Vane

About

Vane is a single player open world action adventure game with fantasy and historical themes. It was developed by Friend & Foe Games and was released on July 22, 2019. It received neutral reviews from both critics and players.

"Vane is a single-player, historical open-world game with wonderful visuals and a perfect soundtrack. As a bird transformed into a child, players explore a ruined desert, shifting between forms to unravel the world's mysteries. The minimalistic environment evolves alongside the player, creating a unique and personal journey set to a haunting synth score."

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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56%

Audience ScoreBased on 379 reviews

story24 positive mentions

stability19 negative mentions

Visually stunning with beautiful art design and a captivating soundtrack.
Offers a unique exploration experience with a mysterious atmosphere and environmental storytelling.
The transformation mechanic between bird and child adds variety to gameplay.

Controls are clunky and frustrating, making navigation difficult.
Camera angles are often problematic, leading to disorientation and hindering gameplay.
Lacks clear direction and guidance, resulting in aimless wandering and confusion.

story
139 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
74%
9%
The story of "Vane" is characterized by its minimalistic and abstract approach, relying heavily on environmental storytelling and visual cues rather than explicit narrative or dialogue. Players are encouraged to interpret the vague and surreal plot, which explores themes of transformation and exploration, but many find the lack of direction and clarity frustrating. While the game's stunning visuals and atmospheric sound design are praised, the overall narrative experience is often described as confusing and lacking depth, leaving players to piece together their own understanding of the story.
- “Vane is a visually stunning game, clearly a lot of time and effort has gone into crafting the visuals and its story through actions.”
- “Set in a vast, desolate landscape, 'Vane' emphasizes exploration and environmental storytelling over dialogue, relying on visual cues, minimalistic design, and evocative soundscapes to tell its story.”
- “Its unique approach to storytelling through atmosphere, form-shifting mechanics, and surreal landscapes offers a fresh perspective in the adventure genre, encouraging players to interpret its world and story in their own way.”
- “The game has nothing to offer: bad story, bad controls, bad puzzles, and the last chapter was buggy as hell.”
- “Overall, there was little to no narrative story to this game.”
- “It doesn't hold your hand, or explicitly tell you a story, but the painted environments and the music craft a gorgeous, haunting atmosphere that has tendrils of a beautiful narrative.”
gameplay
115 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
73%
10%
The gameplay of "Vane" has received mixed reviews, with many players criticizing its clunky controls, lack of direction, and underdeveloped mechanics, particularly the flying and form-switching elements. While the game offers a visually stunning atmosphere and intriguing concepts, the slow pacing and confusing objectives detract from the overall experience, leaving players feeling frustrated rather than engaged. Despite its artistic ambitions, the gameplay often feels like a chore, overshadowing the potential for a more cohesive and enjoyable adventure.
- “One of the game’s primary mechanics is the ability to switch between the forms of a bird and a child, each with unique movement abilities and purposes.”
- “The gameplay puts you through a line of discovery, finding yourself upon many puzzles and traversing many types of landscapes and environments in different ways.”
- “Beautiful scenery, minimalistic UI, haunting score, and puzzle mechanics that have you soaring as a literal bird one minute and playing as a child the next – what is not to like about Vane?”
- “It jumps from one thing to another without any real logic or direction, and the gameplay itself was clumsy and frustrating.”
- “Unfortunately, Vane's primary gameplay loop - flying - is very underdeveloped. There are a lot of good ideas here, like using pressure and air currents to gain and lose height, but for the distance traveled, it seems a bit too demanding of the player.”
- “The slow, tiresome gameplay and the stiff controls get in the way of what could’ve been an absorbing experience.”
graphics
114 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
39%
4%
The graphics of the game have been widely praised for their stunning visuals and unique art style, featuring a minimalist yet striking aesthetic that combines flat-shaded polygons with dynamic lighting effects. Many reviewers noted the beautiful environments and atmospheric design, which enhance the overall experience, despite some technical issues like camera glitches and optimization problems. Overall, while the visuals are a highlight, they are sometimes overshadowed by gameplay frustrations, leading to mixed feelings about the game's execution.
- “Vane is a visually stunning game; clearly a lot of time and effort has gone into crafting the visuals and its story through actions.”
- “The visual aesthetic of 'Vane' is minimalist yet striking, with a muted color palette that contrasts with vibrant, gold-tinted highlights and shadows that shift dynamically.”
- “The visuals and music are stunning, however, they cannot carry through the whole game.”
- “This game is riddled with graphical errors and buggy animations.”
- “The art style seems forced from using lazily made assets where triangulation is clearly visible in the environment geometry, probably just to get such a large 3D mesh to be viewable in-game instead of being something intentional.”
- “You have to constantly fight against the game, distracting you completely from what’s going on, missing on the poignant audio and visuals.”
music
91 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
52%
45%
3%
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim for its atmospheric and haunting qualities, with a standout synthwave soundtrack that enhances the emotional depth and thematic elements of the experience. Composed by kåre vestrheim, the score dynamically shifts to match player actions, creating a rich auditory backdrop that complements the game's stunning visuals. While some players noted that the music is a highlight amidst gameplay issues, it remains a significant draw for those who appreciate immersive sound design.
- “The soundtrack, composed by Kåre Vestrheim, features a blend of ambient soundscapes and haunting melodies that perfectly capture the game’s themes of isolation and discovery.”
- “The music dynamically shifts in response to the player’s actions, often swelling at key moments to emphasize the significance of a discovery or transformation, reinforcing the emotional impact of the game.”
- “The distorted, synth-y sound design and music brings the whole aesthetic of this game together very nicely, and it's noteworthy how well both sound and visuals are tuned to each other.”
- “The music is a repetitive synth loop, which just increases the feeling of pointlessness.”
- “While the game doesn't really have what you would normally expect as video game music in the background, there are times when more impressionist pieces are used to great effect to convey certain emotions to the player.”
- “While Vane starts out as an intriguing game with pretty aesthetics and a pretty good and moody soundtrack, it ends up being a disappointing game.”
atmosphere
61 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
61%
34%
5%
The atmosphere in "vane" is widely praised for its haunting and immersive qualities, characterized by beautiful visuals, evocative sound design, and a surreal, enigmatic world that encourages exploration and personal interpretation. Players appreciate the game's distinct environments, each contributing to a rich, atmospheric experience reminiscent of indie classics, despite some criticisms regarding gameplay mechanics and clarity of narrative. Overall, the game's atmospheric elements are considered its strongest aspect, making it a compelling choice for those who prioritize mood and artistic expression in gaming.
- “The game’s unusual structure and sparse narrative create a deeply atmospheric experience that is as ambiguous as it is haunting, encouraging players to draw their own interpretations of its enigmatic world and themes.”
- “The atmosphere, sounds, graphics, and story are amazing.”
- “The music, too, is haunting, atmospheric, and matches the bleak tone of the game.”
- “I could even power through those for the atmosphere, but after the second time getting completely stuck on a ledge for no reason (bug), I think I cannot push through this thing.”
- “The ambient sound was good too, and in general, I think the sound design helped create a kind of oppressive, tense atmosphere.”
- “The bearing of the game is the atmosphere, mystery, and audio, and not the gameplay.”
stability
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from significant stability issues, including frequent glitches, frame drops, and poor optimization, which can disrupt gameplay and immersion. Many players report that these bugs, particularly in later chapters, can block progress and contribute to a frustrating experience. Overall, while the game has aesthetic appeal, its lack of polish and technical shortcomings detract from its potential enjoyment.
- “Additionally, the game has been reported to have occasional performance issues, such as frame drops and glitches, which can break immersion and detract from the overall experience.”
- “The game is buggy, with a number of glitches and issues occurring that occasionally blocked progress altogether, and its engine hasn't been well optimized.”
- “Tons of glitches, obtuse puzzles, terrible controls, an awful camera, and stuttering frame rate keep Vane from being worth your time.”
emotional
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is polarizing among players; while some appreciate the impactful sound design and atmospheric music that enhance the sense of scale and evoke feelings of wonder, others find the narrative lacking depth and emotional resonance. Many players feel that the game fails to deliver a compelling emotional journey, often leaving them frustrated rather than fulfilled. Overall, the visuals are praised for their beauty, but the emotional engagement varies significantly, with some players feeling a disconnect from the intended experience.
- “Sound design plays a crucial role in 'Vane', amplifying its atmosphere and adding emotional weight to the player’s journey.”
- “The music dynamically shifts in response to the player’s actions, often swelling at key moments to emphasize the significance of a discovery or transformation, reinforcing the emotional impact of the game.”
- “Sound is low and not very noticeable; however, once the OST starts, wow, it's powerful and boosts the scale feeling and the emotional impact. When I say emotional impact, I mean the emptiness of the desert, the absurd size of the structures, even the low light areas that feel terrifying even when you know there's nothing in there. Sincerely, it's an amazing OST and the entire sound design of this game is remarkable.”
grinding
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, primarily due to the slow movement speed of the protagonist and the repetitive nature of tasks. While there are moments of enjoyable exploration, the overall experience is marred by the need to replay chapters and the lack of depth in gameplay mechanics, leading to a prolonged and monotonous experience.
- “The game starts interesting, with a very vague intro, but then nose-dives into tediousness.”
- “The protagonist moves about half to a quarter of the speed they should move, making walking/flying around a tedious exercise in patience.”
- “Its gameplay is made up of a handful of mechanics, none of which feel fleshed out and all of which are tediously slow.”
optimization
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
23%
33%
The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with some players experiencing smooth performance and high frame rates, while others report significant issues such as frame drops, glitches, and an overall lack of polish. Many users highlight the need for an optimization overhaul to address these performance inconsistencies and improve the gaming experience.
- “Performance is perfect, game ran on 115fps+, stable, smooth, no stuttering or anything.”
- “With its strong opening sequence, gorgeous visuals, and great performance on PC, it raised a lot of hope of such a thing happening.”
- “+great performance on PC”
- “Additionally, the game has been reported to have occasional performance issues, such as frame drops and glitches, which can break immersion and detract from the overall experience.”
- “This game needs an optimized overhaul.”
- “Camera, loading times, and performance need improvements because it's not always a smooth experience even with a 2080 Ti in 4K.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game often arises from the frustrating yet amusing interactions with the controls, leading to moments of confusion and unexpected laughter. Players find themselves chuckling at the game's unique visual quirks, such as z-fighting, which, instead of detracting from the experience, adds to its charm. Overall, the blend of gameplay challenges and distinctive art style creates a lighthearted atmosphere that keeps players entertained.
- “Even when you know what you need to do, you often fight with the controls to get the protagonist to actually do it, leading to hilariously frustrating moments where you think maybe you haven't found everything that you need. You go wandering around again, only to find that you do actually have everything you need; you just weren't pressing the button at precisely the right moment, or that you were standing slightly off to one side.”
- “You don't have to look far to see a game that's visually so stark and unique in its ability to tear itself apart, that I found myself chuckling as I suddenly saw typical z-fighting in this game serving the art style, rather than ruining it.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game lacks significant replayability, particularly for those seeking a lengthy adventure, making it less appealing for players who prioritize value for their investment.