Vex Clock

My friend has been working on and telling us about this game for over a year now, and I was very excited to be able to check it out. I am pleased to say that I was not disappointed either. Vex Clock is an incredibly fun shoot-em-up. The controls and movement felt fluid, in a word sense, it actually reminded me of playing Source games. It actually does feel like my character is weaving and dashing about the level, and it is VERY satisfying to no-scope and ambush-shot enemies. It's hectic in a good sense, and moving around levels with robots everywhere actually does give me the sensation of fighting for survival. The enemy layout and level design was engaging enough to keep me on my toes, and every character playing differently does open the door to a lot of different gameplay styles. My favourite is Lilian, a character who has a pistol that also functions very well for sniping. It's very nice to be able to hang back as someone who isn't fond of fast-paced melee combat. (The second world introduces a new type of robot that resembles a giant spider, which appears and rushes you when going under certain grates. I hate it.) One thing to say, this game is not very graphically intensive at all. My GPU as of writing this is from over a decade ago, and the game has zero frame drops or slow downs. Even the loading is quick. It's also very light on storage, you don't have to worry about another block of your internal storage being gone to play this. If I had to comment any gripes, I would say that the plot does feel a little tacked on to the main story; you could skip the cutscenes and just play the levels and overall not miss a lot. It is a PvE with added cutscenes, it is not a story with added levels. I wish there was more in that aspect, it's a little boring. Additionally, I am really not fond of levels not being replayable outside external cheats, especially when each one has an exclusive collectable in it that can be seen in the menu and unlocks bonus content. Oh, I missed a collectable? Well, I'll have to remember to get it next time in this lengthy game with hours-long playthroughs. But those are pretty minor things, and the casual player (maybe even YOU?) is very likely to enjoy Vex Clock. It is a perfect game for someone who squeezes video games in where they can. A level only takes a half hour at most and the game saves after each one. It is a perfect game for anyone who wants a good PvE shoot-em-up too. Hell, this thing even has bits of 3D platforming in it. One thing of note, a lot of FPS games are with and against other people. If you found this game while browsing the genre and know nothing about it, you should be aware that this game is entirely singleplayer. It has platforming, PvE, and exploration. Overall, I would recommend Vex Clock if you're fond of FPS and/or Shoot 'Em Up games. You get a lot of value for its cheap price range, and you'll probably enjoy it.

Fun game. Neat atmosphere. Lots of stuff to do. Pretty balanced as far as difficulty goes. Threats are consistent and the game allows the player to learn from their mistakes and move forward. Interested to see what this developer releases in the future!

Phenomenal game. I have been following the development of Vex Clock for the past three years and I think it's safe to say that the final product stands very well. Everything from the story to the music to the art direction is well done and you can really see all the work everybody on the team put into it. In regards to gameplay, I think for the most part it is very good. The fast paced running and shooting is fun and it feels really good when you start to get the hang of how to defeat tougher enemies. However, in certain sections of the game (especially the later acts) sometimes the gameplay can get a tad bit frustrating. When you do eventually win that does make it all the more satisfying, but it leaves room for how certain things could be balanced. Overall though, this truly was an amazing game and I am so happy that I can say I've been there from the start.

[b]DISCLAIMER:[/b] [i]Vex Clock is Dave Microwaves Games' flagship Steam release; with this said, it is not his first game, far from it, as he's released games through sites like Gamejolt, Itch.io, and his Patreon. Please note that while I work close with this developer, I still wish to express strong, constructive opinions as a product on Steam in hopes to see improvements to said product, and to heighten the quality for future titles. Releasing a title to Steam is introducing an entirely new playerbase, so mixed reception is expected in regards to game design choices. I will be focusing on gameplay. I recommend this game as Dave is always looking to grow as a developer; great things can come from practice.[/i] [h1][b]GAMEPLAY[/b][/h1] I think the best way to describe the gameplay is a run-and-gun that slowly progresses into a precision platformer, which both benefits and harms Vex Clock. [h2]ACT PROGRESSION[/h2] The game is split up into 6 acts with a level selection layout akin to linear yet branching path. Occasionally, this path is broken for a level in the first three acts via a split-choice path. If you don't care for the story all that much, this instead forces you to pick between two different weapon playstyles to tag along the main protagonist, who's a master at hack-and-slash melee and eventually an RPG splash damager. Unlike other levels, this will force you to play with two weapons/characters instead of three; while this could be viewed as a twist-up challenge, it falls on the levels you have to make the choice on whether or not you will struggle. Enemy/map layouts do not seem to differ in regards to balancing for the weapon/character to choose, so there will usually be an objectively correct answer for an easier time due to some weapons being better than others. The only thing these choices change is the ending of the game via a, "bond system," where it actually determines what your weapons/characters are for the final boss of the game. This, once again, may force you into a loadout you didn't realize you were making by the time you reach one of the hardest bosses in the game. Once you've made your choices, there's no backing out from them unless you restart the save file. [h2]LEVEL PROGRESSION[/h2] There is a fundamental problem with the latter half compared to the former half: this is a game that will throw enemies around corners frequently, and they move much faster than you. In some cases, in-and-out of wave arenas, enemies will teleport in without a lot of warning on what you'll be dealing with. This will often result in being in the middle of a room and getting ganked, losing a few hitpoints and causing you to flee to gain distance, whether that's to look for a health crate (with varying values) or to fire back at the enemies. All of this wouldn't be an issue per say until you hit later areas, where chokepoints are a lot more frequent, and the demand for Crash Bandicoot levels of precision platforming also require you to shoot at enemies constantly blasting at you, all while also contending with a death pit at times that is an instant restart of the area you died in. Because of this, the game goes from a hack-and-slash gunner to a snipe-and-jump crawl, which hurts the tempo and power trip a player may have developed. [h2]WEAPONS/CHARACTERS[/h2] There are eight different characters who all use different weapons; with this said, I feel as if some may fall into similar boats, perhaps too similar. I'll be naming off weapons that are in the game as I seem them, not so much the characters. [list] [*]The light sword is a very effective hack-and-slash weapon if you can close the distance, stunlock the target, and circle around to dodge attacks and projectiles. As long as you keep swinging, most projectiles will be blocked. Alongside this weapon, you'll eventually earn an RPG, which is very useful for clearing a swarm of enemies that are approaching, or to strike an enemy from afar. Due to the splash radius, shielded enemies are completely useless against it. The RPG is pretty solid in biting chunks of an enemy's health at the cost of a long cooldown per shot. This combo of weapons is considered mandatory given the first of three weapon slots belong to the protagonist. [*]The heavy sword is an alternate primary weapon that will be unlocked in Act 6, and in New Game Plus from the very beginning. You have to swing much earlier as enemies approach you in order to strike them, but in turn, you deal a fair bit more of melee damage. The hitboxes for the attacks remain longer to compensate for the slower swing speed, as well. The RPG is completely unaffected by the alternative melee choice. I personally like to run and gun, so the light sword + RPG combo is my personal choice as it allows me to bob and weave from enemy projectiles more often, which you will get pelted by a LOT in this game. [*]The pistol is a whopping okay. It's the middle of the road choice; not a fast firing speed, but not terribly slow. You'll find that more damage is dealt the faster you can shoot, which often means less enemies will swarm you, given almost all enemies are faster than you and will close the distance fast, especially in choke areas. [*]The shotgun is effective in close range, as a shotgun should be; it reloads a bit slower than the pistol, but makes up for it in a spread of damage. This weapon in particular is great for dealing with the fast flying enemies found in later portions of the game. The problem I have with this gun is that the pellets have heavy gravity, which often forces you to lob your shots. Despite the game encouraging you to swap characters on the fly with the scroll wheel or numkeys, you have to toggle out of the firstperson aiming mode, swap one/two times to the weapon of choice, and then retoggle the first person aim to fire your weapon. The game would've benefited from auto-aim in thirdperson to still allow you to fire your ranged weapons, or keep the melee characters... just that, melee characters, instead of distributing them to other characters akin to a proper weapon loadout. Less key strokes, the more immediate the action is. [*]The railgun is a blast of damage from a cluster of pellets close together that can be used at further range at the cost of a significantly longer reload time. If you want to clear a few enemies in the distance before they can even engage with you, then you can use this. Unfortunately, given the tight, fast-paced nature of this game, you'll be heavily exposed to swarms of enemies rushing you while you have to reload. This is probably the worst weapon for a game like this; I would've liked to see a completely different type of weapon instead of this diet sniper rifle, personally. [*]The SMG's downside is hardly noticeable. This is the polar opposite case of the railgun: it's the premiere weapon to use when you have to run away from rushing enemies and gun them down behind you. It is also fairly effective at mid range. The reload time is so quick that shooting constantly comes at the cost of a small hiccup before you continue unloading rounds. [*]The dual-revolvers are unlocked in Act 6 and in New Game Plus from the beginning. Another fine example of a weapon built for this fast-paced game. It shoots in a pattern of sorts where the more you fire, the faster to fires before resetting to its default firing speed... which quickly ramps back up, so this is hardly a downside. Due to loss of speed every now and again, though, I'd still consider the SMG a stronger choice for its consistency and reliability. [*]The sniper rifle is unlocked in Act 6 and in New Game Plus from the beginning. The railgun wishes it could be the sniper rifle; the damage is great for churning tankier enemies and bosses at a cost of making you a sitting duck for swarms. Even with this weapon being objectively better than the railgun, it still fails to be a decent pick in the heat of close-up combat. [/list]

Vex Clock is an exciting action-platformer with a fun cast of characters, each equipped with unique weapons that you can combo within your party. While the game does present a bit of a learning curve, the sense of accomplishment from mastering your team, utilising your abilities and overcoming the game's challenges is incredibly rewarding. I really enjoy the randomiser feature, which enhances the game’s replayability when going for the various different endings. It has a unique art style and a fun story that complements the gameplay without distracting from it. I would recommend Vex Clock to anyone who enjoys FPS or shoot-'em-ups with a bit of a challenge!

All i got to say is, it was a best game of all times, good job Dave.

Great game that's worth the price. It took me five hours to beat on hard difficulty, so don't expect a 50 hour long epic. That being said, there are still New Game + and randomizer modes, so this isn't a game that you'll drop the minute you beat it. I felt that this game was a little off and on, I really liked Acts 1 - 3, 4 was ok, and 5 was more frustrating than enjoyable. Act 1 - 3 had really great environments, and a ton of new enemies and interesting things to keep it fresh. Some highlights for me were[spoiler] the first wave battle, as I didn't expect there to be wave battles, and the helicopter enemy (The whole roof level was great).[/spoiler] Act 4 started to get a little samey, but it was still fun. Act 5 was just not enjoyable at all unfortunately.[spoiler] The new characters were cool, but the actual levels themselves were just really annoying parkour. And it just didn't have the same immersion without the environments. I get that reality was supposed to have ended, but it felt more like it was just platforms in the sky. I think that some atmospheric sound design could have gone a really long way to really sell the whole reality ended idea.[/spoiler] Boss fights were pretty fun, first 2 boss fights were great,[spoiler] particularly Deacon, his bossfight was very clever and fun.[/spoiler] Wasn't a huge fan of the act 3 boss but the act 4 one was very fun. The main problem was the final boss, which was not fun due to the fact that there was pretty much zero telegraphing for the boss, and it could[spoiler] teleport behind you. In addition, the last phase was really frustrating because there was no checkpoint, and it came out of the blue so you're almost guaranteed to die the first time. [/spoiler] Railgun didn't feel great to use because it was very difficult to tell if you had hit or not, but other than that all the guns felt great to use. Overall, I think that the moment to moment gameplay was very fun and there was a good variety of challenges and enemies. The abilities were a nice touch too. Great game.

For the first game on Dave Mircowave on steam, i call this a huge sucess. The game is a fast paced FPS, with platforming, movement, and swaping with different styles. You have a melee weapon, aoe weapon, long CD weapon, ect. The game is also quite replayable with mutiple endings, a random mode, and new game plus. However, my biggest gripe with the game is the story. Alot of it is just unexplained or happens without explaining character motives as much. It just drops you in alot of the time. But thats fine cause the story isnt really the main foucs anyway, its about the high action speed gameplay, which this excels at. Im excited to see Dave contine on steam with some of his other products, and you should pick this game up if you can

Overall: 5/10 – Average Graphics: 6/10 – Kind of cute. Audio: 5/10 – Average. Gameplay: 4/10 • Too boring, just spam left click. • FOV is too low with no option to adjust, and the zoom when using a gun is too high. • The dark zone where the character uses a flashlight is kinda cool, though.

Very good game