Vangers

About

Vangers is a single player open world role playing game with horror and science fiction themes. It was developed by K-D Lab and was released on April 24, 2014. It received positive reviews from players.

************************************************ Vangers. Mysterious creatures from the future of mankind: Mercenary murderers, victims of the cruel experiments, masters of the roads, scum of the Creature Soup? Name your native bios, and we'll tell you, for how long you'll live Eleepods?.. Beeboorats?.. Zeexen?.. The Lost Chain of Worlds cursed forever, the Larvae have alrea…

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81%

Audience ScoreBased on 209 reviews

story14 positive mentions

stability2 negative mentions

Unique and innovative gameplay blending racing, RPG, and vehicular combat genres with an open-world exploration.
Deep, complex, and intriguing story and lore that unfolds gradually rewarding patient players.
Highly replayable experience with multiple endings, secrets, and character upgrades, supported by an active fan community and modern patches.

Steep and unforgiving learning curve with obtuse interface and confusing mechanics, often requiring external guides or manuals.
Outdated and harsh graphics, fixed low resolution, and color schemes that strain the eyes and alienate some players.
Frustrating controls and vehicle physics that often result in difficulty maneuvering and frequent in-game failures.

story
67 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
75%
4%
The story of this game is complex, cryptic, and unfolds gradually across multiple strange worlds, rewarding patient players with rich background lore, unexpected twists, and an immersive, surreal narrative experience. While initially confusing and demanding to grasp, the story’s depth, intriguing characters, and non-linear progression make it highly captivating for those willing to delve into its unique, psychedelic setting. However, its obtuse presentation and challenging quests may deter more casual players.
- “Enthralling world, twisted and bright characters, tons of amusing dialogue, mind-blowing story and action gameplay interweave to create a true work of art.”
- “Unmatched story and the way you move through all the different worlds and build ancient broken vehicles after you discover new items is extremely satisfying.”
- “A strange story that takes a while to fully get, different worlds that you travel to which then add to the story when you read what the guys in the 'holes' say about the places you visit.”
- “The story may be uninteresting and confusing at the start, especially with all the unknown terms thrown at you.”
- “Story: the story is presented in text and didn't seem very interesting to me.”
- “Only substantial negative that I can bring up is unended story, because there was no progression after perimeter 2 (that wasn't good for gameplay, but story was told).”
gameplay
48 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
79%
6%
The gameplay of Vangers is a unique blend of racing, RPG, and open-world exploration with complex mechanics that can feel clunky and unforgiving, especially early on, requiring patience and use of the manual to fully appreciate. While some players find its chaotic combat, trading, and vehicle customization rewarding and nostalgic, others struggle with unintuitive controls, camera issues, and difficulty spikes, making it a niche but captivating experience praised for its originality and immersive world.
- “The gameplay is strange, the soundtrack is wild, the story is incredibly complex, but for some reason Vangers is completely captivating.”
- “Gameplay-wise, this is an RPG/racing/open-world/sandbox game the likes of which have not been replicated since this game's conception in 1998.”
- “Enthralling world, twisted and bright characters, tons of amusing dialogue, mind-blowing story and action gameplay interweave to create a true work of art.”
- “Most of Vangers' gameplay lies in purchasing and selling materials for sparse pay and battling the terrain more than enemy vehicles.”
- “Some of the problems include camera rotation (even if turned off) inducing instant motion sickness, unintuitive UI buttons, very hard to click UI buttons, no safe harbors in the open world (constant fear of attack e.g. while configuring your compass), impossible to complete quests early on, frustrating AI (e.g. continuously jumping mechos), frustrating vehicle mechanics, all leading to repetitive behavior and excessive game load/saving.”
- “If it had the gameplay to back it up, this might be a worthwhile task, but it's basically a clunky combat racer, so even if you struggle your way to an understanding of the game's alien language, all you get for your trouble is a below average gameplay experience.”
graphics
45 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
69%
9%
The game's graphics, characterized by unique voxel-based visuals and a distinctive 90s claymation-inspired art style, have aged well and create a strong alien atmosphere despite their dated appearance. While some find the visuals strange or off-putting, many appreciate the quirky, symbolic design and the charm that can only be experienced in-game rather than through screenshots. Overall, the graphics are seen as intentionally unusual but effective in complementing the game's world and lore.
- “Even today, its visuals remain stunning.”
- “Unique voxel graphics which make the game truly timeless - and still pictures can't capture its charm, it really has to be appreciated live from inside the game.”
- “Graphics look awesome, despite the game's old age, thanks to voxel engine which makes everything look even more alien.”
- “Boring, not fun, bad graphics.”
- “Good luck getting past the menus. Nothing is explained or intuitive, and given the eyesore visuals and intentionally weird style, it becomes an exercise in futility.”
- “Ugly graphics.”
music
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
47%
33%
20%
The music in the game is widely praised for being unique, memorable, and fitting the strange, post-apocalyptic theme, with many players keeping the soundtrack in their playlists. However, some users find it wild or unappealing and prefer to turn it off, highlighting a divisive but impactful audio experience. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a strong and distinctive aspect that enhances the game's atmosphere.
- “Art, music and theme are strange and excellent.”
- “By the way, I still have soundtracks from Vangers in my playlist.”
- “I also dislike the music and just turn it off right at the start, but ymmv.”
- “The gameplay is strange, the soundtrack is wild, the story is incredibly complex, but for some reason Vangers is completely captivating.”
- “If you don't have these basic details, how could we start to speak about other additions, such as achievements, soundtrack, trading cards, and so on?”
replayability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
24%
38%
The game offers notable replayability, with players often replaying it multiple times using different approaches. Its enduring appeal and revamped versions highlight its lasting value, though some users rate its replay value moderately, around 4/10.
- “The game has replay value; I've beaten the game once on Steam and three times on the original game disk, each time doing things in a different way.”
- “The fact that this game is still around and revamped is a testament to its replayability.”
- “So yes, Vangers definitely has replayability value.”
- “Replay value rating: 4/10”
- “Replay value: I personally don't want to play this game but if you like the game, it holds an immense replay value.”
- “Replay value: I personally don't want to play this game but if you like the game, it holds an immense replay value.”
atmosphere
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
The game is praised for its unique, immersive atmosphere and well-crafted world, offering a compelling sense of exploration despite slow progression and dated graphics. Its artistic design and thoughtful plot contribute significantly to a living, alien environment, with some music tracks enhancing the experience. Overall, the atmosphere is considered a standout feature that remains unmatched by other games.
- “Despite the dated graphics, it creates a great alien atmosphere and living world.”
- “This game has never been surpassed by any other in terms of how the world is thought through, plot, atmosphere and gameplay.”
- “There are some tracks on certain planets that nicely accompany the atmosphere and ease the otherwise grueling driving around.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
The game's stability on native Linux is generally solid, with minimal glitches reported, though some bugs exist. However, user experience may be hindered by usability challenges rather than technical instability. Proton performance on Linux remains untested by users.
- “Native Linux version runs great on Arch.”
emotional
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game delivers a deeply emotional and immersive experience, evoking strong feelings of vulnerability and captivation. Its raw and abrasive nature can be both unsettling and profoundly moving, leaving a lasting impact on players.
- “This is not a videogame of just some genre - this is a wholesome simulation of existing in another lifeform.”
- “It's weird, abrasive, it makes me want to cry for most of the time, but it's also incredibly captivating.”
- “Just typing that last part out made me feel like my brain was getting sucked down into my spinal cord.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's humor is characterized by its bizarre, post-apocalyptic setting and quirky, creepy yet hilarious characters, creating a unique and entertaining atmosphere. Additionally, the funny combat style and varied story paths add to the lighthearted and engaging tone.
- “As a kid, I never understood what I could do or what the absolute f was going on, but the design and bizarre post-apocalyptic scene was crazy to look at. The jumping cars, combat, exploration, and the bug characters were kind of creepy but hilarious.”
- “Vangers has a nice story, a funny combat style, and a lot of different roads to take on.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The native Linux version is well-optimized and runs smoothly on Arch Linux, though performance comparisons with Proton have not been tested.
- “Native Linux version runs great on Arch; haven't tested if Proton has better performance.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The character development is visually appealing, featuring a unique voxel art style and distinctive character designs that enhance the overall aesthetic.
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Grinding in the game is characterized by repetitive fetch quests that may feel tedious, requiring significant patience. However, this effort is somewhat balanced by the game's unique and immersive alien/human hybrid setting.