Void Crew News

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.

[h2]Payloads & The Payload Launcher[/h2]
[h3]Unleash Mayhem with Cluster Missiles, Torpedoes, and More![/h3]

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!

[h3]New Payloads[/h3]

• 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.
  

[h3]Reworks & Overhauls[/h3]

• 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.
  

[h2]Difficulty Tuning[/h2]
[h3]Smoother Starts, Sharper Challenges, and Balanced Runs for Everyone![/h3]
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.

[h2]Optional Mutators[/h2]
[h3]Customize Your Challenge with Mutators and Thrills![/h3]
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!

[h2]Equippable Emotes[/h2]
[h3]Express Yourself, Celebrate Wins, and Troll Your Crew in Style![/h3]
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 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 :-)
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
[hr][/hr]
[h2]Review (5/6): Void Crew 1.0 - A Cool, Chaotic, and Challenging Space Adventure[/h2]
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.



Void Crew 1.0 review (ARKADEN - original text in Danish) >>

[hr][/hr]
[h3]Void Crew 1.0 Review – A Cool, Chaotic, and Challenging Space Adventure.[/h3]
Review in ARKADEN - 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.”

[h3]Conclusion[/h3]
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!

//Hutlihut Games Crew

Hello all Ectypes,

Time flies faster than those pesky Frostmorphs!

First of all - We want to express our sincere thanks to our our entire Void Crew community and everyone who supported us throughout 2024. Your feedback, input and help is what makes us go that extra mile. So much appreciated. Thank you!


On a personal note, this year has been absolutely crazy. I got married, had a beautiful daughter, even got a house... and released Void Crew 1.0! Still waiting for those fibercables that should have been here in November, but, I guess those 5000 Mbps will have to wait a few more weeks... but first, a celebration give away!

[h2]WIN 3 VOID CREW Founder's Pack DLC![/h2]
Corner whatever friend or three of yours you'd want to play coop with style - Then you get them to:

1) Push that RATE UP button on this article, and
2) add a comment with the words "METEM PRESERVE YOU" in this article's comments

... and we will draw and announce the 3 winners THIS SUNDAY 21.00 CET (5th of January)!

[h3][UPDATE 5th of January 2025] And the WINNERS are ...![/h3]

Congratulations from the Hutlihut Games' team to the following three lucky winners!

• Sir Titanius Anglesmith
  
• wonkermatic
  
• Solvictus
  

(Keep an eye out for a friend invite so we can send you that shiny key ... you can just remove us afterwards!)

[hr][/hr]
So what is this post about!? Well, apart from us taking some much deserved time off to be with our families, there are two important topics!

Right now we are working on THE PAYLOAD LAUNCHER (amongst other things) ... we'll be sharing more very soon! Yes, we are working on the next major Update coming to Void Crew - read more on that here: [Space Log #13]

(^ I just really like this gif ... it's 'mind blowing' ...)

So where were we? Oh yes ...


Here you have it: Ectype New Years Eve party on the bridge !

If you have some spare time while waiting for Midnight (or you have a little one with crayon-needs):

This line art is a print it yourself and colour it :-)

Download image here >>
Let us see the fun and cool colouring you can do - Please share on our Discord (in channel: art-corner) >>
(Who knows, we might implement your color scheme in a future update!)

From all of us at Hutlihut Games, we wish you Happy New Year!

[hr][/hr]
In Denmark (where I live, and most of the team) we have traditions. Some really weird ones. One of them involves everyone getting up on our couches and jumping down when the bell strikes twelve. Why? Well, we want to "jump" into the next year, of course! And what can go wrong when we've been serving bubbles and other questionable liquids for the last six or ten hours prior to this balancing act... Just remember: get that expensive and heavy glass couch-table out of the way first!

What traditions do you have?

Also it goes without saying, if you do fireworks this evening (like scandinavians have tradition for), do remember to wear protective gear! I mean it! (Being a daddy might have made me a bit (over)protective...)


The Holiday sale for Void Crew is still, but not for much longer!... as in, you have like ONE more day! So get those friends of yours to try it out! (Or even better, gift them!).

And if you are feeling super supportive, then grab our epic Founders Pack >> as well today!
Psst... you can also gift it to a friend you feel deserves it ;-)





Remember to join our Discord for more coop and chaos!

Until the next rambling...

// Daniel, Creative Director, Hutlihut Games

Check out the Bundle (including additional discount) >>
We hope you will enjoy it !

...
Greetings, Ectypes!

Long ago… all the way back in 2023, we had the amazing experience of revealing Void Crew to the general public at PAX East Boston in Focus Entertainment’s booth. In between play-sessions of purposefully blowing up attendees who were trying out Void Crew, we took every opportunity to walk the floor of the conference, checking out the other games there—especially the sci-fi ones.

In that category, the absolute best-looking game of its kind was kind of visible from where we were located - EVERSPACE 2. They’d gone through a very successful Early Access and were now gearing up for a full 1.0 release. We were very inspired by not only their game but also their development process. And we were also kind of envious of the level of polish and sheer bad-assiness the game was radiating. Truth be told, we were kind of happy they were making a single-player action adventure, so we wouldn’t be competing for eyeballs with our Void Crew chaotic co-op friendship-destroyer.


With that little anecdote in mind, it should come as no surprise that we are super-excited to present you with the following holiday offering:

[h2]EVERSPACE 2 + Void Crew - Combat & Crew Bundle![/h2]
[h3]EVERSPACE 2[/h3]
EVERSPACE 2 is a fast-paced single-player spaceship shooter with exploration in space and on planets, tons of loot, RPG elements, mining, and crafting. Experience an exciting sci-fi story set in a vivid, handcrafted open world full of secrets, puzzles, and perils.

Check out the Bundle (including additional discount) >>
We hope you will enjoy it !

...
Join our community on Discord to share your Void Crew adventures, engage with fellow players, and stay updated on all the latest news!
Discord >>

METEM Preserve You!

Sincerely,
The Hutlihut Games Crew

By-the-way: Just in case you might have missed it, we just released a big Patch, filled with more than 200 bugfixes, improvements and balancing. Read details here: Void Crew - Patch 10 (1.0.3) >>

...

It's been daunting/hilarious/fun to see so many Content Creators playing Void Crew 1.0! We have done Devs playsession with many, such as Jesse Cox (aaalways be scooping) ...aaand many others. So naturally, a shoutout to all of you: THANK YOU!

To celebrate this, we've put together a compilation video of some action reactions... it's all good fun!

Big Shoutout to below... for all the great streams and fun!

• Pressea: / twitch.tv/pressea
• LDSylvr: / twitch.tv/ldsylvr
• JoeFudge: / twitch.tv/joefudge
• 二喵二汪: https://space.bilibili.com/298591899
• GoofGuy: / twitch.tv/goofguy
• Dexbonus: / twitch.tv/dexbonus
• Alphacast: / twitch.tv/alphacast
• Hermit: / twitch.tv/hermit
• Beardageddon: / twitch.tv/beardageddon
• Flamuu: / twitch.tv/flamuu
• Bonjwa: / twitch.tv/bonjwa
• Sterdekie: / twitch.tv/sterdekie
• BagheraJones: / twitch.tv/bagherajones
• ...aaaand many, many more!
  

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
To our great Community: We would appreciate your help...
Poke your favorite streamer to play Void Crew!
Plus, let us know in comments: Who is your favorite Content Creator/ Streamer you would like to see playing Void Crew?




It's always interesting to see all the cool stuff/reactions to an update, and the 1.0 release was by far the biggest all-round package we've released. And with it, we've loved to hear and see the reactions from new and old players alike, ranging from embarrassing airlock mishaps, to discovering a way to break our balancing with a grin, leaving our designers thirsty for stronger coffee.

And, of course, despite spending lots of time in bug-fixing-mode, people still find the weirdest bugs ... But, it's all good! We had - even before releasing the 1.0 - planned to spend a bunch of time fixing whatever balancing/bugs was thrown back at us. In our case, this resulted in a hotfix (thanks for the community for helping us iron a few things out ) and a huge patch, released .... today!

And if that wasn't enough, we recently unlocked our Holiday Event (with additional cosmetics, of course!) to make sure as many Ectypes as possible get into the holiday spirit ... by destroying stuff in space. Note: Today's patch tweaks the way the Holiday Objective spawns, so you're no longer at the mercy of the gods of randomness - you should see the Objective at least once per biome now.



Now our patch has dropped, and we've dived into the next content update! HUTLIHUT ! So, what exciting things is coming ?

Disclaimer: Here's some insights on what we are working on. Things are WIP and may be subject to change, so no promises just yet!

[h2]Payloads and the Payload Launcher[/h2]
As hinted in our recent dev stream, one thing we are working on is what we call the "Payload Launcher"! With it comes a series of carryable items ("Payloads") that can be inserted into this launcher module ... and you guessed it, LAUNCHED!

I'm not going to lie - this has been on my list of must-haves for a long time, but didn't feel like a must-include for the 1.0. So I'm very excited to bring this to life in this coming update!

At the moment of writing, we can already cram things like the Decoy into the Launcher and deploy them into space! Here is an in-development screenshot that hints at some of our prototypes (but, remember, they may or may not eventually make it into the game!)



But that is not even the best part - Those items are not LOCKED to the Payload Launcher ... Nooo - you can prime all Payloads with your BARE HANDS! You pick em' up, PRIME them (by holding LMB) and THROW them (Looking at you, Long Throw Perk)! After a few moments, the Payload will TRIGGER (if it's in space) and start doing it's thing. Yes - this also means the Decoy will no longer automatically start attracting enemies just because you happened to throw it outside - you have to intentionally Prime it first.
[h2]Mutators[/h2]
Another topic (tada, reveal!) is MUTATORS! (say it with a deep booming voice)

So, what exactly is a Mutator? In short, it's a global rule that affects your session. Usually making things harder, or maybe just different - either case, they switch things up, and will bring some much-requested spice to your play-sessions.

But we'll save some juicy details on this for later ...

[h2]Auto-Mechanic Mk II[/h2]
Acting on another oft-repeated request from the community, We've made the Auto-Mechanic upgradable! It is still in the early stages, but our current model is that Mk II has two levers instead of one, meaning you can get twice the amount of work done!


Keep posting feedback! We have no lack of things we want to do, but we also believe that the community should weigh in what they are truly longing for, so keep posting feedback, bugs, wishes and so on! Of course, we can't cater to everyone, but we do try and be present on various media, and trying to understand how the game is perceived from players ... if we have learned one thing, then it is that players tend to play the game differently than us! Live and learn, live and learn ...

In other words, parallel to working hard on sending more content your way, we are also evaluating/discussing internally on the subjects we want the future to hold.



Now, go check out the patch, and join the coop chaos on our Discord!

Until the next rambling...

// Daniel, Creative Director, Hutlihut Games