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Vanaris Tactics

Vanaris Tactics is an all-around solid SRPG experience for those wanting a shorter game that provides a compelling plot.
Vanaris Tactics Game Cover
72%Game Brain Score
story, gameplay
grinding, replayability
70% User Score Based on 99 reviews
Critic Score 84%Based on 1 reviews

Platforms

Nintendo SwitchXbox Series X|SPCXbox OneXboxWindows
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Vanaris Tactics Game Cover

About

Vanaris Tactics is a single player tactical role playing game with fantasy, medieval and historical themes. It was developed by Matheus Reis and was released on August 4, 2022. It received positive reviews from critics and mostly positive reviews from players.

Vanaris Tactics is a short narrative tactical RPG experience that tells a story about refugees fleeing their occupied motherland. You lead a group of refugees looking for freedom outside the walls of Vanaris, unite your people and use tactical prowess to escape your oppressors.

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Vanaris Tactics screenshot
Vanaris Tactics screenshot
Vanaris Tactics screenshot
Vanaris Tactics screenshot
Vanaris Tactics screenshot
Vanaris Tactics screenshot
Vanaris Tactics screenshot
Vanaris Tactics screenshot
Vanaris Tactics screenshot
Vanaris Tactics screenshot
Vanaris Tactics screenshot
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70%
Audience ScoreBased on 99 reviews
story20 positive mentions
grinding6 negative mentions
  • Engaging and solid tactical RPG gameplay with a smooth and intuitive combat system inspired by Final Fantasy Tactics.
  • Appealing pixel art style that captures nostalgic aesthetics and good character animations.
  • Compelling storyline focusing on themes of oppression and identity with believable characters and emotional moments.
  • Very short game length with limited replay value, few hours of gameplay and missable optional content.
  • Lack of quality-of-life features such as no quicksave, no pause menu, no skip cutscenes, and cumbersome UI navigation.
  • Writing and pacing issues with rough dialogue, insufficient story development, and some technical problems like crashes and bugs.
  • story
    65 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story in Vanaris Tactics is generally seen as concise and centered on a family unit and themes of oppression, offering a unique focus compared to typical RPGs. However, it is often criticized for being too short, rushed, lacking depth and clear narration, with missing scenes and underdeveloped characters reducing its emotional impact. While some players appreciate its straightforwardness and pacing, many find the writing rough and wish for a longer, more polished narrative experience.

    • “Vanaris tactics has a good story, the usual gameplay turn based RPG elements, but in the end I found this game interesting just because of the pixel art and the story.”
    • “Nice, neat storyline about oppression with pretty believable characters where things aren't just black & white.”
    • “I like the themes of the story and seeing how a family was affected by the events of the story, the setting and world are actually very interesting. I just wish the writing and translation was more polished, there was more customization with the characters and that the game was longer as it feels rather expensive for its length.”
    • “The story tries to be complex and hit hard but it's too short to build up and land the impactful moments.”
    • “We don't get much in the way of characterization or backstory, so once a critical character is introduced in the final battle... it just doesn't hit as hard as it should.”
    • “On the other hand, its story is strong just about around the start and the end of the game, everywhere else feels very rushed.”
  • gameplay
    40 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay in Vanaris Tactics offers solid, familiar turn-based tactical RPG mechanics reminiscent of Final Fantasy Tactics, with simple yet enjoyable combat and character progression. However, it is relatively short, lacks depth and customization options, and suffers from minor bugs, awkward UI, and some quality-of-life shortcomings that may hinder strategic complexity and player engagement. Overall, while fun and accessible, the gameplay may feel repetitive and less rewarding for seasoned tactical RPG fans.

    • “Vanaris Tactics offers a poignant exploration of the refugee experience through the lens of tactical RPG gameplay.”
    • “Great music, great combat with challenging gameplay without being tedious or overly hard, good enemy AI.”
    • “The basic gameplay mechanics should be instantly familiar to anyone familiar with this type of game and simple enough to understand for any neophyte.”
    • “The UI obscures the gameplay to the point where I couldn't play with a controller because I just couldn't click on the things that I wanted to click.”
    • “Furthermore, the game is missing many quality of life mechanics that even less sophisticated games like the Final Fantasy Tactics advanced series have.”
    • “I've really been searching for a decent strategy RPG for a while now and I gotta say this really isn't it; the generic, simple basic mechanics just leave me constantly bored.”
  • graphics
    15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics evoke a nostalgic, Final Fantasy Tactics-inspired pixel art style that appeals to fans of classic GBA and SNES-era aesthetics. However, some users find the visuals dull, brownish, and less vibrant compared to comparable indie titles, noting a lack of polish in UI and presentation. Overall, the art style is appreciated for its charm, though it could benefit from brighter colors and enhanced visual detail.

    • “It is heavily inspired by Final Fantasy Tactics, and the spritework captures the GBA and SNES era aesthetic well.”
    • “I love how this game reminds me of Final Fantasy Tactics and the graphics take me back to my childhood.”
    • “Solid pixel graphics, good tactical gameplay.”
    • “I was rather surprised by the lackluster presentation, both from the UI and the graphics.”
    • “The pixel graphics are very brownish and dull.”
    • “You can look at something like Final Fantasy Tactics Advance that came out for the Gameboy Advance in 2003 - a solid 2 decades before this game and for an inferior platform as well - and it just looks so much more colorful and aesthetically pleasing.”
  • music
    8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game is generally praised for being good, fitting well with the art style, and enhancing the experience. However, some users find the background music loops repetitive and occasionally annoying, suggesting improvements in sound design and offering options to toggle sound off for better enjoyment. Overall, the soundtrack is considered solid and complements the gameplay without overstaying its welcome.

    • “The art and music are very good, and I liked the main characters.”
    • “A short and sweet tactics game that doesn't overstay its welcome, with solid music, really nice style, and fun to play through. At the price, it's well worth a shot!”
    • “Great music, great combat with challenging gameplay without being tedious or overly hard, good enemy AI.”
    • “The sound design of the game needs much improvement. The music loop for the background music becomes annoying after a few repetitions.”
    • “It would be better if there was an option to turn off the sound to avoid the repetitive music becoming bothersome.”
  • grinding
    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Grinding in the game is well-balanced and accessible, allowing completion in about 10 hours with sidequests as optional grinding. While random battles can become repetitive, the challenge can be increased by avoiding grinding altogether, offering a rewarding experience for advanced players. Overall, the grinding setup is engaging without being tedious, though some difficulty spikes may require early grinding.

    • “"Random" battles can be repetitive when trying to unlock optional boss challenges, not a lot of explanation of mechanics or controls, difficulty can spike without early grinding, English script wording occasionally oddly phrased for narrative setting.”
    • “Vanaris tactics will take 4-7 hours to complete, depending on whether the player completes "sidequests" (read: grinding) or not.”
    • “More advanced players can up the challenge for themselves by clearing the game without grinding, which is difficult but certainly doable.”
  • replayability
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game suffers from a lack of replay value and postgame content, making it feel barebones and not worth the price. Unlike similar titles that offer randomized encounters and unlockables to encourage multiple playthroughs, this game fails to provide compelling reasons for repeated plays.

    • “It's far from the worst SRPG I've played, but it's not a good one either... and it's definitely not worth $10, given its barebones nature and lack of replay value and postgame.”
    • “This might make up for the lack of replay value.”
  • stability
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game is generally stable and playable, but there are notable bugs affecting character movement at 2x speed and issues with the invisibility status being inconsistently detected by different attack types, which affects gameplay balance.

    • “The tower is still bugging. Yes, the stage is playable, but character movement becomes buggy when played at 2x speed.”
    • “The invisibility status can still be detected by all characters. Characters with AoE attacks can hit the invisible, while non-AoE units cannot hit because they lack proper targeting methods.”
    • “If melee weapons could target an area, the invisibility status would become useless.”
  • character development
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Character development is minimal, with preset classes limiting depth and emotional connection, resulting in a less impactful ending; however, the gameplay remains fun and addictive despite this.

    • “Lacking character development enough that I don't really care about the ending, which is supposed to be emotional.”
  • monetization
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Users highlight intrusive and excessive advertising in the game's monetization, indicating that frequent video ads negatively impact the experience.

  • emotional
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The emotional aspect is weakened by insufficient character development, resulting in a lack of attachment and reducing the impact of the intended emotional ending.

  • optimization
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game offers solid optimization for gamepad use, ensuring smooth and responsive controls that enhance the overall gameplay experience.

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84%Critics’ scoreBased on 1 critic reviews
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6h Median play time
6h Average play time
4-8h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 4 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

Vanaris Tactics is a tactical role playing game with fantasy, medieval and historical themes.

Vanaris Tactics is available on Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Xbox One and others.

On average players spend around 6 hours playing Vanaris Tactics.

Vanaris Tactics was released on August 4, 2022.

Vanaris Tactics was developed by Matheus Reis.

Vanaris Tactics has received positive reviews from players and positive reviews from critics. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its grinding.

Vanaris Tactics is a single player game.

Similar games include Fae Tactics, Lost Eidolons, Dark Deity, Cosmic Star Heroine, Dark Deity 2 and others.