Vaccine

About

Vaccine is a Survival Horror game with 90s-inspired design, where you explore a randomly rebuilt house to find a vaccine for a team member infected with a deadly virus. As a member of a bio-hazard rapid response team, you must uncover the house's mystery to save your friend permanently. With unique abilities and a level-up system to enhance skills, each playthrough increases your chance to survive.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

53%

Audience ScoreBased on 37 reviews

gameplay6 positive mentions

story3 negative mentions

Vaccine successfully captures the nostalgic feel of classic survival horror games, particularly reminiscent of the original Resident Evil.
The roguelike elements add a layer of unpredictability and replayability, making each run feel fresh and tense.
For a game developed by a single person, it showcases impressive effort and creativity, appealing to fans of retro horror and roguelikes.

The game suffers from a lack of content and variety, with repetitive room layouts and a limited number of enemy types.
Controls can be frustratingly unresponsive, and the absence of quality-of-life features like a map or quick turn makes navigation cumbersome.
Many players find the randomization mechanics lead to unfair scenarios, where runs can feel unwinnable due to poor item or enemy placement.

gameplay
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
70%
10%
The gameplay is characterized by its addictive nature and high replayability, particularly appealing to fans of classic survival horror and roguelike mechanics. However, it suffers from poor explanations of its mechanics and lacks key elements that defined the Resident Evil series, which may frustrate players unfamiliar with roguelike gameplay. While it offers a nostalgic aesthetic reminiscent of PlayStation-era titles, the overall experience can feel shallow and lacks depth once the mechanics are mastered.
- “The gameplay is addictive and has a lot of replayability.”
- “Roguelike mechanics work like a tension booster and fit well with its plot.”
- “If you love classic, original Resident Evil with a mix of roguelike gameplay, then this is for you!”
- “I will conclude by saying that I always appreciate the work beyond hobbyist and amateur games, but for the customers that want to buy it, my impression is that 'Vaccine' is very close to not being a game but just some rough game mechanics attached together.”
- “The game doesn't explain its own mechanics well.”
- “While the artistic choice to have this look very similar to the PlayStation-era Resident Evils is a nice call, it lacks many of the key gameplay elements that helped define the series as one of the heavy hitters of the late 90s.”
story
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
69%
19%
The game's story is criticized for being minimal and poorly executed, relying heavily on scattered documents rather than cinematic elements or a cohesive narrative. Reviewers note the absence of an engaging introduction or conclusion, leading to a feeling of incompleteness, and suggest that a more linear story approach could enhance the experience. Overall, the storytelling is described as bare-bones and lacking the depth expected from a more polished title.
- “The mystery of the game's story reveals itself through documents scattered around the house; some containing useful information, others providing background on what's going on.”
- “Minimal story, frustrating design, and a revival of all the bad things of which survival horror washed its hands years ago — these all crop up in the game and combine to have it miss its mark.”
- “What this game truly lacks is a really nice, cinematic story you can sink your teeth into, and as this is a game made by an indie studio and not Capcom, they couldn't accomplish that and so this was the result.”
- “There is hardly an intro and barely an ending scene and no cinematics or other story-related scenes for the rest of the game (story is executed through notes and it is very bare-bones).”
- “The game itself right now feels like an unfinished minigame for this non-existent story mode.”
graphics
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
58%
25%
The graphics of the game evoke a nostalgic feel reminiscent of classic 90s survival horror titles like Resident Evil, with a successful simulation of PS1-era visuals. However, many users note that while the aesthetic captures the essence of the genre, the visuals can appear muddy and lack the detail found in the original games, leading to a mixed reception overall.
- “It beautifully mirrors the style of Resident Evil 1 both in visuals and controls.”
- “It simulated the old PS1 graphics pretty well, and it got a bit intense towards the end, when the clock became a real factor and the music ramped up.”
- “Nostalgic, yet muddy visuals (reminiscent of Resident Evil, Metal Gear Solid, Silent Hill, etc.).”
- “They should also look a lot better - even if he is attempting to simulate PS1 graphics, the old Resident Evil games had far more detailed environments.”
- “I really appreciate the graphics and overall nostalgic throwback to Resident Evil games, and that's what I bought it for, but it pains me to say that it's completely dull and just not fun at all, and after just these 30 minutes I know I won't be playing this anymore.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
25%
25%
Players find the game addictive and recognize its replayability, largely attributed to procedural generation. However, some express a desire for more pre-generated content and impressive set pieces, as the current level design can feel scattered and repetitive over time.
- “The gameplay is addictive and has a lot of replayability.”
- “While I understand that procedural generation is a key part of this game's replayability, I am not a huge fan of it. There needs to be a lot of pre-generated content and more stunning set pieces in the mix for me to enjoy it for longer periods; otherwise, the level design feels scattered, lazy, and repetitive.”
music
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
25%
50%
The music in the game effectively builds tension and enhances the overall atmosphere, particularly as the timer counts down, creating a sense of urgency. While it occasionally obscures gameplay due to fixed camera angles, it successfully simulates the intensity of classic PS1 horror games, especially towards the end. Overall, the soundtrack contributes significantly to keeping each playthrough fresh and engaging.
- “However, when it works, it serves well to keep the game fresh with each playthrough being tense, thanks in part to the tension-building music, cinematic (yet occasionally obscuring) fixed camera angles, and the inability to predict what will be behind the next door, all while a thirty-minute timer counts down above you.”
- “However, when it works, it serves well to keep the game fresh with each playthrough being tense, thanks in part to the tension-building music, cinematic (yet occasionally obscuring) fixed camera angles, and inability to predict what will be behind the next door, all while a thirty-minute timer counts down above you.”
- “It simulated the old PS1 graphics pretty well, and it got a bit intense towards the end, when the clock became a real factor and the music ramped up.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
50%
The atmosphere of the game is heavily inspired by 90s survival horror titles, effectively capturing their aesthetic and tension through both visual design and gameplay mechanics like tank controls. This nostalgic approach enhances the overall immersive experience for players.
- “The atmosphere, aesthetics, and tank controls are reminiscent of the 90s survival horror games, creating a nostalgic experience.”
- “The game masterfully captures the eerie ambiance that keeps players on edge, reminiscent of classic survival horror titles.”
- “From there, it is clear that atmosphere, aesthetics, and tank controls are not the only influences from the 90s survival horrors sought here.”