Vital Shell

As an arcade gamer, it would make sense socially for me to not give this game a recommendation due to it being yet another vampire survivors adjacent game that trends towards being more of a dopamine-hamster-wheel experience than a legit, real game. Vital Shell DOES do enough to differentiate itself, but I won’t pretend it’s a great game. However, For $5, you could do worse, even as an arcade gamer. For one, it does have an arcade mode, and it’s not bad. No pick 3 system in that mode- Just build out your mech’s stats and loadout before the run, and then survive as long as possible. This mode is surprisingly effective. It’s not balanced, of course. Some builds will be astronomically better, and there will be an optimal best build. This mode loops like a loopable arcade game with a roughly 6-8 minute loop cycle, and the game gets fairly challenging pretty quickly, which is what a good arcade game should do. Clearing 2 loops is among the top end of survivability, but I’m sure experts could push further; with some builds, 1 loop would be an achievement. The gameplay loop is typical twin stick gameplay, but it’s snappy, there’s a lot to dodge, and it’s actually fairly satisfying fundamentally with the variety in enemy hitboxes, sheer density, and speed of the combat. The only real downside to it is, like usual, the over-reliance on enemies that track you and subsequent optimal play revolving heavily around circle strafing. More could’ve been done to break this up and create more dynamic movement through the stage, but as the difficulty ramps up, it begins to become more strategic in how you kite enemies, save resources, collect the sparks and so on. Eventually it does get so difficult that the chance of instantly dying begins to spike. This isn’t inherently bad, but it could’ve been slightly tuned away from that without having to lower your damage output and build more towards increased max health. I won’t really comment on the rest of the game much; the campaign is a more typical vampire survivors affair. Banal, padded gameplay more centered around picking the right stats than actual gameplay. Too easy and exploitable difficulty in the campaign. There is also another arcade weekly challenge mode with randomized criteria, and is a good reason to keep playing, if not just sticking with the standard endless arcade mode. As for the stat/build/weapon systems. It’s not doing anything cool or interesting— life stealing is a strong part of the meta and is OP as expected to allow you to face tank a lot of hits and simply survive much easier. I wouldn’t buy it if you’re into interesting build crafting. The combat manages to feel good enough which is what actually matters. For a few bucks, Vital Shell won’t blow anyone’s hair back. Its strong PA1 aesthetics, punchy game feel, and solid enough arcade mode offerings elevate it above your typical vampire survivors/hall of torments into something genuine/core gamers can chew on, at least for a bit before getting bored. The game would be considerably stronger if developed more as a true arcade game, but yeah, if you have a few bucks to spend it’s not a bad title to add to your library

Game is sick as hell. Don't even question it just buy it

In recent years, the low-poly aesthetic reminiscent of the PlayStation 1 era has been growing in popularity—whether in music videos, 3D models shared on social media, or even actual video games. It’s particularly striking that more and more people are discovering From Software’s PS1 lineup—whether it’s King’s Field or Armored Core—and this inspiration has given rise to heartfelt projects like Lunacid and Vital Shell. “But we have Armored Core at home!” Our subject today certainly can’t deny that the development team is crazy about Armored Core. And really, as soon as you launch the game, it’s hard not to confuse it with the AC1 title screen. And within that, the menu has been replicated exactly—it really feels like you’re browsing through the Raven’s Nest database—complete with a memory card, just like on the PS1. How can I describe Vital Shell? Take Armored Core and Gauntlet Legends, mix in a little fantasy, and turn it into an arcade-style experience. The very first trailer had me sold, and although I was a little wary because of the Vampire Survivors comparison, I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. And to my greatest surprise, the very chill, almost atmospheric jungle fits this chaotic, at times suffocating game incredibly well. What I really liked was that the game has a color-based playstyle and character identity, so after a while, based on that, you’ll know which gem boosts which stat, how an opponent moves and tries to make life difficult for us, or what kind of equipment the mech we’ve chosen is equipped with. You’ll need to skillfully maneuver your mech to dodge and eliminate enemies that get weirder and weirder, while the game automatically fires your weapons—and if you don’t trust the AI, you have the option to aim manually. It’s simple—honestly, nothing earth-shattering—but you can play with one hand while eating a Pizza Hut pizza with the other. Reminds me of Earthbound... Currently, there are five different classes available, all of which embody classic fantasy archetypes (e.g., knight, mage, archer), and there are five levels where 20 waves of enemies and an end-of-level boss await us. After defeating enemies, you can collect experience crystals, and after each wave—provided you’ve leveled up—you’ll have the chance to choose what to boost: health, armor, speed, block chance, range, etc. Vital Shell encourages you to experiment and try a new build with every run. Don’t get discouraged for a moment if you get a “game over,” because after every successful or even unsuccessful attempt, your Devotion meter will increase: There are 5 categories here, each with 10 levels, where you can unlock and integrate permanent upgrades, new weapons, gems, and level-up bonuses into the main game. I’m trying to be fair to the game because, for one thing, it just debuted (keep in mind, I mainly played this back in January), and for another, it’s in Early Access. In terms of its concept, Vital Shell is a home run for me, but the truth is that there isn’t enough content yet to keep you hooked for more than a few hours before you get up and look for something else to do. I’m optimistic, though, because the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, which hopefully bodes well for a bright, content-rich future for the game.

great late 90s/early 00's vibes, brings me back to custom robo and ps1 era games - surprisingly deep roguelike mechanics too all while being easy to pick up and play with a friend. strong recommend especially considering the price is only $5.99

Fun little game, would recommend!

good enough it's got me pondering the efficacy of building an arcade cabinet for to run it on

This feels like a game the one kid you knew who had a Dreamcast would tell you about and how awesome it is, and you'd play it once at his house, loved it, but then forget about it and have it on the tip of your tongue for the rest of your life. And then, when you look for it years later, you realize there's a cult following that's been dying for a remake or sequel, and the game's $140.

Mech. 90s. Jungle and DnB. Vampire survivor. c00L.

Nice game!

An amazing game that shows you can do a lot with simple assets and great design.