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Paradox Vector

85%Game Brain Score
graphics, music
gameplay, story
85% User Score Based on 52 reviews

Platforms

PCPCWindowsWindows
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About

"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.

Genres & Tags
Play Modes
Paradox Vector screenshot
Paradox Vector screenshot
Paradox Vector screenshot
Paradox Vector screenshot
Paradox Vector screenshot
Paradox Vector screenshot
Paradox Vector screenshot
Paradox Vector screenshot
Paradox Vector screenshot
Paradox Vector screenshot
Paradox Vector screenshot
+2

85%
Audience ScoreBased on 52 reviews
graphics8 positive mentions
stability3 negative mentions
  • The game features a unique and beautiful vector art style that is visually appealing and reminiscent of retro arcade games.
  • The first half of the game offers engaging puzzles and exploration, creating an intriguing atmosphere that keeps players invested.
  • The developer is active in improving the game, responding to feedback, and adding new content, which shows a commitment to enhancing the player experience.
  • The second half of the game feels tacked on and shifts abruptly from metroidvania elements to a more action-oriented gameplay style, which can be jarring for players.
  • The game suffers from technical issues such as poor framerate, short render distance, and a lack of polish in certain areas, which can detract from the overall experience.
  • The gameplay can be frustrating due to a steep difficulty spike, limited health pickups, and a checkpoint system that saves low health values, making it easy to get stuck.
  • graphics
    34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    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 it does not fully replicate the true essence of vector graphics, with noticeable oversights in elements like bloom and color contrast. Overall, the game's graphics are a standout feature, appealing to fans of retro and minimalist designs.

    • “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.”
    • “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.”
    • “It's a shame really, in theory it has everything it needs to have, the other game aspects just need a similar amount of love that the graphics got.”
  • music
    15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    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 it repetitive or annoying, leading them to mute it in favor of their own music. Overall, while the soundtrack is celebrated for its uniqueness and ability to create an immersive experience, it also has its detractors who feel it could use improvement.

    • “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.”
  • atmosphere
    10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    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 themes, 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.”
  • gameplay
    10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay is characterized as standard and basic, often feeling like a tech demo rather than a fully realized experience, which discourages exploration. While the atmosphere and audio elements are praised, many players find the mechanics frustrating, with issues like instant enemy detection and simplistic objectives detracting from the overall enjoyment. Despite some unique visual elements, the gameplay fails to deliver a compelling experience, leading to mixed or negative recommendations.

    • “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 is garbage; enemies detect you instantly and move far faster than your projectiles, making them impossible to hit.”
    • “Unique visual style, quite standard and bare-bones gameplay, quite rough as in that it feels like a tech demo.”
    • “However, the gameplay seems a bit basic to me, just running around finding keys and unlocking doors.”
  • story
    9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    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 creatively builds on familiar source material, the storytelling can feel subtle and abstract, which may not satisfy those seeking a more direct narrative progression. Overall, the combination of fun puzzles and varied enemies enhances the gameplay, but the story's integration could be improved for a more cohesive experience.

    • “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.”
    • “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.”
  • replayability
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Users note that while the game may lack polish, recent updates have significantly improved its playability and overall enjoyment, enhancing its replayability.

  • emotional
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players feel that while the later levels of the game are commendable, the overall emotional impact is diminished by a lack of achievements, leading to a sense that the game feels like an afterthought rather than a fully realized experience.

  • stability
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's stability is marred by numerous bugs and glitches, including enemies clipping through walls, players getting stuck in ventilation shafts, and issues with loading save slots that can lead to falling through the level. These problems significantly disrupt gameplay and may require reloading to resolve.

    • “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.”
  • grinding
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players appreciate the level design for its intricate dungeons that encourage exploration and revisiting without feeling tedious, making the grinding experience enjoyable and rewarding.

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