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Vagante

Vagante is a brutal roguelike game with a beautiful pixel art style and a procedurally generated world. However, it's not a game for those who don’t want to put in the hours, and you might find it more frustrating than it is fun.
79%Game Brain Score
gameplay, graphics
story, grinding
88% User Score Based on 2,977 reviews
Critic Score 67%Based on 8 reviews

Platforms

MOMac OSNSNintendo SwitchPCPCP4Playstation 4WinWindowsXOXbox OneLinLinuxPlaPlayStationXboxXbox
Buy Nowfrom $14.99
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About

"Vagante" is a fantasy platformer game with beautiful game mechanics, impressive graphics, and fantastic music. It offers local and online co-op play for up to four players, with procedurally generated levels and a variety of character customization options. The game features a dark fantasy world filled with danger, treasure, and the lure of power, making it a highly replayable and often hilarious experience, despite some bugs.

Genres & Tags
Play Modes
Vagante screenshot
Vagante screenshot
Vagante screenshot
Vagante screenshot

88%
Audience ScoreBased on 2,985 reviews
gameplay144 positive mentions
story11 negative mentions
  • Challenging gameplay that rewards skill and learning from mistakes.
  • Beautiful pixel art and a captivating soundtrack enhance the gaming experience.
  • Great multiplayer co-op mode that adds to the fun and allows for teamwork.
  • Frequent instant-death traps (like spikes and boulders) can feel unfair and frustrating.
  • Controls can be clunky and unintuitive, especially for keyboard users.
  • Limited healing options and slow progression can make the game feel punishing.
  • gameplay
    477 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of Vagante is characterized by its challenging and punishing mechanics, often requiring players to learn through trial and error, which can lead to frustration due to numerous instant-death traps. While the game offers a variety of classes and mechanics that encourage different playstyles, many players find the controls clunky and the learning curve steep, making it less accessible for newcomers. However, those who invest time into mastering its systems often find the gameplay rewarding and addictive, especially in multiplayer settings.

    • “This game has a charm that is both addicting and infectious; every secret mechanic you and your friends discover is a euphoric revelation in itself, and is best enjoyed without outside information.”
    • “The gameplay is very satisfying with snappy combat, nice random levels, and different monsters and bosses across the various areas.”
    • “The gameplay mechanics are very simple, especially in the beginning, yet as you level up and get new abilities, it actually becomes rather deep and complex for being a 2D platformer.”
    • “That one thing was so bad that it ruined the entire gameplay for me; instead of being a fast-paced action game with great abilities, it was a very slow and reserved experience where you can’t let loose with all your abilities, regardless of how great they were.”
    • “No weapon can deal more than 9 damage on its own, and with enemies that have dozens of hit points, rather than progressively getting better gear and trying it out, you're incentivized to use the type your class has an affinity to, making for a very dull and repetitive gameplay loop.”
    • “The gameplay overall feels a bit too punishing and overwhelming at first because besides learning how the whole character building process works, the player also needs to learn mob and boss patterns, and start learning how the traps look in each new zone that they get to (stepping or jumping wrong even by 1 pixel worth of distance can mean instant death).”
  • graphics
    203 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of Vagante are widely praised for their charming pixel art style, which effectively creates a distinct atmosphere across various stages. Many players appreciate the cohesive aesthetic and fluid animations, although some criticize the low resolution and occasional visual clutter that can hinder gameplay. Overall, the visuals are considered a strong point of the game, appealing particularly to fans of retro graphics and indie titles.

    • “The soundtrack and overall artwork will give you a beautiful and distinctively different atmosphere for each stage.”
    • “The graphics are absolutely wonderful!”
    • “Vagante is a brutal roguelike game with a beautiful pixel art style and a procedurally generated world.”
    • “Absolute trash UI, graphics, everything about this game is terrible.”
    • “A choice was made to use obsolete, decades-old retro pixel 'art' as a substitute for contemporary PC graphics.”
    • “There's no way for gamers to try to improve the low-quality graphics.”
  • music
    151 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game has received widespread acclaim for its atmospheric quality and ability to enhance the overall experience, with many players noting its beautiful composition and fitting integration into the gameplay. Reviewers highlight the soundtrack's ability to create distinct moods for different stages, contributing to a sense of immersion and engagement. Overall, the music is described as a standout feature, complementing the game's charming pixel art and challenging mechanics.

    • “The soundtrack and overall artworks will give you a beautiful and distinctively different atmosphere for each stage.”
    • “The music is chill, the art style is clean, and the game does feel like it has a good amount of polish.”
    • “The music, composed by Sam English, successfully conveys the sense of treading through an unforgiving-but-bountiful dungeonscape.”
    • “Personally not a fan of the soundtrack.”
    • “To address the downsides that aren't solely the difficulty curve... it does at this stage lack a little bit of content, the soundtrack leaves something to be desired.”
    • “- not enough variety in music tracks between stages.”
  • replayability
    139 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game is widely praised for its exceptional replayability, attributed to its diverse character classes, randomly generated levels, and challenging gameplay that keeps players engaged. Many reviewers highlight the fun of multiplayer co-op, which enhances the replay experience, while others note that the game's difficulty and variety of builds contribute to its enduring appeal. Despite some concerns about content limitations, the overall consensus is that the game offers a high replay value, making it a worthwhile investment for fans of the genre.

    • “Very replayable with a difficulty that is hard but not impossible.”
    • “The sheer amount of variety coupled with the excitement you get from the difficulty makes it a highly replayable game.”
    • “Vagante has high replayability, as every single run will be a new experience.”
    • “While the amount of available content is wide enough to allow some replayability, it's not infinite; after over 150 hours, I've just about run out of new things to try.”
    • “More items, levels, enemies, and secrets are needed to boost the replay value, but it's still in alpha version, so all I can say is that I can't wait for it.”
    • “But with that said, the term 'lend' I used on top is very appropriate, as there are currently only 6 levels (2.5 worlds with 3 stages each), which cuts the replay value off a few inches on the yardstick.”
  • atmosphere
    57 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its engaging and immersive qualities, enhanced by beautiful pixel art and a fitting soundtrack that complements the various environments. Players appreciate the blend of mystery, danger, and exploration, creating a compelling backdrop for the challenging gameplay. However, some critiques mention that the atmosphere can also feel oppressive and may hinder visibility, impacting the overall experience.

    • “The atmosphere, the music, the brutal difficulty, the reactive world, the inexhaustible mystique.”
    • “The art direction is gorgeous and contributes to an atmosphere of apocalypse, leaving you, the player, as just an observer making sense of a world shattered beyond saving.”
    • “The game immediately sets an atmosphere of mystery, danger, and exploration with the graphics and music.”
    • “This creates an atmosphere where you are not rewarded for exploration, and this is one of the main issues I have with the game.”
    • “Oppressive atmosphere, difficult to the point of combat being meticulous, severe spikes in environmental hostility, few mid-area respites, and does not shy away from arbitrary cruelty to the player—the wrong mistake at the wrong time means game over in a blink, and little can be done to stop the death spiral once it starts spinning out of control.”
    • “However, because you have a sort of clouded atmosphere, you cannot see traps or enemies ahead, which forces the player to play very slowly.”
  • story
    54 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's story is largely absent, with many players noting that it lacks a coherent narrative or character development, relying instead on procedural generation and repetitive gameplay. While some appreciate the freedom to create their own experiences within the game, others express a desire for more backstory and meaningful interactions. Overall, the consensus is that while the game is enjoyable, it is primarily focused on gameplay rather than storytelling.

    • “Moral of the story: you never know what life has in store for you, and if I had given up when all odds were against me, I wouldn't be where I am today.”
    • “I'm very excited and curious to know the story behind this game, and I cannot wait to see how the game will end up.”
    • “I hope they continue to use this, as well as find a way to non-intrusively tell a story.”
    • “There is no sophisticated story to be told here, simply dive in and make it as far as you can before doing it all again.”
    • “The game is 100% devoid of any direct story.”
    • “This game is mostly all gameplay and there is not really a story to speak of.”
  • humor
    28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is largely derived from its chaotic multiplayer experience, where players often find themselves laughing at unexpected deaths and absurd situations, such as being impaled by spikes or crushed by boulders. The combination of funny item interactions, dark comedy in instant deaths, and the camaraderie of playing with friends creates a lighthearted atmosphere, making even challenging moments enjoyable. Overall, the game is praised for its entertaining and hilarious moments, especially in local co-op play, despite some frustrations with difficulty and early access limitations.

    • “Both myself and my friend enjoy laughing at the spills and bounces, working together to get through traps, scouting ahead when the other person is gravely wounded; it's a wonderful time.”
    • “There is a dark comedy in the instant deaths that has caused many stoned laughing fits with friends.”
    • “The game is in early access and still is a really funny game to play; the only downside is it does not have online multiplayer yet, but this will change for the better :)”
  • grinding
    26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Reviews highlight that grinding in these games can often feel tedious and frustrating, with many players expressing that it detracts from the overall enjoyment. While some appreciate the challenge and the learning curve associated with repeated attempts, others find the reliance on grinding for progress to be poorly tuned and artificially difficult. Overall, the experience can vary significantly, with early gameplay being more enjoyable before it devolves into repetitive grinding and frustration.

    • “Hours of fun, and there is no grinding in the sense of leveling.”
    • “That doesn't make the game challenging as much as it makes the game tedious.”
    • “It becomes tedious replaying the first 2 zones over and over just to die within 3 minutes of entering the 3rd.”
    • “Short rant for Dead Cells: this is mostly grindy and artificial difficulty with just damage taken and mob enemy HP increases instead of mechanical difficulty increase.”
  • stability
    25 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's stability has received mixed reviews, with many players noting a range of bugs and glitches, particularly in online co-op modes. While some users report a generally fun experience with minimal issues, others highlight significant problems such as unresponsive controls and game freezes, especially on certain platforms like macOS. Overall, while the game shows promise and has improved since early access, it still suffers from stability concerns that can detract from the gameplay experience.

    • “Fun and balanced game, not frustrating, not buggy, and no dying to spikes in caves.”
    • “It's very well optimized, not buggy at all, and has more content than any similarly priced games.”
    • “Is bad.... really bad, even after changing all keys it still stops to respond or will flat out ignore commands, ex -> changed interact/accept with 'enter' and open chat to '/', still opens chat and freezes me with 'enter', or, decided not to jump if I keybind to 'space'.”
    • “As someone who played this game in early access, online co-op was super buggy and was unplayable.”
    • “This game has a lot of cool systems and you can play it very slow and methodical similar to Spelunky or Caveblazers, but unlike those games it feels extremely unpolished and buggy.”
  • emotional
    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players express a strong emotional connection to the game, experiencing a range of feelings from joy and laughter to frustration and disappointment. The game's challenges can evoke intense reactions, leading to both memorable moments of fun and emotional scars from difficult gameplay. Overall, the emotional impact is significant, making it hard for players to remain objective about their experiences.

    • “Keep coming back to this when I have the emotional energy.”
    • “It is literally impossible to be objective about this game because of how it has emotionally scarred me from pure disappointment, usually resulting from things not directly tied to the gameplay, which is pretty okay.”
    • “Best run ever, had so much fun and laughed from all the nonsense so hard that I cried.”
  • optimization
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's optimization is generally praised for being well-structured and free of major bugs, offering a rich content experience for its price. However, some users report performance issues in multiplayer and inconsistencies in melee weapon performance and hitboxes. Overall, it is seen as optimized for social play, enhancing the enjoyment of playing with friends.

    • “It's really optimized for playing with your buddies and having a good time.”
    • “It's very well optimized, not buggy at all, and has more content than any similarly priced games.”
    • “There are inconsistencies in melee weapon performance and hitboxes.”
    • “I've been having performance issues with the multiplayer.”
  • character development
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players praise the character development in Vagante for its impressive designs and distinct class portraits, which evoke nostalgia for classic 90s JRPGs. The combination of stunning visuals and organic background art enhances the overall charm of the game, contributing to a memorable character experience.

    • “The level and character designs in Vagante are stunning while retaining a simple indie game charm. The very well-done character portraits of the distinctly different classes you can choose from are reminiscent of the most memorable mid-to-late 90s era JRPG designs, with lovely organic background art in the eye-catching title screen, almost akin to series like Secret of Mana/Seiken Densetsu.”
    • “Good character development!”

67%Critics’ scoreBased on 8 critic reviews

Buy Vagante

43h Median play time
121h Average play time
12-114h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 36 analyzed playthroughs

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