The Vagrant
- July 13, 2018
- O.T.K Games
- 10h median play time
Get on Steam"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.
PC
Steam Deck
Windows
Tablet
Reviews
- Beautiful hand-drawn art style reminiscent of Vanillaware games.
- Engaging combat system with a variety of skills and combos.
- Decent story with interesting characters and multiple endings.
- Clunky controls and awkward movement mechanics, especially with dodging.
- Repetitive gameplay with some frustrating boss fights and enemy placements.
- Lack of depth in the skill tree and itemization, leading to a grindy experience.
- story694 mentions
- 39 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The story of "The Vagrant" has received mixed reviews, with some players finding it engaging and surprisingly deep, particularly in its exploration of the protagonist Vivian's quest and backstory. However, many others criticize it as generic, predictable, or poorly executed, often feeling that it serves merely as a backdrop for gameplay rather than a compelling narrative. Overall, while the art and gameplay are praised, the story is seen as a weaker aspect, with some players enjoying its simplicity and others wishing for more depth and coherence.
“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.”
“Vivian's backstory and motivation are fleshed out competently and admirably, the conflict between runewardens and the magic academy is both mysterious and dramatic, and the supporting characters too have their own backstories and plot that tie neatly with the main storyline.”
“The story is surprisingly way better than I expected.”
“The story is half-baked and some of the character designs border on embarrassing, but the rest of the game is very pretty.”
“But when the story is as bland as it can get with not much that will get your interest and characters that don't make you feel very invested.”
“The story is just meh, your character has no agency at all and is just dragged along by everyone around her.”
- graphics462 mentions
- 55 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received widespread praise for their beautiful, hand-drawn art style reminiscent of Vanillaware titles like "Dragon's Crown" and "Odin Sphere." Many reviewers highlight the vibrant colors, detailed character designs, and immersive environments, although some note inconsistencies in quality and minor graphical glitches. Overall, the visuals are considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's appeal despite some critiques regarding optimization and animation fluidity.
“The art style is beautiful and consistently impressive.”
“The graphics are stunning and the full 2D animations are very high quality.”
“A fantastic game with beautiful graphics very reminiscent of the vanillaware classics such as Odin's Sphere and Dragon's Crown.”
“Despite the simple graphics, this game might be laggy for you even on low graphics settings.”
“The art style makes the environments pretty enough, I suppose, but you're still haunted by the idea that the game could be much better if effort went towards things other than the 'assets' of female characters.”
“Even putting aside the boring battling, the visuals of the game are all over the place.”
- gameplay436 mentions
- 42 % positive mentions
- 52 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "The Vagrant" is generally well-received, characterized by its engaging hack-and-slash mechanics, smooth controls, and a blend of RPG elements like skill trees and character progression. While many players appreciate the game's art style and combat fluidity, some note that the gameplay can become repetitive and lacks depth, with certain mechanics feeling unpolished or simplistic. Overall, it offers a satisfying experience for fans of the genre, though it may not meet the expectations set by more polished titles.
“A hidden gem, the vagrant offers a compelling 2D action RPG experience with challenging gameplay.”
“The core gameplay is combat-focused, requiring strategic thinking and skillful execution through combos, charge attacks, and special skills.”
“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 is extremely frustrating and difficult even on normal but is easily solved with the use of trainers and the abundance of cleavage on display throughout the game is definitely worth it.”
“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 game itself that is supposed to be heavily battle-focused has very poor and clunky combat mechanics.”
- music285 mentions
- 55 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received a mixed reception, with many praising its energetic and fitting soundtrack that enhances the gameplay experience, particularly during boss fights. While some tracks are described as memorable and well-composed, others are considered generic or repetitive, leading to a lack of lasting impact. Overall, the soundtrack is seen as a strong point of the game, contributing positively to its atmosphere and enjoyment, despite some criticisms regarding its variety and integration with the game's environments.
“A great soundtrack accompanies every scene perfectly.”
“The energetic metal soundtrack, gorgeous artwork, and fairly fun combat system made for an enjoyable experience, one that was well worth the 1-2 USD that I paid for it.”
“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.”
“Music is okay, but not memorable.”
“The music is all over the place and inconsistent with the game atmosphere/environment.”
“Music and sounds are the lowest point; the sound effects can be extremely grating, with volumes all over the place and extreme overlapping.”
- grinding91 mentions
- 3 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 97 % negative mentions
The game's grinding aspect is a mixed bag, with many players finding it somewhat tedious but manageable. While some grinding is necessary for upgrades and achievements, it is often described as not overly burdensome, allowing players to complete the game without excessive farming. However, the steep difficulty and lack of clear guidance on systems can make grinding feel frustrating, especially in the late game where boss fights can be particularly punishing.
“It can be a bit grindy at times, but it's part of the experience.”
“Grinding can feel like a long, tedious process, but it adds depth to the game.”
“You'll definitely need a second life for all the grinding involved!”
“The game has high difficulty with a steep learning curve, limited narrative focus, and may require time spent on resource grinding for upgrades.”
“The boss battles are insanely tedious due to the bosses' insane HP pool and annoying attacks.”
“It's fairly well made and has some good qualities, but the amount of grinding necessary to offset being born without the twitch reflexes some gamers possess is far more than I'm willing to deal with.”
- character development29 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 69 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is noted as a positive aspect, with players appreciating the inclusion of upgrades and abilities that enhance gameplay. However, opinions on character design are mixed; while some find it charming and fitting, others criticize it for being overly sexualized and lacking depth. Overall, the character designs evoke strong reactions, contributing to the game's appeal or detracting from it, depending on personal preferences.
“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.”
- stability25 mentions
- 12 % positive mentions
- -8 % neutral mentions
- 96 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's stability is a mixed bag, with many players reporting minor graphical glitches and occasional AI issues, but nothing that significantly disrupts gameplay. While some users experienced frustrating bugs, particularly during combat and menu navigation, others found the game to run smoothly with only rare, non-game-breaking issues. The consensus suggests that while the game is still somewhat buggy, it remains enjoyable and playable, especially considering its early access status.
“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 major bugs, which is impressive.”
“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.”
- replayability25 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 52 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is mixed, with some players noting limited value beyond a few different endings and difficulty modes. However, features like New Game+, skill unlocks, and optional content provide enough incentive for players seeking to explore different playstyles and complete the game fully. While some found the game short, many appreciated the engaging gameplay and variety of challenges that enhance replayability.
“Overall a quite enjoyable game with replay value.”
“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.”
“New game plus always adds a great deal of replayability for any game, and this one is no exception.”
“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.”
- atmosphere23 mentions
- 65 % positive mentions
- 22 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive and beautiful world, enhanced by a captivating soundtrack that complements the environment. Reviewers highlight the unique level designs and art style, which contribute to a dark, gothic ambiance reminiscent of works like Berserk. While some note inconsistencies in the music and performance issues, the overall experience is described as engaging and atmospheric, making it a standout feature of the game.
“It draws you in with great atmosphere and a beautiful world and gives you a good time.”
“The artwork and environments of this game are beautiful and atmospheric.”
“The music accompanies the atmosphere of each area very well.”
“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!”
- optimization18 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting significant performance issues such as stuttering, lag spikes, and high power consumption, particularly on certain hardware configurations. While some users noted decent performance on lower settings or specific devices like the Steam Deck, the general consensus is that the game requires substantial optimization work to improve stability and playability across a wider range of systems.
“It had good performance on the Steam Deck, the controls were solid and performance stable.”
“That is, no crash and no performance issues.”
“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 11-13w every second I play, which doesn’t make sense to me.”
“Optimization needs some hard work.”
“Out of the bat, performance is atrocious. I had to crank it all the way to 720 and low, 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.”
- humor15 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's humor is characterized by a mix of absurdity and clever character interactions, featuring memorable moments like a group of kids laughing at a hobo and a variety of quirky NPCs. Players find the comedic elements in gameplay mechanics, such as the ridiculous mana requirements and the juxtaposition of a "bikini" armor piece with high defense. Overall, the humor is described as entertaining and adds a lighthearted charm to the experience, making it enjoyable for players.
“A funny, entertaining, and beautiful game.”
“Treasures are mixed with the materials, which is just so stupid that it is hilarious.”
“The NPC interaction is very funny, especially 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 humorous.”
- emotional8 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game receives mixed reviews; while some players find the story and characters touching and compelling, others feel that the lack of relatability and voice acting diminishes the emotional impact. The art style and music are praised, and there are moments of heartfelt storytelling, but some scenes are perceived as lacking depth. Overall, the emotional experience is seen as inconsistent, with both strong elements and notable shortcomings.
“Really gorgeous art style and music, very hard mode gives you a good challenge and the story is compelling and heartfelt at times.”
“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.”
- monetization3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -67 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
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, and sprinting is awful. The only way to move in a fight is dodging; otherwise, you'll get overwhelmed with stunlocks all around.”
“Just ignore the scantily clad protagonist or the somewhat dodgy publisher. If you follow this game on Steam for updates on its development, you'll get spammed with advertisements for other more explicit games from the publisher.”
