in 2007 by Alex Neuse and is located in Santa Cruz, California.-History:Gaijin Games initially emerged in 2004...
for creating "compelling modern games with 8-bit sensibilities." Destructoid
Destructoid
Destructoid is an independent video game-focused blog based in San Francisco, California that was founded in March 2006. It has since grown into one of the most widely read video game sites on the Internet, reaching more than 3 million unique visitors per month...
's Stella Wong called it a stellar entry in the series, praising its atmosphere. She felt that the audio was less prominent than it was in Bit.Trip Core, comparing it to Rez
Rez
Rez, developed under the codename K-Project, Project Eden, and Vibes, is a rail shooter video game released by Sega in Japan in 2001 for the Dreamcast and PlayStation 2, with a European Dreamcast release and United States PlayStation 2 release in 2002...
. Official Nintendo Magazine described it as "Insanely hard retro magic." While NGamer
NGamer
NGamer is a British magazine which mainly covers Nintendo video game consoles and software, and also to a much lesser extent, Sony and Microsoft consoles. The first issue was released on 13 July 2006...
found it to be a "one-trick pony", they called its idea "neat" and "well-executed".