It's a special time in the life of the MMOG genre. We're seeing games
getting bigger. They're growing hair in areas where there used to be no
hair. They're paying more attention to how they look. They're
constantly thinking about other games and how to impress or one-up
them. That's right; our MMOGs have hit puberty and
style="font-style: italic;">Vindictus by Nexon
is one of the first games of the season to start showing signs of the
magical journey to MMO adulthood. It's exciting, inspired, and unique.
But, as one might expect during this stage in life, the Celtic inspired
game also suffers from a dose of awkwardness.
When I first loaded the game during its current beta phase and played
through the brief introduction sequence I was excited. First and
foremost, the combat is a welcome gift. The action-based battles are
sophisticated in their simplicity and it was impossible not to be
impressed. I've never truly been a fan of the click-target whack-a-mole
interface that we have seen over and over again since 2004, so breaking
away from the tired norm was undoubtedly the highlight of the
style="font-style: italic;">Vindictus
experience. Since the combat is all about action, the interface remains
clean and you can actually watch what happens on the entire screen
instead of the small section of the UI that, in other games, houses the
ability and spell hotkeys.
Not only is the combat a joy to watch, it's also great fun to play. A
left click will perform a regular attack and a right click will perform
a smash, or more powerful attack. "E" will grab enemies, "F" will throw
a secondary weapon, and "R" will kick. That's it, that's all. The
controls are so simple and intuitive that any gamer will feel right at
home within seconds. With these five attacks plus a block/dodge with
the space bar you are able to perform amazing combos that will have
your blood pumping. In no time you'll be painting your face blue and
yelling "FREEDOM!" Grab your foe by the throat, flip them backwards,
and toss them into other oncoming enemies. Slash them thrice, jab once,
and spin kick them into a wall. Or, keep it simple, and kick them
through a railing and send them plummeting to their deaths. It's fast,
it's easy, and it looks and feels great.
alt="Kick your enemies into walls in Vindictus"
src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/89988/preview">
Kick your enemies into
walls in Vindictus
The introductory sequence has more up its sleeve too. The story is
immediately captivating and well executed. It's a fairly simple story
but it is brought to life with spot-on voice acting and an incredible
soundtrack. Even more impressive is Nexon's ability to strike an
emotional chord during the brief intro. Without spoiling the story, I
will say that despite a minor screen jitter during some of the
cutscenes, the experience was one of the very rare occasions in an MMOG
that I've felt an emotional connection to the characters and story in
such a brief period of time.
The introduction to the game is an incredible one. Simply put, it's
unforgettable. And that is why it feels so tragic when you finish the
introduction and begin the actual game. The fun and excitement is
abruptly put on hold as you enter into the city for the first time.
You're suddenly faced with a lot of foreign elements which may have you
considering a reroll just to go back to the fun you had during the
intro. The combat is fluid and intuitive, but the experience outside
battles is anything but.
Perhaps Nexon reached a little too far outside the box when developing
the game. Running around town, trying to find and make sense of the
quests, learning the difference between AP and BP as well as the
difference between battles and regular dungeon runs, trying to
understand the role of titles, figuring out how to learn skills, not to
mention how to craft and where to get materials to craft--it's all a
very steep learning curve. As soon as I was in town and
talking to my first few NPCs my thoughts were simply: "What the hell is
going on?" There were new elements popping up in my UI and I had no
idea what any of it meant. So I simply followed the green arrow in
hopes that it would lead me in the right direction.
Thankfully, it did... somewhat. The arrow brought me to the docks,
where I could start my first instance. Unfortunately though, even that
interface was a little confusing. I found myself madly clicking buttons
in various windows trying to just get the whole thing started.
Fair is fair, and there can be no denying
that the player experience hits a definite wall upon first entry into
the city. That being said, with a little patience and persistence to
read absolutely everything that pops up onto your screen, including
hovering over menu buttons and window elements, eventually it will all
start to make sense and once you can make sense of everything the fun
comes back into the game. This interruption really destroys the flow of
the game. Everything starts off intuitive, simple and fun, and then
having to spend a good hour or two to attempt to make sense of the rest
of the mechanics greatly disrupts the flow of what could otherwise be
an incredible gaming experience from start to finish.
Overcoming that sizable hurdle will allow you to enjoy the game. From
there you'll enter into instances to complete quests and attain goals.
As you run through these rather fun instances you'll acquire items that
can either be used for quests or crafting. You'll be able to unlock
titles which will give you more stats (no, you don't have to use the
title to gain the stat benefits). Completing instances will give you
experience, coin and Action Points. Action Points can be used to level
up your skills which range from more powerful defensive abilities to
wicked cool combos.
The instances are the real meat of the game. All of the fun combat is
experienced during the instances. There is no other MMO game currently
that offers the kind of adrenaline-infused action
style="font-style: italic;">Vindictus dungeons
offer. Hurl your enemies into stone pillars, smashing them to bits.
Pick up the pieces of stone debris and throw them at more enemies.
Throw a bomb at a wooden tower, and watch it all come crumbling down on
top of other baddies. Stumble over a tripwire and try to dodge the
giant spiked log trap that you triggered. That's just good gaming.
Similar to Dungeons and
Dragons Online: Eberron Unlimited or
style="font-style: italic;">Guild Wars,
style="font-style: italic;">Vindictus uses a
hub system. Inside the city you'll be able to meet and group with other
players and bring them with you into the instances. So while the game
doesn't focus on massive world exploration, it does offer social tools
to enjoy a community.
alt="Throwing final blows in Vindictus"
src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/89986/preview">
The final blows to end
combat
The graphics in Vindictus
are nicely rendered. During my play sessions I did not run across
anything visually that made my jaw drop, but nor did I cringe at poor
models or animations. The graphics are solid and the animations are
fluid. The design is successful in setting an appropriate mood for both
the town areas and the instances. It's also commendable that Nexon has
been able to provide so many options in the combat arena without it
ever feeling too cluttered or busy. You can perform great combat arts,
and more importantly, you can tell exactly what it is you're doing.
There was a possibility that things could become too hectic to be able
to make out what's happening on screen, but that never happens, and
you're able to enjoy every slash and jab.
The game's performance was a non-issue for me. Nor did any of the
friends I played with have any issues. Occasionally, though, there are
some performance related complaints in the game or on the forums but it
seems that for the most part the game is playable on a wide array of
specs.
Overall, Vindictus
has a lot of fun in store for gamers but it's hard to ignore its
awkwardness in several areas. Call them growing pangs, but the
potential tragedy here is that many may not be able to push through the
overwhelming learning curve so early in the game. Those who can though,
are sure to find a rewarding unique experience. Killing is fun. Doing
it with style is epic. Those moments during the game when you stop
abruptly and ask your group mate: "Did you just do what I think you
did?" are what makes this game truly memorable.
Vindictus
is currently in beta and set to launch later this year.
To read the latest guides, news, and features you can visit our Vindictus Game Page.
