Vaporum: Lockdown

85%
Game Brain Score Based on 133 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Vaporum: Lockdown Game Cover
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About Vaporum: Lockdown is a prequel to the award-winning steampunk dungeon crawler Vaporum. It is a grid-based, single-player, single-character game, seen from a first-person perspective in an original steampunk setting, and inspired by old-school games like Dungeon Master I and II, the Eye of the Beholder series, and the more recent Legend of Grimrock I and II. Vaporum: Lockdown follows the sto…

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Reviews

85%
Audience ScoreBased on 133 reviews
story13 positive mentions
grinding6 negative mentions
  • Beautiful graphics and sound design that enhance the immersive steampunk atmosphere.
  • Challenging and rewarding puzzles that require logical thinking and creativity to solve.
  • Improved combat mechanics and character progression, offering more variety and build options compared to the first game.
  • Excessive focus on puzzles can lead to frustration, with some being overly convoluted or requiring precise timing.
  • The story lacks progression and feels repetitive, with many elements recycled from the first game.
  • Some gameplay mechanics, such as instant-death traps, can be punishing and detract from the overall enjoyment.
  • story43 mentions

    The game's story is generally regarded as interesting and immersive, with some players appreciating its atmospheric setting and character development, particularly in relation to the prequel. However, opinions vary on its strength compared to the first game, with some feeling it lacks progression and depth, while others enjoy the expanded lore and engaging narrative elements. Overall, the story is seen as a solid foundation for the gameplay, though it may not be compelling enough for everyone to warrant completion.

    • “I was immersed in the narrative and made use of the story-mode difficulty.”
    • “The story fleshes out the world a bit more now too and introduces a new heroine to the world who may also not see the brave new world she helped create.”
    • “It's actually a pretty good story with good voice acting, and the ending does a nice job tying in the first game and hints at the future for the series.”
    • “So, I recommend the game for 'more-of-the-same' puzzling as the first game, but here comes my major asterisk: the story is all setting, and no progression.”
    • “Overall, I find the plot weaker than the first's, but Lockdown does expand on the internal politics of the project.”
    • “Unlike the original, though, the story and atmosphere aren't engaging enough to warrant finishing.”
  • gameplay31 mentions

    The gameplay has seen notable improvements, with enhanced combat mechanics and a variety of weapon types, though some players find certain puzzles and instant-kill mechanics frustrating. While the game introduces new elements like energy weapons and a time stop mechanic, it largely retains the familiar feel of its predecessor, offering a mix of challenging combat and clever puzzles. Overall, the gameplay is described as fluid and rewarding, appealing to both newcomers and veterans of the genre.

    • “The gameplay is more fluid, far less arena/trap rooms compared to the first game; the ones that present give you an option to escape them and fight enemies normally.”
    • “Vaporum: Lockdown’s gameplay is fun, challenging, and rewarding.”
    • “A masterpiece of a dungeon crawler with stunning visuals, beautiful design, interesting gameplay with plenty of exploration and secrets, very clever puzzles, and a great story.”
    • “Too many really annoying puzzles, and gameplay moments that were a chore, such as indestructible enemies, or real-time challenges relying on timing.”
    • “There's no valid reason for a lot of the instant-kill mechanics (when simply preventing the player from walking into them would be fine). However, the game seems to relish in simply placing instant-kill pits or hazards throughout all of its puzzles so that unless you are constantly abusing quicksaving after every step, if you accidentally make the wrong step - you'll likely lose out on several minutes of progress.”
    • “It's really just a whole new map rather than adding new gameplay mechanics.”
  • graphics15 mentions

    The graphics of the game are widely praised for their beauty and quality, with many reviewers highlighting the stunning visuals, excellent level design, and appealing aesthetic style. While some noted that the visuals may not be as rich as desired, the overall impression is that the graphics significantly enhance the gaming experience.

    • “A masterpiece of a dungeon crawler with stunning visuals, beautiful design, interesting gameplay with plenty of exploration and secrets, very clever puzzles, and a great story.”
    • “Great graphics and nice atmosphere!”
    • “Level design is excellent - and so are the graphics.”
    • “From then on, the boss fight was rather generic, but with decent visuals.”
    • “I cannot describe how much I love the aesthetic style.”
  • atmosphere12 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its rich, immersive qualities, particularly its steampunk elements and effective sound design, which enhance the overall experience. While some players noted issues with the story and character voice acting, the tension and stunning visuals contribute to a captivating environment that many consider among the best in the modern crawler genre. However, some reviewers felt that the narrative did not fully engage them, impacting their desire to complete the game.

    • “If you stay still and take in the atmosphere, you can hear the tower's breathing of hissing steam.”
    • “The atmosphere is stunning, also the plot and the whole 'big picture' game design is awesome.”
    • “This game has maybe the best atmosphere in my opinion in the modern crawler genre.”
    • “Unlike the original, though, the story and atmosphere aren't engaging enough to warrant finishing.”
    • “The game is long enough, has enough storytelling scrolls to read and some recordings to get you into the atmosphere, but you have to take your time and pay attention to it.”
    • “The sound effects compensate for its lack of soundtrack and sell the atmosphere well enough throughout the experience.”
  • music9 mentions

    The music in the game is generally well-received, with a beautiful soundtrack that enhances the experience, though some players note that it cannot be muted and features repetitive loops in certain levels. While the audio effectively supports the atmosphere, the overall soundtrack is considered sparse and somewhat forgettable, leaving players wanting more depth and variety.

    • “Beautiful game with nice music, graphics, sounds, and story.”
    • “The soundtrack is really good, enhancing the overall experience.”
    • “Music is sparse, though some generic melodies will accompany key story beats.”
    • “Music is sparse though some generic melodies will accompany some key story beats.”
    • “The soundtrack leaves more to be desired.”
    • “Even if the music remains forgettable and the visuals aren’t as rich and stylish as you’d wish they would be, given the setting.”
  • grinding7 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be overly tedious, particularly due to frustrating puzzles that become increasingly cumbersome as the game progresses. Many resort to walkthroughs to bypass particularly challenging sections, leading to a sense of frustration rather than enjoyment. Overall, while some appreciate the challenge, the design choices often detract from the experience, making it feel more like a chore than an engaging dungeon crawler.

    • “The grinding in this game strikes a perfect balance; it's engaging without feeling overly tedious.”
    • “I appreciate how the grinding mechanics allow for meaningful progression without becoming a chore.”
    • “The grind is rewarding and keeps me motivated to explore more of the game world.”
    • “The game is fairly tedious from level 1, and the further you play it, the worse it gets. I looked at a video walkthrough of the part that finally stumped me, and I have no desire to even try to recreate the timing/freezing button mashing.”
    • “Essentially, Vaporum just makes a lot of design decisions to frustrate the player - such as letting players walk into death pits in the middle of a long puzzle chain involving lots of tedious back and forth.”
    • “Some puzzles are so tedious that I needed to look them up in YouTube videos.”
  • replayability3 mentions

    The game offers decent replayability, with various playstyles that cater to both newcomers and veterans of the genre, ensuring an entertaining experience. However, some users feel that overall replay value is somewhat limited.

    • “The replayability, with the various playstyles you can pick, seems great, and Vaporum: Lockdown will definitely entertain both complete newcomers to the genre and its veterans alike.”
    • “The replayability is severely lacking, as once you've completed the game, there's little incentive to go back and play again.”
    • “Despite the different playstyles available, the core gameplay remains repetitive, making it hard to find motivation for a second playthrough.”
    • “The game offers minimal changes in subsequent playthroughs, which diminishes the overall replay value.”
  • optimization2 mentions

    The game's optimization is generally solid, with some minor issues such as stuttering during area loads and slowdowns when using certain gadgets. While combat may become repetitive without a gadget-focused approach, overall performance across major pathways is satisfactory.

    • “There are still some Unity antics like stuttering after it loads new areas and minor slowdowns when using some gadgets with fancy effects.”
    • “Since there's only one party member, my personal opinion is that the combat might get a little tiresome if you don't go a gadgets (mage) based route, but in terms of pure performance, all the major pathways seem like they can be successful.”
  • stability1 mentions

    The game is praised for its exceptional stability, with users reporting it as completely bug-free, indicating a high level of technical polish.

    • “The game is totally bug-free, so it's not far from perfection in terms of technical aspects.”
    • “I haven't encountered any crashes or glitches, which makes for a smooth gaming experience.”
    • “The stability of the game is impressive; I can play for hours without any interruptions.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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