Developed by Venturous and published on consoles by Ratalaika Games, Voyage is a beautiful cinematic adventure game that is all about exploring a shared world. With its minimalistic UI and a complete lack of words, you can mistake Voyage for a side-scrolling movie with its engrossing visuals and a sound design that would put a lot of modern titles to shame. With simple gameplay mechanics, Voyage is one indie title that is bound to please everyone who sets their foot into this unique experience. This is our review of the PS5 version of Voyage in which we explore beautiful hand-painted environments and solve some puzzles.
Voyage is basically a side-scrolling adventure game in which you play solo or with a friend with a local co-op as you control two characters on their journey through a beautiful world. There are no cutscenes in the game and there is no narration at any point in the game and the whole story is just told through the game’s beautiful visual art and various signs and murals. The levels are designed for moving left or right in the game however there are a few instances where you unlock additional paths that are just hiding there in plain sight, and you take them to progress in the main story. These paths add depth to the gameplay and add a nice little 2.5D effect to the game as well but these are actually just 2D paths where you move left and right.
Apart from moving left and right, you can switch between the two characters at any given time. There are only a few instances where the gameplay is locked to one character but normally, you can switch between the two at any given time as well. You can interact with various NPCs, items, or objects in the game such as dragging around things, pressing buttons, and more in order to solve various puzzles in the game. You can also give the other character command to stop and wait until you solve a puzzle and then call them back to accompany you. Finally, there is a brilliant hint system in the game which gives you a small hint of what you can do next if you are Apart from this, there are no controls in the game.
Each level in the game has various puzzles for you to solve and there is not much else to do in the levels apart from sinking all of the pretty visuals and design of the title. There is no combat or violence of any kind in the game and the whole gameplay is just both of you helping out each other in various ways to clear different obstacles. You will be helping each other climb high places, pushing around heavy objects, and solving various puzzles. If you get stuck, the hint system gives you a small hint with the interactable object with a small sound that you can check out. As a matter of fact, I will not call them a puzzle as well since they are just tasks that you have to think with your mind and complete in order to move forward in the game. There is a little bit of backtracking but most of the time, you will be moving forward rather than backward.
Probably the most prominent feature of Voyage is the game’s art style, and it is evident right from the start of the game. No matter which platform you play it, the game looks gorgeous on all of them. It might be a little confusing at the start of the game because the game does not really hold your hand at the start to progress in the story and the art style of the game does not make it easy as well. However, once you are past that initial level, the game really shows its beauty and how simple it actually is. I have played tons of indie titles in the past few years and very few games actually impress me this much as Voyage did in its initial 30 minutes. All of the visuals in Voyage are hand-painted and this is one of the reasons why the game looks so beautiful in all of the levels.
As you progress in Voyage, each level brings a new environment for you to explore, and you can see the arty style in all of its glory. The environments range from raging sandstorms in deserts, lush green fields, creepy swamps, steep mountains, dense forests, old ruins, and much more. Each environment in the game has a unique look complete with particle effects and a diverse range of fauna roaming around in these areas. Some of the fauna is just there for the atmospheric effect however you get to interact with some of the animals as well in order to progress in the game. This whole experience feels very cozy, and the levels are all connected with each other delivering a seamless change that feels extremely natural. This is coupled with an equally amazing soundtrack which picks up on key places and then dies down in various locations to deliver a brilliant atmospheric feel to the game. Thanks to the soundtrack, exploring the ship with its lights flickering and not a soul in sight gave me goosebumps that I was not expecting. The soundtrack plays a key role in the game, and I loved it.
Technically, the PS5 version of Voyage is brilliant, and it ran without any sort of issues. Although the game does not really push the hardware or uses much of PS5’s DualSense Controller’s advanced features, it does come with a healthy list of Trophies, and they are not that hard to unlock as well. For Trophy hunters, this is yet another easy Platinum with plenty of Gold and a Platinum Trophy. You can unlock all of the Trophies in less than 2 hours when you complete the game for the first time. Each of the 8 levels in the game takes around 10 – 13 minutes to complete and thus the whole story of the game can be completed in around 2 hours making this an excellent game for completing on a single night.
Final Verdict:
Voyage is a beautiful game, and it just entices you into playing the whole game in one sitting just because you are so engrossed in the beautiful art of the game. Few indie developers manage to nail this level of art. The only issue with the game is that it is really short, and it leaves you wanting more. Every now and then, there comes a title that you just have to play for its experience, and Voyage is one such title. If you love games with a beautiful art style or just want to experience a game that focuses more on the experience rather than challenge, Voyage is the title that should be on your list.
Final Score: 9.5/10
