History VideoGame / VoidBastards

* CaffeineBulletTime: Played with: interacting with a coffee machine triples your damage output and increases your movement speed for 30 seconds. 60 seconds, if you're willing to spend a few Merits.

* StandardFPSGuns: Though they're all dressed up as put together from scrap, most of the bases are covered; Pistol (Regulator/Legislator), Shotgun (Stapler), SMG (Riveter), Roller/Clusterflack (Grenade), Bushwhacker (Mine), Sniper Rifle (Toaster), Nebulator (Rocket Launcher), Utility Weapon (Spiker/Rad Spiker/Zapper/etc.).

** You can use similar shield in your gadget slot as well.

* EliteMooks: Many enemies have veteran versions that are encountered in the lower depths of the nebula. Some have a third version if you go even lower.

* MagicalDefibrillator: The Heart-starters shock you back to life if you're killed, and even restore all of your health as they do so.

* NegativeSpaceWedgie: [=GeneStorms=] will replace one of your traits with another at random.

* SleeperStarship: The Void Ark prison ship keeps all its prisoners in a state of suspended animation by dehydrating them. You control whichever prisoner the wardens decided to rehydrate this time. If you die, a P.A.L. drone that acts as your backpack while you are alive will take all of the stuff you have collected and fly off back to Void Ark with it. The wardens will then rehydrate someone else, who'll be your next protagonist.

** During the tutorial, when trying to make it back to the STEV, you're told that "dangerous occurences" are happening. [[spoiler:As it turns out, "dangerous occurences" translates to "a space pirate vessel has just docked on the ship and you are about to die, been nice knowing you".]]

* StunGuns: A rare and ''slightly'' more realistic interpretation; the Zapper only ''stuns'' enemies unless they're very small/fragile. The duration is quite long, but the Zapper's inaccurate past a couple meters and only holds three shots at a time. The only things it can explicitly ''kill'' are Patients (in which case it only pops a single head from the entire swarm) and Peepers/Watchers (which require one or two shots). It stuns mechanical targets for much longer than organic ones though, making it a very effective way to get around or close to Gunpoints and their upgraded variants — or to mercilessly gun them down with your main weapon while they shudder and vibrate helplessly.

* BatmanCanBreatheInSpace: Citizens can apparently survive just fine on derelict vessels with no atmosphere. However, given that fires can also burn just fine on the same vessels, it's entirely possible the vessels have perfectly functional life support, and B.A.C.S. just won't let you take off your helmet even if you run out of oxygen and start suffocating (which is entirely in keeping with his established behavior). Of course, said Citizens are all insane mutant zombies, so maybe you *shouldn't* breathe it...
* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler: Leaning heavily towards bitter. The Void Ark is able to safely leave the nebula, but your current playable Client has their sentence extended indefinitely due to the crimes they committed in the process of activating the FTL drive. Not to mention any other Clients you may have played as are already dead. The only "sweet" part is that the remaining prisoners survive and may eventually be released. Of course, this game [[BlackComedy being what it is]], its all played for laughs. Additionally, according to the Space Pirates, if B.A.C.S. makes it back to [=WCG=] space and reports what happened to the Void Ark, the [=WCG=] should arrive in force to the nebula and blow the Space Pirates to kingdom come, finally putting an end to them stranding so many ships there.]]

* BlessedWithSuck: All modifiers are classified as either beneficial (displayed in green) or detrimental (displayed in red). Players may not agree with those classifications though. For example, the Out to Lunch modifier makes it so that there are no Citizens on the ship to start, but there are lots of Rifts (spawners). So while the ship is initially safer, it will be swarming with enemies after a few minutes.

* BoxedCrook: (well, [[FelonyMisdemeanor for a given definition of "crook"]] anyways). "Clients" are offered parole for helping fix the ''Void Ark.'' The game makes it clear that your AI warden thinks you're a scumbag, referring to enemies as "Citizens" (implying it thinks more highly of these mutant crazies than it does you), keeps you stuck in a spacesuit with 11.5 minutes of air in ships that have a totally survivable atmosphere, and even [[spoiler: reneges in it's end of the bargain because it only has to honour agreements with actual people]].

* ConvenientDecoyCat: The [=KittyBots=] are versions you can deploy yourself. They make (almost) every enemy nearby chase it while running around wildly. They also explode once reduced to zero health - their area of effect makes them quite useful against Patients.

** During the tutorial, when trying to make it back to the STEV, you're told that "dangerous occurences" are happening. [[spoiler: As it turns out, "dangerous occurences" translates to "a space pirate vessel has just docked on the ship and you are about to die, been nice knowing you"]]

* InMediasRes: You start the tutorial [[spoiler: in the middle of a sanitation closet with an empty pistol and are told you need something called a Line Printer. Shortly after you find it, you're unceremoniously gunned down by space pirates. The next prisoner you control is then helpfully briefed on why they needed the Line Printer in the first place, setting up the main plot loop of the story.]]

* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: [[spoiler: At the end of the game, the surviving playable client has their sentence extended indefinitely due to committing, at the instruction of B.A.C.S., the murder, forgery, and other illegal activities needed to activate the FTL drive.]]

* ShieldBearingMook: Zecs protect themselves from the front with an impervious deflector shield. They have to be hit from behind - unless you have a Rad Spiker, or even better, a Scrambler.

* SortingAlgorithmOfWeaponEffectiveness: Each Citizen or robot tends to have at least one weapon/gadget/utility item that works as a hard counter (example - the Riveter will mow through an entire group of Patients in a decent burst, no trouble), or at least sets them up to die from one of your other items (example - Spooks can't teleport out of your line of fire if they're too busy being stunned). The problem is that you only get to take one item from each category with you on any given ship, and enemies don't always mix together in ways that let you easily counter them all.
* SpacePirates: Some of the derelict ships will already have these doing their own scavenging when you arrive. Needless to say, they won't be happy to see you, and they give a much better fight than most of the usual ship denizens. Moreover, their ships will be tethered to the derelict, preventing your escape unless you can untether them... or, loot a torpedo beforehand, and blow their ship up with it.

* StunGuns: A rare and ''slightly'' more realistic interpretation; the Zapper only ''stuns'' enemies unless they're very small/fragile. The duration is quite long, but the Zapper's inaccurate past a couple meters and only holds three shots at a time. The only things it can explicitly ''kill'' are Patients (in which case it only pops a single head from the entire swarm) and Peepers/Watchers (which require one or two shots). It stuns mechanical targets for much longer than organic ones though, making it a very effective way to get around or close to Gunpoints and their upgraded variants - or to mercilessly gun them down with your main weapon while they shudder and vibrate helplessly.

* UniversalPoison: The Spiker's projectiles are tipped with one. You can upgrade it to massively increase the potency, too. Radiation also counts as a poison... of which only you can potentially recover from it, but its sources stick around (unless you applied it via direct hit with the Rad Spiker).

* BoxedCrook: (well, [[DisproportionateRetribution for a given definition of "crook"]] anyways). "Clients" are offered parole for helping fix the ''Void Ark.'' The game makes it clear that your AI warden thinks you're a scumbag, referring to enemies as "Citizens" (implying it thinks more highly of these mutant crazies than it does you), keeps you stuck in a spacesuit with 11.5 minutes of air in ships that have a totally survivable atmosphere, and even [[spoiler: reneges in it's end of the bargain because it only has to honour agreements with actual people]].

* DisproportionateRetribution: All Clients have a randomly generated crime that caused them to be imprisoned on the Void Ark. These can be as innocuous as "Causing Nasal Offense to CNT Executive" or "Using an Expired Coupon."

* DecontaminationChamber: Hab areas have a kiosk that removes harmful status effects. Slipping them 30 Merits grants a one-level immunity to them.
* DeflectorShields: Zec enemies are protected with one from the front, which will soak up plenty of physical damage, and render the electrical zapper outright useless. However, throwing a grenade behind them will immediately take them out.

* EliteMooks: Many enemies have veteran versions that are encountered in the lower depths of the nebula.

* HyperactiveMetabolism: Downplayed. Eating food restores a chunk of your health, but it also makes an in-game timer to increase by a day , so it's more like natural regeneration in this case. Still, it allows to heal all and any wounds, provided you have enough food.
* InMediasRes: You start the tutorial [[spoiler: in the middle of a sanitation closet with an empty pistol and are told you need something called a Line Printer. Shortly after you find it, you're uncerimoniously gunned down by space pirates. The next prisoner you control is then helpfully briefed on why they needed the Line Printer in the first place, setting up the main plot loop of the story.]]

* LimitedLoadout: While you have a lot of toys to place with, the game balances it by limiting your character to three slots: normal weapon, explosive one, and a gadget. The Gun Nut perk lets you carry a random 4th weapon, which makes a huge difference.

* MagicalDefibrillator: The Heart-starters shock you back to life if killed, and even restore all health.

* MooksButNoBosses: With the exception of a rare modifier that gives one Citizen on a ship a buff to their stats, which you can generally easily avoid at your leisure (the ships AND the enemy in question), there are no unique bosses to be fought and the game instead ends once you've constructed your final Action Item with no final resistance.

* SpacePirates: Some of the derelict ships will already have these doing their own scavenging when you arrive. Needless to say, they won't be happy to see you, and they give a much better fight than most of the usual ship denizens. Moreover, their ships will be tethered to the derelict, preventing your escape unless you can untether them...or loot a torpedo, and blow their ship up with it.

** Pirates are by far the strongest enemies in the game, having the best equipment and weapons, incredibly high health second only to that of Screws, and a tendency to swarm in large numbers once one of them detects you. Tellingly, there's actually an achievement for beating just ''one'' of them, and its currently one of the rarest achievements in the game.

* CaffeineBulletTime: Played with: interacting with a coffee machine triples your damage output and increases your movement speed for 30 seconds.

** Nauseous (technically, high on mushroom spores), which causes hallucinations. Contracted from piles of garbage found around the ships.

** Rifts in the floor of the derelict will spit out new mutant citizens on a timer.
** Certain ships have the "Out to Lunch" trait, where the ship starts completely abandoned. After a few minutes all hell breaks loose when dozens of citizens spawn at once.

* OxygenMeter: One is always present, since you are exploring wrecked spaceships which lost all their atmosphere a long time ago. There are rooms with stored pressurized oxygen that can replenish your supply, though, or even double it if you pay up in merits.

* ShieldBearingMook: Zecs protect themselves from the front with an impervious deflector shield. They have to be hit from behind - unless you have a Rad Spiker, or even better a Scrambler.

* SpaceWhale: Void Whales are one of the greatest threats you can encounter, as they can straight-up eat the entire ship you are on. There are also Junk Squids, equally enormous Space Squids that are harmless to your small shuttle, but will eat every large vessel they come across.

* StunGuns: A rare and ''slightly'' more realistic interpretation; the Zapper only ''stuns'' enemies unless they're very small/fragile. The duration is quite long, but the Zapper's inaccurate past a couple meters and only holds three shots at a time. The only things it can explicitly ''kill'' are Patients (in which case it only pops a single head from the entire swarm) and Peepers/Watchers (which require one or two shots). It stuns mechanical targets for much longer than organic ones though, making it a very effective way to get around Gunpoints and their upgraded variants.
* TacticalDoorUse: Doors are a strategic resource on derelicts. Closed doors break line of sight at the very least, and can be locked to prevent regular enemies from passing through. Useful for making impromptu jails for dangerous foes or sealing a room with a [[MookMaker Nebula Rift]] inside. Just be warned that locking and unlocking takes a few seconds and you can wind up on the same side as the monster.
* TeleportGun: There's the Rifter, whose first shot instantly sucks the enemy into hyperspace. Then, the weapon continues to hold it there indefinitely, until its next shot deposits it back onto the ship. The usual tactic is to scoop up the tough enemies with it, and then place them into inaccessible vents and the like, which they'll never escape from.

* UniversalPoison: The Spiker's projectiles are tipped with one. You can upgrade it to massively increase the potency, too.

* GradualGrinder: Radiation deals damage very slowly, but lasts until the target dies. Fortunately, radiation on the player will expire eventually and can be removed entirely at a Decontamination Booth or Operating Theater.

** You can also fire poisonous bolts from the Spiker. This is useful for Scribes and Spooks, which spend a lot of time running away from the player. They're also silent, so target enemies won't know why they just died.

* ObstructiveBureaucrat: The whole plot revolves around this. The Void Ark's FTL engine is perfectly fine and undamaged, and there's no ''physical'' reason it can't just warp jump to its destination. However, due to bureaucracy, B.A.C.S. is programmed to only allow citizens to activate the FTL, and as a convicted prisoner your citizenship was previously revoked. The entire game is spent scavenging the Nebula for various parts needed to forge a citizenship card so you can activate the FTL. B.A.C.S. himself has to contend with an even more Obstructive Bureaucrat in the form of the citizenship registration computer, who tries to blow up the ship after you try to expedite your citizenship registration with an invalid procedure.

* ShoutOut: The Spooks appear to be one to the S'pht Compilers from ''VideoGame/{{Marathon}}''.

* BatmanCanBreatheInSpace: Citizens can apparently survive just fine on derelict vessels with no atmosphere. However, given that fires can also burn just fine on the same vessels, it's entirely possible the vessels have perfectly functional life support, and B.A.C.S. just won't let you take off your helmet even if you run out of oxygen and start suffocating (which is entirely in keeping with his established behavior).

* BoxedCrook: (well, [[DisproportionateRetribution for a given definition of "crook"]] anyways). "Clients" are offered parole for helping fix the ''Void Ark.'' The game makes it clear that your AI warden thinks your a scumbag, referring to enemies as "Citizens" (implying it thinks more highly of these mutant crazies than it does you), and even [[spoiler: reneges in it's end of the bargain because it only has to honour agreements with actual people]].

* BoxedCrook: (well, [[DisproportionateRetrubution for a given definition of "crook"]] anyways). "Clients" are offered parole for helping fix the ''Void Ark.'' The game makes it clear that your AI warden thinks your a scumbag, referring to enemies as "Citizens" (implying it thinks more highly of these mutant crazies than it does you), and even [[spoiler: reneges in it's end of the bargain because it only has to honour agreements with actual people]].

* WeirdCurrency: Money is referred to as "Merits," which may actually represent a Social Credit system (read "'Good Boy' Points", as a highly-decorated crew is given one each.

* WeirdCurrency: Money is referred to as "Merits," which may actually represent a Social Credit system, as a highly-decorated crew is given one each.

* SpaceWhale: Void Whales are one of the greatest threats you can encounter, as they can straight-up eat the entire ship you are on.

* HumanPopsicle: The Void Ark prison ship keeps all its prisoners in a state of suspended animation by dehydrating them. You control whichever prisoner the wardens decided to rehydrate this time. If you die, a P.A.L. drone that acts as your backpack while you are alive will take all of the stuff you have collected and fly off back to Void Ark with it. The wardens will then rehydrate someone else, who'll be your next protagonist.

* ContinuingIsPainful: When your Client dies, you lose all your food, fuel, and ammo. Thankfully, you at least keep your crafting materials and acquired parts.

* InMediasRes: You start the tutorial [[spoiler: in the middle of a sanitation closet with an empty pistol and are told you need something called a Line Printer. Shortly after you do, you're uncerimoniously gunned down by space pirates. The next prisoner you control is then helpfully briefed on why they needed the Line Printer in the first place, setting up the main plot loop of the story.]]