Paradox Vector
- February 15, 2019
- Schmidt Workshops
Get on Steam
Get on itch.io Store"Paradox Vector" is a first-person shooter game inspired by classics like Doom, Quake, and Half-Life, with a nod to H.P. Lovecraft's "At the Mountains of Madness." The game features vector graphics and non-euclidean geometry, taking place in immense cyclopean structures filled with dangers from the Ancient Ones and their Servitors. It explores a unique concept of what retro shooters would look like if vector graphics were still popular in the FPS genre's early days.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Paradox Vector features a unique and beautiful vector graphics art style that creates an engaging atmosphere.
- The gameplay combines exploration and puzzle-solving elements, providing a fun and challenging experience.
- The developer is actively improving the game, showing dedication and responsiveness to player feedback.
- The second half of the game feels tacked on and shifts abruptly from metroidvania to a more traditional FPS, which may disappoint players expecting a consistent experience.
- Visual issues such as short render distance, blurry lines, and framerate problems can detract from the overall enjoyment and cause discomfort.
- The game lacks proper achievements and can feel unbalanced in difficulty, particularly towards the end, which may frustrate some players.
- graphics34 mentions
- 24 % positive mentions
- 68 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The graphics of Paradox Vector are characterized by a unique and nostalgic vector-inspired art style that evokes early arcade gaming, featuring colorful and trippy visuals. While many players appreciate the aesthetic and find it visually stunning, some critiques highlight that the game does not fully replicate the true essence of vector graphics, with noticeable oversights in elements like bloom and color contrast. Overall, the graphics are a standout feature, appealing to fans of retro and minimalist design.
“The vector-inspired art style of the game is undeniably unique, and as I played, I was intrigued to see not only what the game would look like, but what creative workarounds were being used to make it seem like vector graphics.”
“The visuals of the game are the highlight for me, which are colorful and very trippy.”
“Would love to see more games in this graphic style honestly and hope that this developer can continue making visually stunning projects.”
“Turning on antialiasing also makes the visuals darker while moving and disables the shaders, although the need for antialiasing is not great.”
“The focal point are the vector graphics, everything else is an afterthought and just has to be serviceable.”
“Paradox Vector does not accurately reproduce the aesthetic of vector graphics as promised, with many obvious oversights (bloom, vignetting, response time, basic color intensity and contrast, etc.) even on displays that can accurately emulate vector games.”
- music15 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many praising the soundtrack as a standout feature that enhances the atmosphere and fits well with the environments. However, some players find the music repetitive or annoying, leading them to turn it off. Overall, while the soundtrack is appreciated for its uniqueness and ability to create an immersive experience, it may not appeal to everyone.
“The soundtrack stands out as the best aspect and is practically reason enough to buy the game on its own.”
“The soundtrack pairs up well with every environment in the game, and ranges from foreboding to somewhat relaxing.”
“The visuals look great, the atmosphere is out of this world, the soundtrack is honestly really great and fits almost every instance it's in.”
“The music was really annoying most of the time and I had to turn it off; also, the constant 'ouch ouch!' really gets a bit much.”
“My only feedback is that the music is a little bit repetitive; I had to turn it off.”
“There's no real soundtrack to the game from what I've encountered, but the creepy ambience adds to the atmosphere.”
- atmosphere10 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its unique visual style and otherworldly qualities, effectively immersing players in a mysterious environment enhanced by ambient music. While some reviewers note a lack of polish and a disjointed feel between visual elements and thematic content, the overall experience is described as captivating and capable of transporting players to another realm.
“Unique visual style, otherworldly atmosphere, mysterious ambient music, secrets everywhere - all that is cool, although it lacks some polish here and there.”
“The atmosphere is amazing and will really transport you to another world.”
“The visuals look great, the atmosphere is out of this world, the soundtrack is honestly really great and fits almost every instance it's in.”
“The atmosphere is blended together so well that it draws you in even though there isn't a ton of storyline.”
“It does fit the 'otherworldly' theme, like something that must be depicted this abstractly, but it splits the game's atmosphere: you have the visual style, the weapons, the more industrial levels on one side and the cosmic horror story, most enemy designs, the more natural levels on the other side.”
“There's no real soundtrack to the game from what I've encountered, but the creepy ambience adds to the atmosphere.”
- gameplay10 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The gameplay is generally described as basic and bare-bones, with a unique visual style that some find visually displeasing. While the atmosphere and audio contribute positively to the experience, the mechanics are criticized for being frustrating and discouraging exploration, leading to a lack of engagement. Overall, players feel that the gameplay does not live up to its potential, often feeling more like a tech demo than a fully realized game.
“It reminds me of Christopher Brookmyre's Bedlam in the way that it feels as you progress through the game (it's nothing like that game in terms of gameplay or style, just the feeling).”
“The ominous music and audio, like terrifying alarms, as well as the gameplay, adds to the cool experience of trying to get out of the mazes.”
“I am playing this game on an LG C1, and when I emulate actual arcade vector games on MAME or FBNeo, it can reproduce vector graphics and gameplay motion with an uncanny degree of accuracy.”
“The gameplay itself is fine and the atmosphere is great, but I can't play a game that causes me such visual displeasure, so I can't recommend it, unfortunately.”
“Unique visual style, quite standard and bare-bones gameplay, quite rough as in that it feels like a tech demo.”
“The gameplay is garbage; enemies detect you instantly and move far faster than your projectiles, making them impossible to hit.”
- story9 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The game's story, while intriguing and thematically rich, often takes a backseat to its atmospheric elements, leading to a disjointed experience where players may miss key narrative aspects due to a lack of clear objectives. Although it draws on familiar source material, the storytelling is subtle and abstract, complemented by engaging puzzles and a variety of enemies, but it may not satisfy those seeking a strong, cohesive narrative. Overall, the atmosphere effectively immerses players, even if the storyline itself is not the primary focus.
“The story is quite interesting, the game progresses smoothly and ramps up the difficulty nicely.”
“Fun puzzles, subtle storytelling, a variety of enemies to face in challenging situations.”
“It does fit the 'otherworldly' theme, like something that must be depicted this abstractly, but it splits the game's atmosphere: you have the visual style, the weapons, the more industrial levels on one side and the cosmic horror story, most enemy designs, the more natural levels on the other side.”
“The story is a retelling/continuation of H.P. Lovecraft's work. I was hoping that they would do something creative with such a famous (albeit overused) source material, but the story was rarely a strong point among retro FPS games, so that's not much of a complaint.”
“It does fit the 'otherworldly' theme, like something that must be depicted this abstractly, but it splits the game's atmosphere: you have the visual style, the weapons, and the more industrial levels on one side, and the cosmic horror story, most enemy designs, and the more natural levels on the other side.”
“One issue it has is that you don't have any objective except the main goal, and there's no clear indication of where the next part of the story is, so you can easily miss the story aspects of the game or not figure out what to do next.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Users note that while the game may lack polish, recent updates have significantly improved its playability and overall enjoyment, enhancing its replayability.
- emotional1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players feel that while the later levels of the game are commendable, the overall emotional impact is diminished by a sense of it being an afterthought due to a lack of achievements and an extension beyond its original scope.
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant stability issues, including enemies clipping through walls, players getting stuck in ventilation shafts, and problematic save loading that can lead to falling through the level. These bugs and glitches detract from the overall gameplay experience.
“Enemies regularly clip through walls with their hitboxes.”
“Ventilation shafts often get you stuck on corners; jumping can lead to getting out of bounds, requiring a reload.”
“Loading a save slot causes the level to unload, resulting in falling down before the screen fades to black.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players appreciate the level design for its intricate and engaging dungeons, which encourage exploration and revisiting without feeling tedious or forced, making the grinding experience enjoyable rather than a chore.
