Vagante – Review
Another retro-inspired pixel art roguelike game washes up on the Xbox shores. Vagante, a game developed by Nuke Nine, is the subject of this discussion. “Action packed platformer”? Can it live up to its promise? Or is it likely to leave us with a bad taste in our mouths as we die over and over and over again…?
For the time being, let’s just get into the meat of the storey. You’ve heard a rumour about a cave on the outskirts of the woods that may hold the key to your heart’s desire: gold. An “unfathomable treasure” is said to be hidden within this cave. If you can’t tell me what it is, how will you know when you find it, I have no idea what an unfathomable treasure is. I’m not an aspiring adventurer, but this book sounds like something I’d want to get my hands on. Also, have you heard the stories about people who entered the cave and never returned? Pah! They may have been underprepared. When we arrive, things will be different. Isn’t that right?
Taking a closer look at the visuals and text size in Vagante, I found that I had to sit practically with my nose touching the screen in order to make out what was written when I did find some loot in the game’s dark world. Perhaps it’s because I’m getting older and my eyesight is deteriorating, but I’d like to be a little bigger. Sprites have a distinct personality, despite their small size, and the graphics are effective. The sound of swishing swords and whooshing spells is exactly what you’d expect from a video game of this type. The rest of the soundtrack is sparse, which contributes to the game’s tense atmosphere. What a waste of space this world is.
This is where the real test of any game comes into play. How does Vagante measure up to the rest of the pack? It’s a storey of two halves, really. The game’s initial setup is excellent, allowing players to choose from a variety of classes with which to begin each run. The first is the Knight, who uses a sword and shield to fight in close quarters; the second is the Mage, who is smaller and more flimsy but has magic at her disposal; and the third is the Rogue, who I assume is good at backstabbing and the like. Having a weaker character has always seemed like a death sentence to me because the opportunity to make any significant progress seems directly linked with your toughness.
To begin our exploration of The Caves, we needed a knight, so that we could get to know the first level of the game. It’s also possible to bring a friend along for the ride, as online multiplayer is included and generally works well. It doesn’t work if you’re playing with someone who has a loot hoover in their pocket.
With this update, the level layouts and bosses you face at the end of each run are completely random, making each run completely unique. As a result of this, a game’s longevity and replay value are typically increased. In all fairness, though, this does extend the scope of what is currently available through Vagante. It’s possible that the developers couldn’t have included spikes in the layout, so if we fail, the next run will be a little bit easier. Enemies and bosses are the same way: a level full of tiny red bats that can be dispatched with a single blow is much easier to defeat than a stage full of Goblins that require numerous thrashings. The people in charge, on the other hand, are a completely different storey. The Goblin King, who will enlist the aid of Goblins, and the Baby Dragon, who will set you ablaze, are the only two enemies that appear in the game’s first level. To be honest, neither of these bosses are all that enjoyable, and this is where things start to go awry.
Because of the lack of feel and lack of strategy, combat in this game is essentially a standoff where the winner is the one who is still standing. There is a case to be made for speeding through each level as quickly as possible in order to avoid getting injured on the way to the boss fight, but this is counterbalanced by the need to explore and possibly find some useful items that can help you do more damage.
In addition, the jumping around feels a little off, and the mechanic whereby the character tries to hold on to the edge of the ledge when falling is a little iffy; something that usually results in an instant death when there are spikes below. In addition to that, don’t get me started on the blocks that fall from the sky and take you out in one shot. These seem a little out of place in a game where you can only see what’s right in front of you.
Because Vagante has so much potential, it never quite reaches it. It’s an interesting setup, but it looks a little like you’re looking through the wrong end of a pair of binoculars. Nevertheless, the stale combat, instant death traps, and lack of any sort of strategy – even in the boss fights – detract from the overall quality of the game.
As a challenge, Vagante may be enjoyable for a while, but for me, the enemies far outweigh the allies.
