The Vagrant

About

The Vagrant is a single player role playing game with a fantasy theme. It was developed by O.T.K Games and was released on July 13, 2018. It received positive reviews from players.

"The Vagrant" is an action RPG set in a dark fantasy world, where you play as a lone warrior with a mysterious past. Wielding a variety of weapons and abilities, you'll battle against grotesque creatures and uncover the truth behind your character's origins. With challenging combat and a somber atmosphere, "The Vagrant" offers an immersive and engaging experience for fans of the genre.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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89%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,763 reviews

story320 positive mentions

grinding102 negative mentions

Beautiful hand-drawn art style reminiscent of Vanillaware games.
Engaging combat system with satisfying combos and skills.
Decent story with interesting characters and multiple endings.

Game is not a true Metroidvania; progression is linear and lacks ability gating.
Combat can feel repetitive and some bosses are frustratingly difficult.
Minor technical issues, such as hitbox problems and awkward controls.

story
802 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
55%
5%
The story of "The Vagrant" is generally described as straightforward and somewhat cliché, focusing on the protagonist Vivian's quest to uncover her family's past in a dark fantasy setting. While some players appreciate the engaging backstory and character development, others criticize the writing quality and translation issues, leading to a mixed reception. Overall, the narrative serves as a functional backdrop for the gameplay, with enough intrigue to keep players invested despite its predictability and occasional lack of depth.
- “The story is solid, with a lot of backstory to flesh out the world and why you're doing what you're doing.”
- “The storyline, focusing on Vivian's quest to uncover the truth about her bloodline and the curse, surprised me with its depth and length, surpassing my initial expectations for a game at this price point.”
- “A challenging, fast-paced, dark fantasy metroidvania with surprisingly an intriguing and mature story as well as dialogue.”
- “The story's not much and eventually loses itself in a quagmire of identity-less-ness.”
- “The story is a mess and poorly paced.”
- “The story is just meh.”
graphics
523 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
41%
2%
The graphics of "The Vagrant" have received widespread acclaim for their beautiful hand-drawn art style, reminiscent of Vanillaware titles like "Odin Sphere" and "Dragon's Crown." Players appreciate the vibrant colors, detailed character designs, and immersive environments, which contribute to a captivating visual experience. However, some reviews note inconsistencies in quality and minor graphical glitches, suggesting that while the overall aesthetic is impressive, there are areas that could benefit from further polish.
- “The graphics are really beautiful; it has a nice hand-drawn, cel-shaded style, very colorful with breathtaking scenery and incredible uses of color that makes you just want to stop and stare at every little detail. Honestly, the best game I can compare this art style to is the video game Muramasa: The Demon Blade.”
- “The overall presentation combines visual beauty with a dark, moody fantasy aesthetic that perfectly matches the tone of the story.”
- “A beautiful game with a breathtaking Vanillaware-like art style and stunning character design.”
- “Graphics are meh and general presentation could use a lot of polishing; the story is also meh so far, at least they let you spam the text.”
- “The graphics are pixelated, the sprites/bitmaps are way too big and do not really suit a sidescroller of this art.”
- “Even putting aside the boring battling, the visuals of the game are all over the place.”
gameplay
501 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
51%
5%
The gameplay of "The Vagrant" is generally well-received, characterized by fluid hack-and-slash mechanics and light RPG elements, allowing for enjoyable combat and character progression. While some players appreciate the engaging combo system and beautiful art style reminiscent of Vanillaware games, others note that the gameplay can become repetitive and lacks depth, particularly in boss encounters. Overall, it offers a solid experience for fans of the genre, especially considering its low price point.
- “Gameplay is solid, combat is fluid and fun, and there are no technical or game mechanics issues that I noticed.”
- “The gameplay revolves around hack-and-slash combat blended with light RPG systems.”
- “The gameplay is engaging, with plenty of combos and strategies to learn for fighting off waves of monsters as well as traversing the world.”
- “The gameplay experience is blemished by some jankiness and poor design decisions.”
- “The gameplay's simplicity causes both frustration and boredom, and there's a lack of clear communication about some mechanics that make the whole thing a grind.”
- “The combat isn't deep enough to be interesting, and it makes up a huge proportion of the gameplay.”
music
312 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
41%
3%
The music in the game has received a mixed reception, with many players praising its ability to enhance the atmosphere and complement the visuals, featuring a variety of styles from melancholic village tunes to intense battle tracks. While some tracks are noted as memorable and fitting, others are criticized for being generic or out of place, leading to a perception of inconsistency in quality. Overall, the soundtrack is generally considered enjoyable, contributing positively to the gaming experience despite some criticisms regarding repetitiveness and lack of originality.
- “Beautiful hand-painted graphics with a matching soundtrack and a straightforward story which grant the entire experience a fairy tale vibe.”
- “Voice acting is minimal, yet the soundtrack does a strong job of setting the mood—melancholic in villages, tense in combat, and atmospheric in ruins.”
- “The music has a strong driving rhythm that encourages you to fight against overwhelming odds, and I enjoyed rocking out to intense boss fights against crazy enemies.”
- “Then there is rock music, some techno stuff and maybe some other tracks which don’t fit the game at all.”
- “The music is all over the place and inconsistent with the game atmosphere/environment.”
- “Music and sound effects are very generic and there is nothing special or memorable about them.”
grinding
105 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
3%
97%
The grinding aspect of the game has received mixed feedback from players. While some enjoy the grind as a necessary part of character progression and achievement hunting, others find it tedious and excessive, particularly in the late game where it can feel overwhelming and detract from the overall experience. Overall, grinding is seen as a significant but manageable element, with varying degrees of necessity depending on the player's goals and chosen difficulty level.
- “It can be a bit grindy at times, but it adds to the overall experience.”
- “Grinding can feel like a long, tedious process, yet it offers a sense of accomplishment.”
- “You'll definitely need a second life for grinding, as it can be quite time-consuming.”
- “A rather unusual take on the difficulty - most of the game plays more or less in one difficulty range, but challenges and the final boss would require a lot of grinding on your behalf - otherwise it feels like a difficulty spike hard enough to force you to abandon the game.”
- “The only con is the grinding you have to do if you want to get all the achievements.”
- “Grinding is generally fun and easy enough to do, but the game seems somewhat stingy with the money drops from time to time.”
character development
32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
62%
13%
Character development in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the presence of upgrades and abilities that enhance gameplay, while others criticize the character designs as overly sexualized and lacking depth. The art style is often praised for its beauty, but many feel that the character designs cater primarily to male fantasies, detracting from the overall experience. Despite these criticisms, some players find the character development elements enjoyable and integral to the gameplay.
- “Character development is present, which is a nice addition, and weapons are visible when you change equipment.”
- “It has a unique feeling to it, and the story is decent with relevant levels of character development and a driven plot.”
- “Earned mana/xp can be spent on either upgrading your weapons and armor or on character development and abilities such as double jump, a few new combos, increased attack, defense, HP, or crit.”
- “The story is half-baked and some of the character designs border on embarrassing, but the rest of the game is very pretty.”
- “The story is bad, the dialogue can be really weird at times and the character design is literally the epitome of what people mean when they say it appeals to the male fantasy.”
- “I have to be honest, one thing that put me off was the character design.”
atmosphere
31 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
68%
22%
10%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive and distinct environments, enhanced by a beautifully crafted soundtrack that complements the mood of each region, from melancholic villages to tense combat scenarios. While the voice acting is minimal, the art style and level design contribute to a captivating experience reminiscent of Vanillaware games. Overall, players appreciate the combination of atmospheric visuals, engaging music, and well-executed gameplay, despite some minor performance issues.
- “Each region, from quiet coastal towns to haunted castles and dense forests, feels distinct and immersive, with backgrounds layered in a way that gives the world depth and atmosphere.”
- “The game also offers a beautifully crafted soundtrack that enhances its atmospheric storytelling.”
- “The artwork and environments of this game are beautiful and atmospheric.”
- “The music is all over the place and inconsistent with the game atmosphere/environment.”
- “It lacks the polish of Vanillaware in a few places, like some moments of combat and a few animations, and some music is either public domain, music library, or possibly even stolen (looking at you, RE4 atmosphere music).”
- “The level designs are quite unique (especially the void; it was just made right)... the dark gothic atmosphere kind of reminds me of Berserk for whatever reason!”
replayability
27 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
37%
52%
11%
The game's replayability is a mixed bag, with some players noting good value through features like New Game+, multiple endings, and unlockable skills and gear that cater to different playstyles. While some reviews mention a lack of significant replay value, others highlight the enjoyment derived from exploring optional content and achieving 100% completion. Overall, the game offers a decent level of replayability, particularly for those who appreciate challenges and exploration.
- “As you progress through the game, you unlock more skills, weapons, and gear to equip, customizing them with runes to further boost stats or grant additional effects to tailor to your playstyle, even allowing for a bit of replayability.”
- “The game has two endings, is replayable, and has a new game+ feature that carries over items and such to the next playthrough, as well as allowing you to change the difficulty.”
- “The gameplay works very well, controls are responsive, and at around 15 hours, the game never overstays its welcome, but still there's plenty of replayability, with ways to unlock the secret ending, optional dungeons, many secrets and hidden items, and new game plus.”
- “Replayability value is, well... none.”
- “A few different endings and different difficulty modes and new game+ gives it a bit of replayability, but nothing major.”
- “There are harder modes for replay value, but I had enough after the 9 hours it took me to beat it.”
stability
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
12%
96%
Overall, the game's stability is characterized by a mix of minor glitches and occasional bugs, such as graphical issues and AI freezing, which do not significantly impact the overall experience. While some players report frustrating moments, particularly with controls and enemy behavior, many find the game runs smoothly with only rare instances of frame lag or visual repetition. Despite these issues, most reviewers agree that the core gameplay remains enjoyable and engaging.
- “Runs great on Intel 4770K with NVIDIA 1080.”
- “The game maintains a steady frame rate even during intense action sequences.”
- “I haven't experienced any crashes or bugs, which makes for a smooth gaming experience.”
- “The worst glitches I ever hit were enemies very rarely not vanishing when killed, but rather staying stuck in a completely non-interactive state.”
- “They couldn't even make a proper menu, and glitches affect the whole window when you try to alt-tab or quit the game.”
- “The trailer made the combat seem a lot more fun and fluid, but the controls are sluggish. I experienced numerous audio and graphical glitches like the music cutting out after less than 2 seconds and the screen remaining black long after area transitions; overall, I was kind of let down.”
optimization
21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
33%
29%
Overall, the game's optimization is a mixed bag; while it runs smoothly on some systems and offers fluid 2D movement, many players report significant performance issues, including stuttering, lag spikes, and high power consumption. Users have noted that the game struggles on older hardware and can be unplayable at higher settings, indicating a need for further optimization. Despite its low price, the inconsistent performance and confusing controls have led to a lack of recommendation from several reviewers.
- “The use of animation tools helped achieve fluid 2D movement without sacrificing performance, and while some menus and UI elements feel basic or unintuitive, the game as a whole runs smoothly.”
- “It had good performance on the Steam Deck, the controls were solid and performance stable.”
- “I don't have the hardware requirements to complain about the performance, but either way it behaves well on low-spec hardware.”
- “The only problem is this game may not be optimized; it is sucking out 11-13 watts every second I play, which doesn’t make sense to me.”
- “Out of the bat, performance is atrocious. I had to crank it all the way to 720p and low settings, and I still could not beat 50 fps in the prologue area. I would expect that tuning it down would make a game that looks like this run on any machine. It doesn't look graphically expensive by any means, and I can only blame it on poor optimization, which becomes apparent later on.”
- “In that room, what seems to be the insides of a house, the game is running at 60 fps, great, except upon pressing the dodge button, the game stutters massively (talk about optimization issues) and makes combat quite literally unplayable. I could only laugh at what a garbage fire this game has been for its 15 minutes or less I played it and decided to refund.”
humor
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is a mix of dark and absurd elements, with players finding amusement in quirky NPC interactions, exaggerated character designs, and intentionally flawed translations. Many reviews highlight the comedic value of the game's plot and mechanics, such as the ridiculousness of certain armor choices and the absurdity of enemy behaviors. Overall, the humor is described as entertaining and a significant aspect of the game's charm, making it enjoyable despite its flaws.
- “The game's plot is paper thin and, hilariously, often translated incorrectly.”
- “Treasures are mixed with the materials which is just so stupid that it is hilarious.”
- “The NPC interaction is very funny, with characters like Nyoppi, who is obsessed with shiny stuff, and a guy who drinks water from some kids and ends up with a stomach ache. The dialogue is quite entertaining!”
emotional
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by the touching camaraderie between characters, particularly the sibling-like bond that develops between Vivian and Camden, alongside a compelling and heartfelt storyline. However, some players feel that certain emotional scenes lack impact due to a lack of relatability and voice acting, which diminishes the overall emotional weight. Despite these critiques, the game's beautiful art style and music contribute to an immersive experience that resonates with players.
- “The pixel art and heartfelt story create an immersive experience.”
- “The story and the characters are touching and melancholic.”
- “Strong swole girl as a protagonist, touching story, amazing soundtrack (especially the memorial song, holy cow), great combat for its genre.”
monetization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
67%
The game features no in-game purchases, which some players appreciate, but overall, it is criticized for its mediocre quality and frustrating controls. Additionally, players express concern over the publisher's aggressive marketing tactics, particularly the promotion of other adult-themed games.
- “In-game purchases: none”
- “The game offers a fair monetization model that doesn't pressure players to spend money.”
- “I appreciate that there are no paywalls, allowing everyone to enjoy the game equally.”
- “The games just barely mediocre at its best, but there is a lot that takes away from it. The movement controls are absolute trash, sprinting is awful, and the only way to move in a fight is dodging; otherwise, you'll get overwhelmed with stun locks all around.”
- “Just ignore the scantily clad protagonist or the somewhat dodgy publisher. If you follow this game on Steam for updates on the game's development, you'll get spammed with advertisements for other more explicit games from the publisher.”