Void War
A downloadable game for Windows
VOID WAR: Itch.io Backer Alpha
Available for Purchase Now
UPDATE #3: Download the Press Kit HERE
We have just released a press kit. It can be downloaded here,
UPDATE #2: FREE DEMO is now available!
The Void War Demo is now available! Check out the download link at the bottom of this page (right above the comments section).
UPDATE: Official FAQ has been posted HERE
For additional questions that are not covered here on Itch, be sure to check out the official Void War FAQ here. You can also join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/4rV32dzxKr
Want to wait for Steam? Wishlist HERE
If you would rather wait for the Steam release, you can wishlist Void War here. Remember, if you purchase the Alpha here on Itch, not only will you get to play right now, you will also be able to transfer your Itch version of the game to Steam when it eventually releases there.
What is VOID WAR?
Void War is a space combat roguelite set in a dark, techno-gothic future.
Why release on Itch.io?
We're releasing this Alpha version on Itch.io to fix bugs, gather player feedback, and improve the game as much as possible before launching on Steam.
What are the details?
Access to the Backer Alpha costs $15. Players who purchase the Alpha will be able to transfer their key to Steam using Itch's built-in feature after the Steam release. Void War will be cheaper here on Itch initially, but the price will increase when it arrives on Steam.
The Backer Alpha will also include an invite to our Discord server. We'd love to hear any feedback and suggestions you might have.
The first 1000 backers will receive the option to have their names listed in the credits sequence of Void War.
UDPATE: All 1000 backer credit slots have been filled. We will be reaching out to you about this soon. Thanks for your support!
We're doing this as a special thanks to backers for believing in us at this early stage. If you are eligible after making your purchase, we will get in touch with you about this at a later date.
What to Expect from the Backer Alpha
- A heaping pile of content. We're estimating 25-30 hours minimum for a highly experienced player to win the game with every ship in the Backer Alpha. Newer players will take longer. Encounters have enough variety and outcome possibilities that even after this period, it is highly unlikely that a player would have seen everything the Backer Alpha has to offer. Furthermore, this does not include the 12 Torment modes, which have been tuned for hardcore play, and introduce significantly greater variety and challenge.
- Bugs. Crashes. More than we'd like. We're a 2-man team with no experience, no money, and no resources. But rest assured bug fixing will be the top priority. We are committed to making Void War a bug-free experience.
- Profile resets. We will aim to ensure new patches don't break your profile. But sometimes it will happen. That is the reality of development. There will also likely be a final profile reset before the eventual Steam release. That said...
- Expect a steady stream of patches and updates. We are aiming to release updated versions of the game roughly twice a month. Updates will include fixes, balance changes, and new content.
For updates on the eventual Steam release, be sure to wishlist on Steam HERE
Alpha Features
Here is a list of specific features in the Backer Alpha:
- Highly replayable single-player campaign
- Each run takes roughly 3-5 hours
- Hundreds of unique encounters
- 60+ weapons, 50+ modules, and 19 systems to power your ship
- 140+ wargear options to outfit your crew, including weapons, armor, consumables, and psychic powers
- 70+ crew types, spread out across 6 six factions
- 10 playable ships* (5 hull classes, 2 variants each)
- 8 playable commanders
- Multiple bosses
- 12 Torment difficulty modes
- Detailed "Run Archive" system for tracking your victories... and your defeats.
- Basic soundtrack
* More ships will likely have been added by the time you download this.
Roadmap
We're shooting to release on Steam Early Access in Spring 2025. It will remain in Early Access for as long as it takes to make it the best game it can be.
The final completed game will include:
- 36 playable ships (12 hull classes, 3 variants each)
- 12 playable commanders
- Full soundtrack
- Achievements
- More yet-to-be-revealed content...
About VOID WAR
(This is what's on our Steam page.)
OVERVIEW
Command an ancient starship and fight your way to the heart of a dying Empire. Fend off attacks from demented cultists, craven space pirates, and xenophobic Imperial soldiers. Discover powerful artifacts and use them to build your ship into a fearsome war engine.
MANAGE YOUR SHIP
Your starship is a mighty and terrible vessel, brimming with arcane technology and devastating weapons. Harness your ship's weapons, modules, and reactor power to maximize your combat potential.
POWERFUL COMBOS
Arrange your upgrades into powerful combos and use them to surgically dismantle your enemies. But watch out. They can do exactly the same to you.
BUILD YOUR CREW
Enlist crew from six different factions. Customize them with a vast array of wargear and engage in bloody, strategic boarding actions against enemy craft. Watch them crush their foes or die horrifically in the frenzy of void warfare.
EVERCHANGING GALAXY
Experience hundreds of randomly generated encounters. Navigate through a brutal and unrelenting galaxy, weaving together a new story with every run.
DARK TECHNO-GOTHIC FUTURE
Meet technocultist magi, Imperial deserters, demon lords and more. Recruit them, fight them, and make choices that impact the state of your ship and the lives of your crew.
Purchase
In order to download this game you must purchase it at or above the minimum price of $15 USD. You will get access to the following files:
Download demo
Development log
- Backer Alpha Patch #14 - Atmosphere11 days ago
- Backer Alpha Patch #13 - Hotfix v0.0.13a26 days ago
- Backer Alpha Patch #13 - Death & War33 days ago
- Backer Alpha Patch #12 - Gold Juggernaut50 days ago
- Backer Alpha Patch #11 - Hotfix v0.0.11a63 days ago
- Backer Alpha Patch #11 - Ability Hotkeys68 days ago
- Void War Demo is out!84 days ago
- Backer Alpha Patch #10 - Bug Fixes85 days ago
Comments
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Hey Devs, I played the demo on steam. I love FTL and Warhammer 40k, this was a nobrainer purchase. thanks for bringing two of my favourite things together
Do you have any plans to add a fourth Ruinous Cult, say one of Excess, in the future?
Will you ever add Xenos to this game?
Hi. I'm a Brazilian Portuguese native speaker, and I'm interested in translating your game. I'd appreciate it if you could hit me up.
Hello, I'm liking this game, but have one question and one comment.
Question: Is there an uncoverable story or plot? I've played five runs, but I haven't found any connected encounters or cogent story thread. Is that planned, am I missing it, or is there not going to be any story?
Why is no one talking about how identical to FTL this game is? FTL was a superb game, and this game literally copies everything with a different theme and a few minor tweaks. I'm not bashing the copying here, so please don't think I'm mad. I'm just confused. Are the developers the same people who made FTL? I read through every FAQ I could find and there is absolutely zero references to FTL...
Most of the "lore" comes from talking to merchants, and the descriptions you get when mousing over the ship type in the hangar. The story, especially concerning the vault of souls and the commander, is really open ended and vague, in my opinion.
The developers are independent and not associated with Subset. They don't hide the FTL influence, and have posted several times in r/ftlgame advertising Void War (among other subreddits). If I had to speculate on why they don't make references to FTL in the marketing material and FAQs, it's probably because they want their game to stand on it's own, rather than being a derivative game "for fans of FTL."
One of the developers in the discord said "the marketing for this game has been kind of a nightmare [...] I kinda wonder if people just need some time to get used to the idea that something so directly inspired by ftl could actually be good. I'm pretty confident that quality will win in the end. Just gotta give it some time"
This is really fun!
Will there be a way to transfer progress from the alpha version to the steam version once the full game is released?
At 3rd playthrough, really enjoying this piece of software.
Doom Effigy as ally (in the ship that has is as crew member) it's fine to not be controllable, but if it's teleported to enemy ship via displacement weapon hit from an enemy ship, you are not able to make it return to your ship...which is not ideal, since you can't do anything about it (not move doom effigy in first place to evade the teleporting hit, and not recalling it on your ship)
Hi! Do you have a contact email? I’d love to discuss composing music for your game!
I feel a need to ask before i buy, but is this a setting that has plans to be used post launch? I've had a blast reading all the lore tabs and hoping to see more.
Sorry, not sure where to post Error Logs.
Version: Alpha 0.0.12 - 2025.02.23 - 0111 Torment II
___________________________________________
############################################################################################
ERROR in
action number 1
of Draw Event
for object oUITooltipSection:
Unable to find instance for object index 132230
at gml_Script_anon_anon_gml_Object_oUITooltip_crew_Create_0_9259_gml_Object_oUITooltip_crew_Create_0_9321_anon_gml_Object_oUITooltip_crew_Create_0_9259_gml_Object_oUITooltip_crew_Create_0
############################################################################################
gml_Script_anon_anon_gml_Object_oUITooltip_crew_Create_0_9259_gml_Object_oUITooltip_crew_Create_0_9321_anon_gml_Object_oUITooltip_crew_Create_0_9259_gml_Object_oUITooltip_crew_Create_0 (line -1)
gml_Script_tooltipSection_updateDimensions
gml_Object_oUITooltipSection_Draw_64
gml_Object_oUITooltip_crew_Draw_64 (line -1)
Thanks for reporting. We have fixed this bug in Alpha v0.0.13 which was released yesterday. You can update by re-downloading the game from Itch.
I played through the Steam demofestival and then decided to grab the alpha version. After multiple playthroughs, the following bug occurred:
############################################################################################
ERROR in
action number 1
of <Unknown Event>
for object oEFMindControlled:
Unable to find instance for object index 201535
at gml_Script_crew_move_start
############################################################################################
gml_Script_crew_move_start (line -1)
gml_Script_crew_move_set_target_nearest_free_cell
gml_Object_oEFMindControlled_CleanUp_0
looking forward to the steam lunch
greetings
Made it to the last sector and didn't found bugs while playing.
But then i tried to rename a commander and got this Error message.
___________________________________________
############################################################################################
ERROR in
action number 1
of Step Event0
for object oTextField:
unable to convert string "" to float
at gml_Object_oTextField_Step_0
############################################################################################
gml_Object_oTextField_Step_0 (line -1)
Played The Demo on Steam, Beat it and wanted more.... made a Itch account just for this game and a plus is i get to add to steam later from here to support alpha, amazing FTL clone and just feel better IMO Keep it up and don't let this amazing project go !!
Can someone explain to me how to play petroglyph? It seems like the weakest ship for me considering the limited amount of munitions. Anyone good at it? The max I got is 2/3 boss HP on Torment VI
Can the shields be made to auto-enable after being Ioned? I keep taking unnecessary damage because I never realise that my shield have been taken down to 1 pip without me realising.
Please support modding, it's an addictive game and I want to spend many more hours in it.
now, it's on steam and even though you told me here in the comments it will be available for apple silicon but it's not >:(
Possessed ships are need to be balanced, right now there are possessed cruisers and everything else in the matter of difficulty.
Great work. More than just an FTL reskin.
have you found a composer for your project?
my discord: weegee9001
I'm a veteran FTL player. I saw the ad, played one game and was hooked. I've easily played 10 hours in the last week, I'm in love.
Misc. feedback and thoughts:
[Bug and Question]
Received the following error on winning a battle. (Does not happen every battle), as i assume its a loot issue.
Also will the steam version have cloud save?
My computer blue screen and i lost all my progress :*(
not the end of the world on losing data only at difficulty 4. But dont want a risk it happening again lol.
___________________________________________
############################################################################################
ERROR in
action number 1
of Draw Event
for object oUITooltipSection:
Unable to find instance for object index 201856
at gml_Script_anon_anon_gml_Object_oUITooltip_crew_Create_0_18574_gml_Object_oUITooltip_crew_Create_0_18643_anon_gml_Object_oUITooltip_crew_Create_0_18574_gml_Object_oUITooltip_crew_Create_0
############################################################################################
gml_Script_anon_anon_gml_Object_oUITooltip_crew_Create_0_18574_gml_Object_oUITooltip_crew_Create_0_18643_anon_gml_Object_oUITooltip_crew_Create_0_18574_gml_Object_oUITooltip_crew_Create_0 (line -1)
gml_Script_tooltipSection_updateDimensions
gml_Object_oUITooltipSection_Draw_64
gml_Object_oUITooltip_crew_Draw_64 (line -1)
The art style is very cool and I love the background Music.
Got an Error Log but I don't exactly remember how it happened.
############################################################################################
ERROR in
action number 1
of <Unknown Event>
for object oEFMindControlled:
Unable to find instance for object index 125453
at gml_Script_crew_move_start
############################################################################################
gml_Script_crew_move_start (line -1)
gml_Script_crew_move_set_target_nearest_free_cell
gml_Object_oEFMindControlled_CleanUp_0
Bug: Partially powered weapon became unusable until I had to unequip it and re-equip it.
Edit: I want to say this happened when I depowered it right when the victory screen came up.
Bug: There was a glitchy interaction with the launch bay and Recall Crew. The game got confused with who was in the launch bay. When I would click "recall crew" and not to "unload crew," the game would start to think that there were extra people. You can see how it thinks I have two Cannibals in the launch bay. If you fill up the launch bay and then click to recall crew, the game gets confused.
Edit: This ended up softlocking the game as it was placing invisible/ not interactable crew members throughout the ship and I couldn't place anyone in the command throne
got a question the exe to run the game triggers the firewall why is that?
Lots of games have false positives. Your firewall is just being a bit overzealous.
Got a crash right when I created a new machine slave from the rest beacon. Here is the error log.
Edit: I was able to get the crash again (with the same error log) with the event where you use the death psyker to cure and defend a lone monster from an enemy ship.
Edit again: This crash can be circumvented by scrolling your crew page down so there is space for the game to place the new crew member. The crash is caused by having a full crew in the top page and the game tries to place a crew member there.
___________________________________________
############################################################################################
ERROR in
action number 1
of Step Event2
for object oUICrewPortraitManager:
Variable <unknown_object>.buttonActive(102189, -2147483648) not set before reading it.
at gml_Script_controlGroup_select
############################################################################################
gml_Script_controlGroup_select (line -1)
gml_Object_oUICrewPortraitManager_Step_2
Thanks for posting a report. This should be fixed in the latest version: v0.0.11a
You can check the version number at the bottom left corner of your game window.
This crash was in the latest patch v0.0.11a as I bought this only a few hours ago today. The picture I posted earlier about the softlock also shows that it's alpha v0.0.11a.
I got the crash again when fighting a final boss. It said my ship shuttered with the pestilence touch and then crashed. It had the same error log. It didn't crash the second time when I scrolled the crew page down.
Ok got it. We will check it out. Thanks!
There is a glitch that softlocks the tutorial and the tutorial won't progress any further. If you send your crew over to the enemy shields and destroy them before the tutorial wants you to, you won't be able to return your crew or target the broken shield area with the launch bay.
Since the tutorial wants you to try and use the launch bay to the shields but can't, the game becomes soft-locked.
Thanks for reporting. We will check it out.
Show post...
looks tuff asl 👌
Well I missed the opportunity to be in the credits and I didn't even think twice to buy but damn I'm all in to helping out this game see the full release and if possible, more.
Btw didn't expect to like the atmosphere of the game its not something I am used to and well this is the type of roguelike I was waiting for.
Also hope they can in the future get it to be available on the Steam Deck /(or/and)/ Linux
So, in same boat as you, recently got the game and been loving it, but currently can't use my PC so figured would try getting it on the steam deck. Seems to work so far. Just download the .exe to your steam deck, add it to your library then configure it to force it to run via proton. Once you have that you can run it. So far the "Keyboard (WASD) and Mouse" controller template seems to be the best for it. Would also recommend dropping the sensitivity down.
Wo! New FTL DLC. Nice!
I'm getting into content creation focused on roguelikes and Void War is great fun so far. At what would it be okay for me to start uploading playthroughs and doing livestreams with the game?
Anytime!
Have purchased the backer alpha but the download link on itch.io doesn't do anything. Am emailing their support team but does anyone know an easier solution?
Sorry to hear the download link doesn't work. Have you tried disabling your ad blocker? Sometimes that can cause issues. Let us know if the Itch support team gets back to you.
I've been playing the steam demo and I've been loving what I've been seeing so far! The Hate Matrix module doesn't seem to be working, however, as none of my psychic abilities did anything differently while it was installed. Additionally, sometimes when you alt-tab out of it to check on something else, the window becomes impossibly small and practically uninteractable. Other than that I am excited to see where this goes from here and I am definitely purchasing the full version! No worries if not, but is there a way to transfer my progress from the demo to the full game? Might save me a run or two in unlocking things.
Demo progress won't carry over. Thanks for reporting those issues. We will check it out.
Watching the trailer, this seems to be a 40k version of FTL (which I'm not against at all, being a fan of both of those) os there any significant differences in the main gameplay loop between Void War and FTL?
There are significant gameplay differences. TL;DR void war has way more crew, an equipment system, a larger focus on crew combat, more ship armament and system types, and way more difficulty options.
While FTL has 8 crew types, Void War has 99 (at the time of writing), which each belong to 7 or 8 different factions with unique characteristics (all Death Cultists are poison immune, almost all Blood Cultists interact with thralls in some way, and so on). Most crew also have different amounts of equipment slots where they can equip different armor, weapons, psychic abilities, and so on.
The game is more focused on crew combat: units with the ability to teleport around are common, boarders are plentiful, and since each run starts with you choosing a powerful Commander unit, you can start boarding right away.
Or you can summon Ghouls on the enemy ship to board for you. Or you can send your Sub-Husks straight from the factory into the assault sled to overwhelm the enemy with numbers. Or all three at once.
Aside from that, there are a ton of different systems, Missile and Siege/Artillery weapons work differently, traversing through the sector works more like STS than FTL, the Lance weapon type is around, there's 6 sectors instead of 8, there's 3 bosses instead of 1, and there are 13 difficulty options instead of 3.
You know what? I think you just sold the game to me.