Vaporum

79%
Game Brain Score Based on 1,044 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Vaporum Game Cover
Vaporum is a “Steampunk Dungeon Crawler” with a hidden mystery lying underneath the strange laboratory of mechanical creatures out to destroy you. I recommend this game to anyone looking to play a game with collecting, puzzle solving, and combat.
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"Vaporum" is a single-player, science fiction RPG with a gripping story and masterful mechanics, played from a first-person perspective in a unique steampunk setting. Experience real-time combat with distinct enemies, each requiring tactical approaches, and discover the depth of the gadget-based RPG system. Explore, customize your character, and unravel the mysteries of the tower while enjoying the phenomenal soundtrack and immersive atmosphere. However, be prepared for a lot of grinding.

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

Reviews

79%
Audience ScoreBased on 1,044 reviews
story175 positive mentions
grinding46 negative mentions
  • Vaporum offers a unique steampunk setting that enhances the dungeon crawler experience.
  • The combat system is engaging, with a mix of real-time action and a time-stop feature that allows for strategic planning.
  • The puzzles are well-designed and provide a satisfying challenge, with many secrets to discover throughout the game.
  • The game can feel repetitive, with frequent ambushes and enemy encounters that may lead to frustration.
  • Some puzzles are overly obscure, requiring players to rely on guides to progress.
  • The voice acting and writing can be hit or miss, detracting from the overall immersion of the story.
  • story445 mentions

    The story of *Vaporum* is generally described as decent but somewhat cliché, often drawing comparisons to *Bioshock* with its themes of amnesia and hubris. Players appreciate the narrative's presentation through diary entries and audio logs, which help build an intriguing atmosphere, though many find the voice acting lacking and the plot predictable. Overall, while the story may not be groundbreaking, it effectively supports the gameplay and keeps players engaged throughout the dungeon-crawling experience.

    • “The plot is cool, voiced notes are great, and you will really want to know how it ends.”
    • “It has a deep and interesting story and the voice acting fits perfectly.”
    • “The story starts off as very mysterious and slowly gains, err, steam as the player slowly pieces together the events that took place within the tower.”
    • “There's absolutely nothing 'punk' about this game; it has an utterly generic haunted house setting and a passive linear story.”
    • “The much more explicit and wordy story just kind of flops in trying to ape Bioshock and is almost purely conveyed through poorly written text notes and worse acted audio logs, all to get across something very generic.”
    • “The story is extremely predictable and done a thousand times.”
  • gameplay282 mentions

    The gameplay in Vaporum is characterized by its unique time-stop mechanic, allowing players to strategize during combat and puzzles, which adds depth to the experience. While many players appreciate the engaging puzzles and exploration, some criticize the combat balance and the challenge posed by certain mechanics, leading to mixed feelings about overall satisfaction. The game draws inspiration from classic dungeon crawlers, offering a blend of strategic gameplay and customization, though it may not appeal to everyone due to its pacing and design choices.

    • “The timestop mechanic is amazing and allows me (a slow planner) to take my time for my moves while not slowing me down when I know what I want to do.”
    • “Now for me, both an enjoyer of combat and coming fresh off of playing Grimrock 2, the escalation and evolution of the gameplay systems was a very welcome challenge.”
    • “The gameplay is very satisfying whether it’s the puzzles, fights, or exploration.”
    • “Good presentation but everything in the gameplay is atrocious.”
    • “I am a great fan of this genre and this is the most awful combat and gameplay I've ever seen.”
    • “Unfortunately the gameplay is rather uninspiring.”
  • graphics217 mentions

    The graphics of the game have received largely positive feedback, with many reviewers praising the detailed steampunk aesthetics and atmospheric visuals that enhance the overall experience. While some noted minor issues with lighting and graphical settings, the majority found the graphics to be top-notch, contributing to an immersive environment that aligns well with the game's themes. Overall, the visuals are considered a standout feature, elevating the gameplay and atmosphere significantly.

    • “The visuals are gorgeous and the puzzles are phenomenal.”
    • “The graphics are crisp and vivid, with beautiful shafts of light filtering down from overhead tunnels full of pipes, barely illuminating your surroundings and hiding whatever creatures lurk within the dark corners of this dungeon.”
    • “Vaporum is a great grid-based dungeon-crawler with beautiful and detailed steampunk aesthetics.”
    • “The audio-visual feedback and the kinaesthetics are unsatisfactory.”
    • “The tower is deprived of decorations and aesthetics, leaving only nondescript hallways made of metals and concrete.”
    • “The visuals are basically always the same, not much variety.”
  • atmosphere154 mentions

    The atmosphere in Vaporum is widely praised for its immersive and claustrophobic steampunk setting, enhanced by stunning graphics, excellent sound design, and a rich audio landscape that evokes a sense of dread and exploration. Players appreciate the unique character of each level, the eerie fog, and the overall mood reminiscent of titles like Bioshock and Legend of Grimrock, making it a standout experience in the dungeon-crawler genre. Despite some criticisms regarding combat mechanics, the game's atmosphere remains a highlight, contributing significantly to its enjoyment and engagement.

    • “The atmosphere is great, with good music, for the most part awesome voice acting, and just enough darkness mixed in.”
    • “The atmosphere is perfect, very unique steampunk setting with awesome graphics and very diverse look of each floor of the dungeon with a lot of nice looking places.”
    • “Atmosphere is thick and creepy with eerie fog and moody lighting in a metal forged deathscape pulsing with industrial strength inhumanity as one gets a sense of dread as if in some demonic jail forever damned.”
    • “It creates the atmosphere of being in a dark, creepy, danger-filled tower.”
    • “Considering the entire game is set purely inside one tower, and it only has ten floors, I honestly didn't think I'd get as much enjoyment or mileage out of the game as I did - and I'm so glad my worries were unfounded :) this was a blast to play from start to finish, with a fun story, decent voice acting, and absolutely dripping with atmosphere.”
  • music57 mentions

    The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising its ability to enhance the atmosphere and match the mood of the levels, particularly during intense moments. However, some players noted that the soundtrack can be repetitive and sparse, leading to moments of frustration, especially when stuck in gameplay. Overall, while the music is generally considered decent and fitting, its short and looping nature detracts from a higher rating.

    • “Music and sounds are just fantastic as well as its graphics, which together with playability brings a bit of a scary atmosphere, but no worries, we still have quick save.”
    • “The voice acting, music, and visuals are top notch.”
    • “The atmosphere is great, with good music, for the most part awesome voice acting, and just enough darkness mixed in.”
    • “The soundtrack is sparse and mostly you’re just accompanied by the ambience of the tower.”
    • “The music is repetitive, especially if you're stuck.”
    • “The music though did not get any love.”
  • grinding46 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, with many achievements requiring multiple playthroughs and challenging conditions that detract from enjoyment. Combat is often described as repetitive and lacking variety, leading to a sense of monotony, while puzzles can also feel overly complicated or annoying. Overall, the limited enemy types and lack of engaging mechanics contribute to a grinding experience that many reviewers found unenjoyable.

    • “The problem is how tedious combat is.”
    • “Yes, I thought combat was tedious and yes, in order to progress I turned the difficulty down because I wanted to know the story.”
    • “For a dungeon crawler, there are surprisingly few traps, and few other ways to kill enemies as well, which just makes it more tedious to go through levels.”
  • replayability26 mentions

    The game's replayability is a mixed bag, with some players praising the variety of rigs, upgrades, and character classes that encourage multiple playthroughs, while others feel that the overall replay value is limited. Despite its linear design, the presence of different play styles and challenges offers enough incentive for players to revisit the game. However, some reviews outright state that there is little to no replayability, indicating a divide in player experiences.

    • “This game is a good one to pick up if you want a steampunk dungeon crawler with tons of replayability and puzzles.”
    • “Many different ways to smash or incinerate things, so even if it's a linear handcrafted dungeon, there is a lot of replayability.”
    • “There would be no replay value at all.”
    • “- no replayability”
    • “Developing your character's skills and stats also drastically changes how you can play the game, so there's plenty of potential for replay value.”
  • stability14 mentions

    Overall, users report a highly stable experience with the game, describing it as bug-free and running smoothly, even in 4K resolution and on Linux. The unique time-freezing mechanic adds to the gameplay without causing any stability issues.

    • “I can't speak for others, but I've had a completely bug-free experience so far.”
    • “For the price, I found this quite fun and bug-free.”
    • “Also, it runs great on Linux.”
    • “You can basically play in stop time so you can perform an action, a second goes by and it freezes time again.”
    • “Combat is real-time, although you can play in a freeze time mode, which only unfreezes time when you do an action or hold a button.”
  • emotional10 mentions

    Players appreciate the cleverness of certain gadgets and the engaging narrative set in a steampunk universe, which keeps them invested in the story. However, the emotional impact is undermined by subpar voice acting during key moments, leading to a disconnect that detracts from the overall experience. Additionally, some players report feeling physically unwell due to camera mechanics, which can further affect their emotional engagement with the game.

    • “This narrative fits perfectly in this steampunk universe and it’s all pretty good and leaves you continually wanting to learn more.”
    • “Voice acting is okay, but during certain emotional moments, it falls flat.”
    • “I do enjoy some of the flavor text on the items and a few of the gadgets made me feel clever to use.”
  • optimization10 mentions

    The game's optimization receives mixed feedback; while some players report flawless performance and stunning visuals on high settings, others criticize it for feeling poorly optimized and reminiscent of a "stock unity experience." Overall, the graphical fidelity is appreciated, but there are concerns about the game's technological execution not meeting the expectations set by its aesthetic.

    • “Very nice steampunk vibe, with maximum graphics settings (runs smoothly on my GTX-970) it's gorgeous to look at.”
    • “The visuals were great, coupled with utterly flawless performance, and I'm left feeling incredibly satisfied.”
    • “Performance with all settings to maximum (supersampling scale left @ default 1.0x)”
    • “Visually and technologically, the game feels a bit cheap and poorly optimized, a bit too close to the 'stock Unity experience' than the style and the setting deserved to have.”
  • humor4 mentions

    The humor in Vaporum is described as intermittent and somewhat out of place, with some players appreciating it as a favorite feature despite its seemingly haphazard inclusion.

    • “Funny thing about Vaporum: one of my favorite features was apparently added as an afterthought.”
  • monetization4 mentions

    The monetization aspect of the game has received criticism for its lack of variety in weapons and the absence of immersive elements like propaganda or advertisement posters, which detracts from the overall experience. Additionally, there seems to be a lack of promotional efforts, as the game is not prominently featured in advertisements or articles, limiting its visibility and potential popularity.

  • character development2 mentions

    Character development is praised for being well-executed and balanced, providing players with a rich and immersive experience that feels intricate and engaging, akin to navigating a labyrinth in a steampunk battlemech.

    • “Character development is well done and balanced, and sometimes you feel like you are waltzing through a labyrinth in a steampunk battlemech.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

72% average critic score

Buy Vaporum

Play time

15hMedian play time
14hAverage play time
14-20hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 8 analyzed playthroughs

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