In this article, we’ll be talking about VOIN. Now VOIN is an action RPG that mixes first-person, open-world exploration with fast-paced combat. The game stands out with its stylized visuals and a combat system that encourages an aggressive playstyle, where you heal by attacking enemies. There’s no slow start in this game, right from the get-go, you’re thrown into the action. The controls are also smooth and responsive, making it feel great to move around and fight. You’ll quickly get the hang of the basics, like attacking, dodging, and using special abilities, while fighting off waves of enemies.
Exploration is a big part of the game too. You’ll find hidden chests and the freedom to move around the world in ways that keep things interesting. Of course, this is only a demo and is still far from the finished product. Now with all that said, let’s go deeper into the game
VOIN - Story and Setting
The story of VOIN takes place in a world devastated by a plague that’s wiped out all life, leaving behind a barren and broken land. You step into the role of Lightning, an elemental being powered by storms, summoned to this dying realm to put an end to the plague. Lightning’s existence, however, is far from simple. Created by a powerful mage, he’s bound inside enchanted armor crafted for this very mission. But this armor is more than a tool, it’s also some sort of a prison. Trapped within it, Lightning is under the mage’s control at all times, forced to act against his will. As the journey unfolds, Lightning supposedly begins to uncover the grim truths about his existence and the mage’s dark intentions, making him question everything about his purpose as he navigates this ruined world.
The setting of VOIN mixes fantastical landscapes with dark, elemental-infused architecture. This could range from Ice Caves to vast woodland areas. And at the center of your journeys is Amorict, this is your hub that is built on top of an awakened underwater volcano where fire, water, earth, air, and the other elements come together. The tower is made of what looks like obsidian with its structures that look like fractals shaped by elemental magic, creating some sort of otherworldly aesthetic. Each room is deeply connected to elements like a water room for leveling up and healing and a fire room that makes Lightning’s abilities grow stronger and cleanses his equipment, making the hub look like the elements are part of Lightning’s journey.
The world of VOIN is massive and open, with level design that seems to draw a lot of inspiration from dark fantasy epics. You’ll find yourself exploring sprawling landscapes filled with monsters, hidden treasures, and bosses, all while diving into dungeons that start with the tight, claustrophobic feel of the tutorial but then open up into sprawling, deadly labyrinths. Movement and exploration are a big deal here, with mechanics like dashing, vertical navigation, and environmental puzzles adding some real depth to how you interact with the world.
What’s interesting about VOIN is that it doesn’t seem to lean on traditional storytelling. Instead, it threads its narrative through the clash of elemental forces and a world being consumed by plague. The gameplay strikes a balance between fast, visceral combat and quieter, reflective moments that connect Lightning’s storm-based abilities to the bigger picture. Summoning storms to devastate enemies or pausing to reflect on the still waters of Amorict both feel deeply connected to the game’s larger narrative at least by representation. The layered narrative and rich setting make the world feel alive, even in its bleakness, as you slowly piece together the mystery of Lightning’s imprisonment and uncover the mage’s true, sinister intentions.
VOIN - Gameplay and Combat Mechanics
VOIN’s gameplay is pretty much what you’d expect from a roguelike but with some interesting twists. For one, there aren’t any bonfires here. Your progress just saves automatically when you hit certain checkpoints. Instead of health or mana bars, you’ve got “hearts,” which represent your life. Every time you get hit, you lose a heart, but you can earn them back by hitting enemies yourself. I’ll explain more about that when we get to combat. Now, you’re probably wondering how leveling up works without bonfires. Well, you won’t be able to do that in the middle of the map, you’ll only be able to do that while you’re in the hub called Amorict.
Now, how do you go back to the hub without dying? That’s where Lightning’s master comes in. You can call on him to open a portal that takes you back to the hub, but it’s not as simple as it sounds. First off, you can’t summon a portal if the sky is blocked out so if you’re stuck in a cave, you’ll have to find a way to head outside. Then, the portal doesn’t appear exactly where you are; it just pops up nearby, which can be a huge nightmare if you’re low on hearts and the portal spawns near a group of strong enemies. And on top of that, you can’t just portal out whenever you feel like it. There’s a cooldown every time you enter an area, so you’ll need to stick around for a while before you can head back.
Speaking of the Amorict, it’s pretty much what you’d expect from a hub. It’s your go-to spot for leveling up, purifying corrupted loot, refilling your hearts, and upgrading your weapons using ichor, the game’s currency that you get from slaying monsters. In the final release of the game, it is said that there will be NPCs that you can find in the hub that you can interact with. You’ll probably be able to equipment and other stuff from them, though how they’ll even be able to access the Amorict is a huge mystery to me. Maybe Lightning’s master just beams up wandering weapons merchants because he knows they could help you. Anyway, like most roguelikes, though, death comes with a price. You’ll drop all your ichor and uncleansed loot when you die, but you can get it back by returning to where you fell and breaking open this creepy, fleshy mound that holds your stuff. This is why it’s very important to cleanse your loot every time you find an item that is worth keeping.
Combat in this game is simple but fun, and yeah, those memes calling it a melee version of Doom aren’t too far off. It’s fast-paced, with the usual roguelike mechanics, except there’s no blocking or parrying here. you’re able to dodge, though, and it’s pretty effective since you cover a decent distance, making it easier to reposition. Plus, you get invincibility frames if you time it perfectly which, in this game, means dodging right when an enemy glows yellow and goes for a hit. Once you figure out an enemy’s attack pattern, combat feels straightforward, but don’t think you can just cheese your way through by dipping in, landing a few hits, and dipping out. The enemies are smarter than that and the game usually just throws a mob at you so they could surround you. Some can dodge your attacks too, and you only start with three dodges. The cooldown isn’t long, but it’s not short enough to let you spam it either.The combat mechanics bring in a lot of complexity, like with rune charges. As you hit enemies, you fill up your rune charges, which let you pull off powerful attacks that deal decent damage and can even electrocute nearby enemies when your runes are fully charged. It’s satisfying to use, but there’s a catch. If you miss your rune attack, it drains your charges, so you’ll want to aim carefully. There’s also a knockback mechanic tied to your heavy attacks. A heavy swing does a wide arc, perfect for crowd control, and if you’ve built up knockback charges by hitting enemies, it’ll stagger them too. That opens up a window to either go in for the kill or create some distance if you need to regroup. Health recovery is tied to combat too.
Hitting enemies restores your health, which is pretty great since there aren’t any potions in the game, at least not in the parts I’ve played. I guess the developer is really encouraging players to adopt a more aggressive approach when it comes to enemies, which would mean that mobs are a good thing for players because they’ll be your main source of health. Outside of that, healing is only available back at the hub.
You’ve also got a decent selection of weapons to try out. I’ve only used swords, but there are giant hammers and dual sickles too. Each one changes how you attack and how your skills work. The hammers are heavy and slow, with animations that feel like swinging a sword’s heavy attack, while the sickles are super fast but have short range and lower damage.
Then there are the powers, which are the skills that Lightning can unlock. These powers don’t consume any mana since there aren’t any here so you can use them as much as you want, as long as you wait for the cooldown to finish. There were three powers in the demo. Rune Infusion gives your weapon an electric buff, adding extra damage to your attacks. Whirlwind is a crowd-control move where you spin your weapons and damage enemies in front of you which is perfect when enemies are grouped up. Lightning’s Sting is my favorite power because it lets you jump back, hover for a second, and then lunge forward, stabbing enemies like a lightning bolt. It’s awesome for repositioning when you’re swarmed, and it deals solid damage, though it’s better for single targets since it doesn’t cover much area.
When it comes to customization, Lightning has a range of gear options, including necklaces, rings, runes, two switchable weapons, and artifacts. These items likely influence stats, damage output, and even skills. While it seems like you’ll eventually be able to allocate points to attributes and skills as you level up, the demo doesn’t currently allow you to do this though. It’s something you’ll probably need to wait for in Early Access or the final release to fully explore.
VOIN - How An Ambitious Modder Gave Birth To a Game
Nikita Sozida’s work on VOIN has been a long and challenging process. Over the past six years, he went through multiple prototypes that didn’t quite match his vision. After rethinking his approach, he began focusing on the game’s core concepts, dedicating the last three years to its development. The game emphasizes exploration, character customization, and first-person combat, elements he felt were lacking in some of the games he enjoyed. Inspired by The Elder Scrolls, the goal was to create an open world players could explore in detail.
The dark fantasy setting of VOIN reflects the developer’s interest in layered environments. The world features a mix of myths, expansive landscapes, and hidden dangers. Level design takes cues from Elden Ring, particularly in combining large, open spaces with detailed areas that reward exploration. These influences shape VOIN’s mix of atmospheric and mysterious environments.
The hub area, Amorict, combines natural and magical elements to create a space that feels functional yet otherworldly. The design draws on inspirations like Lord of the Rings and Warcraft, blending familiar fantasy themes with a sense of unease and mystery.
Rather than starting with greyboxing, the developer works directly with final assets, an approach shaped by his experience modding Warcraft 3 and Skyrim. By modifying existing assets, he balances performance with a unique visual style that defines VOIN.
Final Thoughts
One thing I have to mention first is that if you’re someone who is easily motion-sick, you’ll need to tweak the settings to remove the camera shake and the sword bobble. It’ll definitely help out when playing the game. Aesthetically speaking, I can see the appeal this game brings to players who are huge fans of dark fantasy. It really does have that retro The Lord of The Rings vibe that the developer was aiming for with its pixel-heavy graphics. I honestly thought that the low-fps enemy movement was because there was something wrong with the settings in my game, but it turns out that was deliberate. I’m guessing a lot of players will have mixed feelings about this. personally, I’m fine with it.
The gameplay is pretty impressive too, I like how the combat works, and weirdly enough, the fact that it doesn’t have a shield suits the pace of the combat really well. It just makes sure that your character isn’t just stationary and you’re pretty much bouncing around during trying not to get hit. The hub was honestly a bit complicated when I first got there after the tutorial stage. It was large and it had multiple doors that led to rooms with multiple doors, only to realize the doors were pretty much the same. If I recall correctly, there were two doors that led to the fire room inside the water room which felt really redundant. But overall, I’m really impressed about the game and I’m excited to see what other updates they have in store. The game launched on Steam Early Access on July 24, 2025. The Early Access version will feature two large levels and of course the Amorict hub area which I hope will have expanded by then. It’s planned to stay in Early Access for roughly a year so if you’re interested in the game, you’re able to go for it.
