Charming sequel Void Terrarium 2 – stylized as void* tRrLM2(); – is ready for you on Nintendo Switch. Learn more about it in our Void Terrarium 2 review!
Charming sequel Void Terrarium 2 – stylized as void* tRrLM2(); – is ready for you on Nintendo Switch. I got to review prequel Void Terrarium on PlayStation 4 back in 2020, and I really enjoyed my time with the game, so I was definitely looking forward to checking out Void Terrarium 2. As I mentioned last time, the team that worked on Void Terrarium and on this sequel is the same one that gave us the also weirdly titled but very good htoL#NiQ: The Firefly Diary and the also really good A Rose in the Twilight, hence why all games share a similar art style.
This one is a roguelite dungeon crawler with a good challenge. If you didn’t play the previous game, here’s a small warning so that you know that you’re about to read some information that could be a spoiler. Ready? Then continue reading after the screenshot below.
Following the events of Void Terrarium and the defeat of the cloudAI, Toriko is saved by Robbie the robot – yes, that’s his name – it seemed like it was all safe. Unfortunately, a new disease threatens Toriko’s well-being. It’s time for Robbie to once again do whatever it takes to save her. The terrarium that protects her has certainly seen better days. While Robbie has tried to repair it with the resources he finds, it’s not been enough to keep Toriko’s overall health from taking a turn for the worse.
After analyzing her arm, the factory AI determines that the connective tissues around her shoulder have deteriorated, thus causing her arm to detach. While the cause for this is currently unknown, the factoryAI does know how to mend her. After sending Robbie a blueprint for a Cell Enhancer, he ends up visiting a nearby wasteland at the coordinates that the factoryAI kindly provides. He must find at least one Broken Syringe. This will be the first proper dungeon that Robbie visits after the introductory one after booting up the game. But even fixing her arm won’t be enough, so Robbie will have to take the factoryAI memory chip and Toriko to a safe spot where a new terrarium can be built.
During the roguelike dungeon segments, you’ll control Robbie with the left analog stick or the D-Pad as he moves in all eight directions, one tile at a time. You can also press and hold down the R button so that Robbie can only move diagonally. The dungeon crawling takes place on a turn-based basis, so whenever you move, attack, or perform an action, enemies will also move, attack, or perform an action. That means that as long as you don’t do anything, you’ll be able to take a deep breath and think things through before you’re overwhelmed. That way, you will avoid making any costly mistakes!
Be sure to use the minimap on the right side of the screen so that you can collect items and avoid enemies. When you do run into enemies, Robbie can attack when you press the A button. Any active abilities he gains can be equipped to the A, B, X, and Y buttons so that you can activate them as needed when you press and hold down the L button and one of the aforementioned buttons.
Whenever Robbie enters a new dungeon, his level will go all the way back to level 1. This is why you’ll have to defeat as many enemies as possible so that you can help Robbie level up to boost his stats – total hit points, attack, defense, and so on – as well as gain access to passive and active skills. These include skills like Endurance, which boosts Robbie’s defense whenever its HP is 50% or lower, and Stabby Power, an ability that will increase the critical damage bonus by 20%, which can end up making a big difference for that run.
Robbie will also get to collect a variety of objects during his time in each of the many dungeons you’ll visit. Everything that you grab will be added to the inventory, which you can open with the X button. You can collect Tool Kits, which can be used for minor repairs so that Robbie can recover some of its lost HP or batteries that can be used to recharge some of Robbie’s energy. This is very important because every step Robbie takes, and every action he performs, will require energy. If Robbie’s energy is completely drained, then every subsequent action will instantly drain his HP at a steady pace.
If you’re lucky, you will also find items that you can use to deal considerable damage to enemies – see the Force Bomb, which knocks back enemies while also dealing damage – or an Acid Smo-Bomb that will emit smoke that will apply the Corrode status to anyone within its activation range. You might even get to find some items that Robbie can equip to boost its stats. If you find a Common Shield, you should immediately equip it since it will increase Robbie’s defense by 5%!
When you clear a dungeon, or if you’re defeated and are sent back to the terrarium, all of the items in your inventory will be brought back to the terrarium. These will be converted into resources that you can use for crafting. When you’re back at the terrarium, you’ll be able to use blueprints and resources from the main menu to craft items. The first item you’ll be able to create is a very special stuffed animal that will help to make Toriko feel a bit better.
Items can be converted into one of four types of resources: Organic, inorganic, energy, and contaminated. The most important items are the organic ones you might get your hands on since they can be used to feed Toriko. Other resources are used for completing a variety of blueprints. There will also be some special resources that you’ll need to craft special items. These special resources can only be obtained by converting specific items, so be on the lookout for those.
Any items that you craft and any food you’ve obtained will be stored inside the vault. You’ll have to retrieve an item from the vault to be able to use it inside of the terrarium or if you want to give it to Toriko. Since you’ve just crafted a very special plushy that can keep her company, you should grab it and give it to her ASAP! While you can walk up to the vault and open it up with the A button, to speed things up, you can also access it from anywhere o the terrarium by pressing the ZR button.
Void Terrarium 2 has an in-game trophies system so that you can work on unlocking 30 trophies, including one for getting all other trophies – yes, like a Platinum trophy on PlayStation. The objectives to complete for these trophies include defeating 10, 100, and 1,000 enemies, using 10, 100, and 500 active skills, reaching levels 10, 30, and 50, acquiring 10 and 50 skills, reaching mastery level with a weapon, defeating a contaminated enemy, defeating yourself by running out of energy, and creating 10, 20, and 30 pieces of décor, to name some examples.
If you got a chance to play Void Terrarium, then playing this sequel is a no-brainer. It expands on what the prequel did while giving us a new story to experience and a new set of challenges to overcome. The game’s charming characters, solid art style, and fun but challenging gameplay mechanics will certainly keep you coming back for more. Void Terrarium 2 is out on Nintendo Switch with a $39.99 asking price.
Disclaimer
This Void Terrarium 2 review is based on a Nintendo Switch copy provided by NIS America.
