LogFAQs > #945953114

Vaporum: Lockdown (PC)

Back in 2017, my impression of Vaporum was that it was Grimrock but SCIENCE! It followed the same formula---a 10-storey tower of increasingly difficult oldschool RPG goodness. But that it was geared more towards combat than anything. It was cute. Admirable. But Grimrock was vastly superior.

Now the prequel dares to be formidable on its own. Huge levels and even though it's set in the same place, the game makes it look like there's more to the tower than going floor by floor. There were objectives that gave you a pseudo-opennes to it and even if it wasn't, the design flowed well that you knew where to go.

This time not only did they have an equal amount of puzzles and combat, but the puzzles themselves were quite devious especially if you're into spatial stuff. These aren't just your everyday push-block puzzles either. It's got some of the most inventive use of its own mechanics that I haven't honestly seen since The Talos Principle. I also appreciate that each puzzle (except the bonus ones) were still within confined rooms, furthering the theme of constriction that the tower always had, something that could contrast to Grimrock's already open areas.

I guess if I had something to say against it it would be that this time there isn't alot of combat going on. By the time I finished I had 400 ammo and a couple of cool shit I wanted to test my gear on only to find out it was over and that the 10th floor was actually a bonus puzzles floor. But that could easily be rectified by playing on a higher difficulty. All in all best sleeper follow-up to an somewhat forgettable indie I've played this year.

Oh and the story's still not as interesting. Which is fine. I don't really care about lore when it's for a game like this.

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It's not so cliche anymore when it's happening to you.