Greeting Ectypes - newcomers and re-incarnations alike! Laurids (Lead Designer) here, piping in from the flame-spouting bowels of the engine room. Since release, we’ve been focused on cooking up what comes beyond Update 1.0 - Our brand new EXPLOSIVE Update! - can't wait to get into your hands, to hopefully provide something that’s shaping up to be a worthy game-changer for all the followers of METEM out there.

As teased in the previous Space Log, the biggest news is the introduction of the Payload Launcher. Essentially, it’s a dedicated module for firing specialized carryables (aka “Payloads”) into space. It even has a handy Direction Selector so you can launch upwards, downwards… or sideways or forwards, depending on where you installed it.

And if your team's scavenger has that Long Throw perk? Guess what—you can always just hurl these new Payloads with your bare hands if the launcher’s busy or your Engineer forgot to install it. Once you’ve primed a Payload (LMB), it’s armed and good to go. Throw it (RMB) and watch it transform from “something I’m holding” to “something that’s about to create mayhem.” Once deployed, a Payload stops being a carryable, which prevents the Gravity Scoop from vacuuming it back up—once it’s deployed, it’s out there, hopefully terrorizing your enemies instead of your own crew (I'm looking at you, Decoy Lure).

Deploying a Cluster Missile Payload by hand. EVA is now short for Extra-Vehicular-Awesomness!

• Cluster Missile: Launches a whole swarm of fast, homing little bearers of destruction. Perfect for swarms of fast-moving baddies.
  
• Seeker Missile (naming TBD): A single, high-damage warhead that excels at sniping sub-components on bigger foes or punching holes through medium ships.
  
• Torpedo: A slower, lumbering beast that hits really hard. Aim at large, clunky enemy craft, then watch the fireworks.
  
• [Redacted]: METEM’s special brand of “behavior correction.” We can’t share details yet, but let’s just say it’s not a warm hug.

• Lure: This decoy now transforms into its own mini craft when launched—cruising along and luring your enemies on a merry chase.
  
• Proximity Mines: We’ve made these hand-deployable. Set them loose, and they’ll be waiting for whenever unwelcome guests come near.

Ever since 1.0 dropped, we’ve gotten a bunch of feedback about how runs can feel punishingly front-loaded or (for some) too drawn out. We’re smoothing the early portion a bit—and adding stiffer scaling after the first boss for those who managed to stay on top of the power curve. Ideally, no one feels obligated to marathon 3-hour sessions just to be “optimal.” Smash that first boss, then push into the endless portion if your team feels like it.
We're looking into tuning difficulty by making more aspects of the enemies tweakable - not just their health-pools and damage output, but also attributes like movement speed, projectile speed, attack-wind-up time and so on... lots of different numbers that affect the challenge in various ways.

We’re also introducing a few new Mutator options on the Pilgrimage selection on the Galaxy Map, for those craving some extra spice on their runs:

• “Piñata” – Because who doesn’t love colorful explosions to go along with their loot?
  
• “Revenant” – These HOLLOW don't seem to stay dead!?
  
• “Shielded HOLLOW” – If you ever thought HOLLOW needed an extra edge… well, we have concerns about your life choices.

We have more Mutators in the works, but these three are front and center in our dev pipeline.

Colors!

Finally, we’re bolting in an emote selection system at the Personal Loadout Terminal. We love messing around in co-op with silly gestures and want to double down on that. Expect more interactive emotes, the possibility of “holding a pose” to amuse your poor crewmates, and basically fueling that “hey, look at me!” side of your game sessions.

More ways to celebrate your own competence, or show your fellow Ectype exactly how much grief they're causing you.

As always, remember to join our Discord[discord.com] for more Discussions, Crew-finding and Information about the game!

Until the next transmission…

// Laurids, Lead Game Designer, Hutlihut Games

Hello all Ectypes,

Welcome to everyone into a new year 2025.
What better way to start than share a new video showing Void Crew 1.0 Gameplay loop.
...we hope you like it - If so, pleeeease share with your friends :-)

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We love feedback... both from both players in our community and media playing Void Crew. That gives us insights into which areas works and others to improve - making Void Crew the best experience it can be. One of the biggest Danish gaming medias, ARKADEN just released a full review of Void Crew 1.0. As it is written in Danish, we have translated it below, for you all to read.

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/43802314/edb60fcef990197cc7d26163dd2a8010ed0a598a.png
Void Crew 1.0 review (ARKADEN - original text in Danish) >>[arkaden.dk]

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Review in ARKADEN[arkaden.dk] - Written by Michael Emcken, January 10, 2025.

Void Crew has exited its 14-month-long Early Access, and it is incredibly addictive—especially when you have friends to man the ship with you.
Void Crew offers an intense and cooperative experience where teamwork and communication are key to success. You and your friends will be thrust into chaotic missions where you must balance piloting the ship, fighting enemies, and scavenging "space junk" from the hostile ships you’ve taken down.

Developed by Danish studio Hutlihut Games and published by Focus Entertainment, this rogue-like extraction game lets you navigate your spaceship through missions, extract loot, and upgrade your skills to progress as far as possible.

The game begins with a brief introduction to the core mechanics. The pace is slow, and you won’t face significant challenges initially. But once the real game begins, the tempo and difficulty ramp up quickly. You’ll venture into space aboard a sophisticated spacecraft on exciting missions that you and your crew are hilariously unprepared for! Your main adversary is "The Hallow," the game’s only enemy faction.

There’s a stark contrast between the tutorial and the main gameplay, but the difficulty is fair—you always understand why a mission failed. It’s just a matter of hopping back into the action, spending your newly-earned gene tree points, and venturing into space again.

Roles and Gene Trees
In Void Crew, each player can assume a different role on the ship, each with unique abilities and responsibilities. The available roles are:

Pilot: Responsible for navigating the spaceship through missions, avoiding obstacles and enemy fire.
Engineer: Focuses on maintaining and repairing the ship's systems, weapons, or hull.
Gunner: Operates the ship's weapons to fend off enemies, ensuring you’re not overwhelmed by the numerous foes in certain missions.
Scavenger: Heads out into space during the chaos to retrieve space junk that can be used to upgrade weapons or reinforce the hull.

Currently, the scavenger role feels unnecessary. While hull breaches require someone to venture into open space for repairs, it’s often better to send an engineer, as they’re more efficient at repairs. Some objectives require external work, but generally, having someone outside the ship is a disadvantage. As a result, the scavenger role doesn’t have a well-defined place compared to the others.

Players can rotate roles to keep gameplay dynamic and ensure everyone experiences different aspects of the game. Role selection and gene tree point allocation are managed in the Hub, where you also prepare for missions. Gene trees allow players to enhance specific aspects of their role, such as improving the pilot’s thruster speed or increasing the gunner’s weapon damage.

Into asteroid rain and ice storms the Space Ship has to venture out
The ship’s systems are interactive and easy to navigate. Weapons must be aimed, fired, and reloaded manually, and repairs often require players to dash around the ship like headless chickens, tackling one crisis after another.

While enemies try to turn your ship into space debris, environmental hazards like asteroid storms and ice fields also pose a threat. Effective communication is essential, as even simple tasks—like aligning the ship for a warp jump or managing power consumption—often require coordinated efforts from the crew.

Originally posted by author:

The moments when everything clicks and the crew functions as a well-oiled machine are deeply satisfying. Few games can match this level of cooperative enjoyment.

Alone in Space - Playing Solo
Void Crew can be played solo if you don’t want to team up with other players. This mode works surprisingly well, with automated turrets and other systems helping you manage tasks that would typically require multiple players.

While missions seem scaled for solo play, it’s not explicitly stated. Perhaps the automated turrets are just particularly effective at eliminating enemies.

Multiplayer: Where the Game Shines
We at Arkaden had the pleasure of playing Void Crew as a 4-player co-op team. According to Kasper Pedersen:

“Void Crew truly shines when experienced as part of a team. While missions—particularly space battles—can be tough, completing them feels incredibly rewarding. However, figuring out certain mechanics, like activating Hyper Drive, can be confusing at first. We also encountered a few bugs, like a crew member falling through the ship floor. But these issues were minor compared to the laughs and shouts we shared as a team, improving and mastering the game’s complex mechanics together.”

Void Crew is a fantastic game, slightly hindered by the lack of utility for the scavenger role and some technical issues. These flaws, however, don’t detract from the overall experience. The gameplay is solid, striking a perfect balance between micromanagement and engaging tasks. Every action aboard the ship has purpose and significance. Progression through the gene tree is satisfying, and each upgrade feels impactful.

Space battles are intense, punishing mistakes harshly. While single-player mode is functional, it’s clear the game was designed for co-op. Void Crew is decent in single-player, great in multiplayer, and absolutely phenomenal with friends. Its strength lies in creating an engaging and dynamic multiplayer experience where teamwork is essential. For fans of co-op games and space adventures, Void Crew is a must-play.

Developer/Publisher: Hutlihut Games/Focus Entertainment
Genre: Rogue-lite/Adventure/Extraction
Platform: PC (Steam)

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Don't hesitate to share with us your Void Crew experience in comments!
...or join discussions with other Ectypes in the community on our Discord[discord.gg]!

//Hutlihut Games Crew