void tRrLM(); //Void Terrarium, the latest game from htoL#NiQ: The Firefly Diary and A Rose in the Twilight creator Furuya Masayuki*, is confirmed for a release in the West this year.
Taking place some few hundred years after humanity was seemingly driven extinct by a plague of toxic fungi, Void Terrarium follows the efforts of a discarded maintenance robot who one day discovers a human survivor on the brink of death—a young girl called Toriko. With the help of a decommissioned AI called factoryAI, the robot builds a terrarium to protect Toriko from the hostile world and nurse her back to health.
In something of a break from Furuya’s past works, which were all some form of puzzle platformer, Void Terrarium is a Mystery Dungeon-style roguelike dungeon crawler with an element of care simulation. Playing as the robot, you’ll venture out into dungeons in search of supplies, while also taking care of Toriko and doing what you can to make her terrarium more comfortable.
Related: A Rose in the Twilight was one of our favourite games of 2017. Read our review to find out why.
In terms of the game’s design, Void Terrarium is something of a new direction for Furuya, who’s previous works were mainly puzzle platformers. The memorable art style, cute-but-harrowing tone, and themes of death, survival, and hope that defined the likes of htoL#NiQ and A Rose in the Twilight appear to be very much intact, though—Void Terrarium promises a “somber yet whimsical post-apocalyptic story”.
NIS America have also unveiled a limited edition physical release, which is now available to pre-order on Switch and PS4. As well as the game, the void tRrLM(); //Void Terrarium Limited Edition includes a collector’s box, status apparatus mood chart, Sporific Sounds 1-disc sountrack, “Tori-gotchi” lenticular keychain, “A.I. Love You” lapel pin set, and “Hand-Plucked Hope” poster.
void tRrLM(); //Void Terrarium is due to release in the West in northern summer / southern winter this year.
*As much as possible, we try to use the Japanese name order for Japanese names, which puts the family name first. For Furuya Masayuki (古谷優幸), Furuya is the family name.
