Vambrace: Cold Soul

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.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

Reviews

69%

Audience ScoreBased on 187 reviews

story65 positive mentions

grinding23 negative mentions

The art style is gorgeous and the character designs are well done, creating an engaging visual experience.
The story and world-building are interesting, with a rich lore that keeps players invested in the narrative.
The game has potential for improvement, with developers actively listening to community feedback and making updates.

Combat feels repetitive and lacks depth, with characters having only one attack and one special move, leading to a lack of strategic options.
The game can be punishing due to its reliance on RNG, with players often facing frustrating situations where they are forced to restart due to bad luck.
The user interface is clunky and unintuitive, making it difficult to navigate menus and understand character abilities.

story
201 mentions
32 % positive mentions
66 % neutral mentions
2 % negative mentions
The story of "Vambrace: Cold Soul" is generally well-received, praised for its engaging narrative, interesting characters, and strong world-building, despite some critiques of its originality and pacing. While the writing and dialogue are noted as above average, the game suffers from bugs and convoluted quest mechanics that can detract from the experience. Overall, players appreciate the blend of visual novel storytelling with RPG elements, making it a compelling choice for those who prioritize narrative over gameplay complexity.
- “A very compelling story with great, amazing artwork, beautiful music, and fleshed-out world building.”
- “The writing is good, and even if the overall story is not something super special or unique, it's still above average because the dialogue is well written.”
- “First, it has an engaging story, likeable characters, great plot, good world building and lore, and marvelous artwork.”
- “The whole side quest system is very unclear; the game doesn't tell you that if you choose an option, you can just fail a quest right then and there.”
- “The main character feels very bland, and playing her is an absolute chore. I genuinely wish I could remove her from my party to create more interesting team compositions.”
- “The story itself is somewhat standard, and the English script is littered with typos, which often makes it feel silly.”
gameplay
100 mentions
16 % positive mentions
75 % neutral mentions
9 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it repetitive and lacking depth, particularly in comparison to similar titles like "Darkest Dungeon." While some appreciate the art and story, they criticize the combat mechanics and overall gameplay loop for being simplistic and tedious, especially as the game progresses. Despite recent updates aimed at improving balance and mechanics, many feel that the core gameplay remains shallow and unengaging, often leading to frustration rather than enjoyment.
- “The gameplay of Vambrace will be familiar to many roguelite veterans, as it is heavily influenced by Darkest Dungeon.”
- “What impressed me regarding Vambrace's gameplay is that each unit has exactly four actions in combat: attack, defend, wait, and a skill that's unique to their class.”
- “Vambrace has many things going for it: gorgeous art, great story, an addictive gameplay loop, and an atmosphere that is oozing with style.”
- “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.”
- “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.”
graphics
68 mentions
65 % positive mentions
31 % neutral mentions
4 % negative 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 artwork and worldbuilding, noting that the game's aesthetic is a major draw, even if some gameplay elements may fall short. Overall, the visuals are considered the game's strongest aspect, making it appealing to players who appreciate artistic presentation.
- “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.”
- “Inviting visuals were the reason for which I bought the game, and they are this title’s single best quality.”
- “Know what you are buying: a VN (visual novel) like game with DD inspired visuals and a patina of DD mechanics that's only skin deep.”
- “I suppose it could be an awesome visual novel because the only positive emotion I had was about the graphics.”
- “Will write a proper review when I've stopped being so annoyed at people trying to get so many changes made to the game that it will perhaps end up being ruined in an attempt to please people that want it to be an entirely different game with only the graphics remaining the same because of a shed-load of unwarranted bleating.”
music
29 mentions
62 % positive mentions
28 % neutral mentions
10 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some praising it as beautiful and well-suited to the game's atmosphere, while others find it generic and repetitive. Many players appreciate the soundtrack's ability to enhance the overall experience, despite some noting that it can become tiresome over time. Overall, the music is often highlighted as a strong point, contributing positively to the game's aesthetic and emotional impact.
- “A very compelling story with great, amazing artwork, beautiful music and fleshed-out world building.”
- “The music suits the context well.”
- “Character artwork, background and music are gorgeous, and there is a lot of lore around.”
- “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.”
- “The story serves its purpose but isn't anything special, the music is fine but forgettable, and the gameplay is fun at first but basically doesn't evolve at all, getting very repetitive and tedious by the end.”
- “Music not so much.”
grinding
24 mentions
4 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
96 % negative mentions
Overall, players have mixed feelings about the grinding aspect of the game. While some find it tedious and repetitive, particularly in dungeon crawling and combat, others appreciate that grinding is not strictly necessary for progression and can be enjoyable if approached strategically. The game is described as having moments of grindiness, especially in the mid-game, but many players still find it engaging and rewarding despite its flaws.
- “I personally found the game enjoyable and not too grindy at all.”
- “The story serves its purpose but isn't anything special, the music is fine but forgettable, and the gameplay is fun at first but basically doesn't evolve at all, getting very repetitive and tedious by the end.”
- “You grind a lot, getting your party wiped out several times, until you gather enough gold to buy enough healing items to get through; tedious, no fun, and pretty boring game concept.”
- “The artwork is great, sadly the gameplay is badly balanced, as it becomes a tedious grind without much to enjoy.”
atmosphere
10 mentions
60 % positive mentions
10 % neutral mentions
30 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its stunning visuals, gothic design, and immersive worldbuilding, creating a captivating and dark fantasy setting. Reviewers highlight the effective combination of art style, storytelling, and music, which collectively enhance the overall experience and draw players into the game's unique ambiance.
- “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 has to look 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 development
10 mentions
30 % positive mentions
40 % neutral mentions
30 % negative mentions
Character development in the game has received mixed feedback; while the character design and artwork are praised for their quality and charm, many players feel that the depth of character development is lacking, particularly in terms of romance options and complexity. Some reviewers appreciate the diverse and relatable characters, noting their realistic motivations, but others criticize the overall simplicity of character classes and itemization. Overall, while the game offers an engaging story and appealing visuals, it could benefit from more nuanced character interactions and development.
- “Beautiful character design, mysterious story, interesting main character backstory, and overall cool characters to interact with.”
- “I have truly enjoyed this game so far... it’s like Darkest Dungeon, but with a more charming character design... diverse and likable characters... they feel real, and so far I haven't seen one of those 'pure good' or 'evil' characters.”
- “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.”
- “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, but the audiovisuals are great and the story is interesting, so it is a good experience overall.”
- “Speaking of character design, it is very bland.”
humor
5 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is described as adorable and often amusing, with players enjoying the quirky costume designs and funny references, such as Columbo and Sailor Moon. While the setting has a dark and gothic atmosphere, the writing includes humorous elements, particularly in the unexpected nihilistic twist of the neutral route. However, some players noted that the game's unpolished animations can also lead to unintentionally hilarious moments.
- “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.”
- “A new story... with a funny old-fashioned plot and 'plot twist'.”
stability
5 mentions
20 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
80 % negative mentions
The stability of the game is mixed, with some users reporting no bugs on specific platforms like Windows and Arch Linux, while others experience significant issues, including a buggy interface and monotonous quests. Overall, while some players find it stable, others highlight persistent glitches that affect gameplay.
- “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.”
- “The route to the good ending seems to be based on a total aggregate score from different choices and quest resolutions, so it should still be reachable even if some stuff glitches, but I guess we'll see.”
replayability
5 mentions
60 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
40 % negative mentions
"Vambrace: Cold Soul" offers strong replayability through its multiple endings, character-driven choices, and exclusive costumes tied to story decisions. While the battle mechanics are enjoyable, players desire more skills, equipment, and class options to enhance the experience further. Overall, the game's gothic fantasy elements and deep lore contribute to its replay value.
- “Vambrace: Cold Soul takes inspiration from the gothic fantasy of Castlevania, the deep lore of games like TES: V, the replayability of roguelites like Darkest Dungeon, and the sweeping, character-driven epics of JRPGs.”
- “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, with important choices you have to make and multiple endings.”
- “The battle is fun, but it can be improved even more with more skills, more equipment and stats customization, and more playable classes.”
- “Vambrace: Cold Soul takes inspiration from the gothic fantasy of Castlevania, the deep lore of games like The Elder Scrolls: V, the replayability of roguelites like Darkest Dungeon, and the sweeping, character-driven epics of JRPGs.”
optimization
1 mentions
0 % positive mentions
-200 % neutral mentions
300 % negative mentions
Users report that the UI and menu navigation are poorly optimized, leading to a frustrating user experience.
- “The UI and menu navigation are poorly optimized.”
- “The game suffers from significant performance issues due to lack of optimization.”
- “I experienced frequent frame drops and stuttering, indicating a need for better optimization.”