Vambrace: Cold Soul

63%
Game Brain Score Based on 277 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Vambrace: Cold Soul Game Cover
Packing some serious challenge, Vambrace: Cold Soul grips you with atmosphere and gorgeous visuals, even as the combat isn't as deep as it could be.
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In "Vambrace: Cold Soul," survive in the frost-covered city of Icenaire, cursed by the King of Shades with deadly Wraiths as its inhabitants. Fight against this supernatural power while taking refuge underground, leading a campaign to save the city's remnants. This game is a tribute to gothic fantasy classics like Castlevania and The Elder Scrolls, offering a challenging roguelite experience with a deep narrative.

  • Mac OS
  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Steam Deck
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Linux
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

63%
Audience ScoreBased on 277 reviews
story98 positive mentions
grinding29 negative mentions
  • The art style and character design are beautiful and engaging.
  • The story is interesting and features a rich lore that keeps players invested.
  • The game offers a unique blend of visual novel elements and dungeon crawling mechanics.
  • The gameplay can feel tedious and repetitive, with limited combat options and character progression.
  • The user interface is confusing and lacks necessary information, making it difficult to strategize effectively.
  • The game can be punishing, with permadeath mechanics and a lack of healing options leading to frustrating experiences.
  • story298 mentions

    The story of "Vambrace: Cold Soul" is generally well-received, praised for its engaging narrative, rich world-building, and diverse cast of characters, though some players find it somewhat unoriginal and overly reliant on genre clichés. While the main plot is compelling, the game features a mix of side quests that can significantly impact the story, leading to multiple endings and replayability. However, issues such as excessive exposition, bugs affecting quest progression, and a lack of character development detract from the overall experience for some players.

    • “The story is actually good enough and there is a good diversity in characters and races; choosing my party was hard because I liked everyone, they all have some unique dialogues.”
    • “A very compelling story with great, amazing artwork, beautiful music, and fleshed-out world building.”
    • “The story is great, and there are a lot of JRPG-like traits, like bonus costumes, side quests, etc. The universe is classic but with enough twists to keep it entertaining.”
    • “The plot doesn't really have much going for it; it's alright, I guess, but there's way too much exposition before you can even begin to experience the gameplay.”
    • “It tries to pack too much lore into a short campaign, so you end up either overwhelmed, lost, or clueless about all the factions and plot twists.”
    • “The story is rather dull and clumsy.”
  • gameplay154 mentions

    The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it repetitive and lacking depth, particularly in combat mechanics and character progression. While some appreciate the art and story, they criticize the gameplay for being tedious and not evolving over time, leading to a frustrating experience, especially during boss encounters. Overall, the game is seen as a simplified version of similar titles, like "Darkest Dungeon," but fails to deliver a compelling gameplay loop that keeps players engaged.

    • “The gameplay of Vambrace will be familiar to many roguelite veterans, as it is heavily influenced by Darkest Dungeon.”
    • “Vambrace has many things going for it: gorgeous art, great story, an addictive gameplay loop, and an atmosphere that is oozing with style.”
    • “The core gameplay is very simple; you have a main character with three reliable (but not especially powerful) skills as the core of your party and three open slots which can each be filled by one of ten different classes.”
    • “The gameplay itself feels very tedious and the combat isn't really fun.”
    • “At a certain point, the sense of tension that the game is clearly going for is just completely replaced by frustrating monotony, particularly when you die to a boss and have to slog your way through an hour of nothing gameplay just to get back to where you were.”
    • “The gameplay is pretty repetitive, and not all that interesting.”
  • graphics102 mentions

    The graphics of the game are widely praised for their stunning art style, detailed character designs, and atmospheric visuals, which contribute significantly to the overall experience. Many reviewers highlight the beautiful hand-drawn and comic-book style graphics, noting that the artwork enhances the storytelling and world-building elements. However, some criticism is directed at the game's presentation and gameplay mechanics, suggesting that while the visuals are impressive, they may overshadow other aspects that require improvement.

    • “The strongest aspects of the game are its visuals, atmosphere, and worldbuilding.”
    • “The art style is fantastic; everything looks gorgeous and detailed, and most characters (from playable to NPCs and enemies) are beautifully designed.”
    • “This game shines with its visuals, a beautiful display of artistic finesse that carries on from the studio's first game.”
    • “The console port is pretty bad; resolution and controls are locked, and can't be changed to improve the visuals or the clunky control experience.”
    • “While the art style is passable, the core gameplay isn't.”
    • “I suppose it could be an awesome visual novel because the only positive emotion I had was about the graphics.”
  • music52 mentions

    The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some praising it as gorgeous and atmospheric, effectively enhancing the overall experience, while others find it generic and repetitive. Many players appreciate the soundtrack's ability to set the mood, though some note that it can become forgettable over time. Overall, the music is often highlighted as a strong point, contributing positively to the game's aesthetic and emotional impact.

    • “The music is gorgeous and reminded me a lot of Aquaria at times (which is one of my favorite soundtracks).”
    • “Artwork and music are downright amazing and the game should be played just to experience that.”
    • “The devs are actively supporting it, the story is meh so far, combat is consistent but fairly easy, the art and soundtrack are excellent.”
    • “The music is a bit generic and is constantly on loop, so it gets old pretty fast, but that doesn't take away from the gameplay at all. I usually like to have YouTube on in the background while I play, so I just turn the music down or off.”
    • “Other than the final music (which you only hear once), there's not much to write home about.”
    • “The soundtrack is lackluster.”
  • grinding30 mentions

    Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience. While some appreciate the depth and strategy involved, many describe the gameplay as tedious and repetitive, particularly in combat and dungeon crawling. Although some players note that grinding is not strictly necessary for progression, others feel it can become a chore, detracting from the overall enjoyment of the game.

    • “I personally found the game enjoyable and not too grindy at all.”
    • “The gameplay itself feels very tedious and the combat isn't really fun.”
    • “Tried really hard to like it, but as others have said it's just fundamentally tedious and unfun.”
    • “The artwork is great, sadly the gameplay is badly balanced, as it becomes a tedious grind without much to enjoy.”
  • atmosphere15 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its stunning visuals, gothic art style, and immersive worldbuilding, creating a captivating and dark fantasy setting. Players appreciate the combination of beautiful artwork, engaging storytelling, and a fitting soundtrack that enhances the overall experience, despite some critiques regarding character design and the absence of voice acting. Overall, the atmosphere is considered one of the game's strongest elements, effectively drawing players into its unique narrative and environment.

    • “The strongest aspects of the game are its visuals, atmosphere, and worldbuilding.”
    • “The artwork is really good; I liked the gothic style set in a cold world; it was quite atmospheric.”
    • “Vambrace has many things going for it: gorgeous art, great story, an addictive gameplay loop, and an atmosphere that is oozing with style.”
    • “Nevertheless, the setting - albeit classic fantasy - has some dark and gothic atmosphere to it. The design and artwork are good, but every female character looks like a well-rounded and beautified Mary Sue, which may just be their schtick. The story and lore are written quite well, and the different quest branches and endings are interesting. It's funny that the neutral route is also the nihilistic route, which ends with the character getting hooked on fantasy narcotics to cope with her existential dread.”
    • “It really helps to draw the atmosphere of the game.”
    • “Great job, devs! Beautiful artwork, great combination of storytelling and gameplay, memorable characters, etc. I hope this story will continue, or you will make another with the same mechanics and atmosphere.”
  • character development13 mentions

    Character development in the game is generally viewed as limited and simplistic, with many reviewers expressing a desire for deeper storytelling and character interactions, such as romance options. While the character design and artwork receive high praise, the overall narrative lacks nuance and complexity, leading to a somewhat straightforward experience. Despite these criticisms, some players appreciate the intriguing plot and diverse character backgrounds, suggesting that there is potential for more engaging development as the game progresses.

    • “Beautiful character design, mysterious story, interesting main character backstory, and overall cool characters to interact with.”
    • “If you want to get engaged in a well-written story, explore the world, dabble in crafting, and enjoy some truly fantastic artwork and character design, then play this.”
    • “A lot of care went into the character designs, especially the multitude of fully illustrated costume options for Lyric.”
    • “Character development is quite restricted; random events are senseless, and the storytelling has no intended delicate subtexts—just tons of boring texts at the very beginning.”
    • “Could use character romancing to add to the story; it is too straightforward to the end goal, and adding that character development and romancing could really make it perfect.”
    • “The classes are way too simple; the itemization and character development are non-existent, and the combat is shallow.”
  • replayability9 mentions

    Overall, the game's replayability is considered medium to low, with some players noting the appeal of collecting costumes and exploring multiple endings. While the story and character choices encourage additional playthroughs, the gameplay itself lacks depth, which may deter some from replaying. However, titles like "Vambrace: Cold Soul" are praised for their engaging art style and significant choices that enhance replay value.

    • “The pros: the character models and environments look great, and there is a decent amount of replayability to unlock all the costumes, given that many of them are mutually exclusive on a single run.”
    • “There are 3 endings, and many costumes are mutually exclusive due to story choices, so Vambrace: Cold Soul has replayability.”
    • “Also, there is good replayability, the game having important choices you have to make, and multiple endings.”
    • “It has some replayability for the collectibles and endings, but again the gameplay isn't really intricate or fun enough to make it worth it, unless you really appreciate the story.”
    • “You can do additional runs (especially to pick up cosmetics) but you're not going to get a radically different game - thus medium to low replayability.”
    • “The pros: the character models and environments look great (except when you're at the top-down overworld maps, which look low-res for no reason), and there is a decent amount of replayability to unlock all the costumes, given that many of them are mutually exclusive on a single run.”
  • humor6 mentions

    The humor in the game is described as both adorable and darkly comedic, with players enjoying the quirky costume designs and amusing quest outcomes. While the setting has a gothic atmosphere, the writing includes funny twists and side quests that balance humor with emotional depth. Overall, the game offers a mix of lighthearted and existential humor, enhancing the player experience despite its unpolished aspects.

    • “I had fun playing this, really liked that the devs put extra art to go with the different costumes (the Columbo and Sailor Moon were funny).”
    • “Adorable humor.”
    • “These side quests can range from hilarious to emotionally touching, but the best thing is that you can even unlock new costumes through them.”
  • stability6 mentions

    The stability of the game is mixed, with some users reporting no significant bugs on certain platforms like Windows and Arch Linux, while others experience frequent glitches and a poorly designed user interface. Overall, while some players can navigate the game without issues, many report ongoing bugs that affect gameplay, particularly during quests.

    • “It's also still super buggy, and it has the single worst UI I've seen in a game.”
    • “I don't think I can adequately describe how monotonous and buggy the quests are.”
    • “There are still glitches and bugs in the game... I was talking to the red-headed paladin girl in her office, but she wasn't there.”
  • optimization4 mentions

    The game's optimization is lacking, particularly in UI and menu navigation, which users find cumbersome. Additionally, character progression relies heavily on artifacts rather than natural leveling, indicating a need for better balance and overall optimization. Despite these issues, the game remains engaging and worth exploring.

    • “Your characters cannot level up or develop stats on their own, so you will need to use various artifacts to improve their performance on the battlefield (or in the shops).”
    • “Balancing and optimization are key aspects that enhance the gameplay experience.”
    • “The UI and menu navigation is not optimized.”
    • “The game is interesting enough and worth trying, but it seems to need overall balance and optimization.”
    • “Balancing and optimization are lacking.”
  • emotional1 mentions

    Players appreciate the emotional depth of side quests, noting that they can evoke a range of feelings from humor to poignant moments, while also offering rewards like new costumes.

    • “These side quests can range from hilarious to emotionally touching, but the best thing is that you can even unlock new costumes through them.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

64% average critic score

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Play time

12hMedian play time
37hAverage play time
7-70hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 6 analyzed playthroughs

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