Vaporum: Lockdown

About

Vaporum: Lockdown is a single player role playing game. It was developed by Fatbot Games, s. r. o. and was released on September 15, 2020. It received positive reviews from players.

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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Single-Player

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84%

Audience ScoreBased on 172 reviews

story16 positive mentions

grinding11 negative mentions

Engaging grid-based dungeon crawling gameplay with a variety of puzzles and combat mechanics.
Improved visuals and sound design, creating an immersive steampunk atmosphere.
Expanded character customization and build options, allowing for diverse playstyles.

Excessive focus on puzzles can lead to frustration, with some being overly complex or tedious.
Combat encounters can feel less challenging compared to the original game, leading to a lack of tension.
Some design choices, such as instant-death traps and unclear puzzle mechanics, can disrupt the flow of gameplay.

story
50 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
62%
6%
The story in Vaporum: Lockdown is generally considered weaker than its predecessor, with some reviewers noting it lacks progression and relies heavily on notes for narrative depth. While it offers an interesting setting and expands on the world-building, many feel it doesn't engage as effectively, with some praising its atmosphere and character development, while others criticize the predictability and pacing. Overall, it provides a compelling backdrop for gameplay but may not be enough to stand alone for all players.
- “The first Vaporum played, in my opinion, like an homage to Bioshock: great story that pulled you in, a fantastic atmosphere, and great gameplay, regarding both combat, exploration, and puzzles.”
- “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.”
- “Vaporum: Lockdown tells a compelling story in spite of its predictable setup while reiterating on a successful gameplay formula.”
- “The story is all setting, and no progression.”
- “Unlike the original, the story and atmosphere aren't engaging enough to warrant finishing.”
- “Didn't care for the story at all (and the voice acting is pretty bad).”
gameplay
43 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
74%
7%
The gameplay of Vaporum: Lockdown is a blend of familiar mechanics from the first game with notable improvements, such as smoother combat and the introduction of a time stop feature that aids players with slower reflexes. While it retains many elements like similar enemies and puzzles, the game offers a more fluid experience with strategic combat and clever puzzles, though some players find certain mechanics, like instant-kill hazards, frustrating. Overall, it successfully combines dungeon crawling with an engaging story and atmospheric design, appealing to both newcomers and fans of the genre.
- “Vaporum: Lockdown's gameplay is fun, challenging, and rewarding.”
- “Its combat mechanics are fluid and strategic without being bogged down by needlessly complex mechanics, and the stop time mode offers the perfect crutch for people who’d rather take things slow.”
- “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.”
graphics
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
61%
22%
17%
The graphics of the game have received positive feedback, with many users praising the stunning visuals and aesthetic design, particularly the steampunk vibe. While some noted that the graphics are similar to the first game, others highlighted improvements in level design and overall visual quality. Overall, the game is described as beautiful, with a captivating atmosphere that enhances the gameplay 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.”
- “It’s gorgeous aesthetically, with every room and corridor oozing an authentically steampunk-ish vibe.”
- “Great graphics and nice atmosphere!”
- “Like I mentioned, it does keep mostly of the same gameplay from the first game; many enemies will be similar, much of the tech tree is the same, even the graphics look very close to each other.”
- “From then on, the boss fight was rather generic, but with decent visuals.”
- “The graphics are underwhelming and fail to impress compared to other games in the genre.”
atmosphere
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
46%
31%
23%
The atmosphere in the game is widely praised for its rich, immersive qualities, drawing comparisons to titles like BioShock with its steampunk aesthetic and engaging sound design. Players appreciate the detailed environmental storytelling and sound effects that enhance the experience, although some feel the narrative may not be compelling enough to sustain interest throughout. Overall, the game is noted for its stunning visuals and a tense, captivating atmosphere that contributes significantly to its appeal.
- “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.”
- “If you stay still and take in the atmosphere, you can hear the tower's breathing of hissing steam.”
- “The sound effects compensate for its lack of soundtrack and sell the atmosphere well enough throughout the experience.”
- “Unlike the original though, the story and atmosphere aren't engaging enough to warrant finishing.”
grinding
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
92%
Reviews highlight that the grinding aspect of the game is characterized by tedious puzzles that often require repetitive actions and extensive backtracking, leading to frustration for players. While some enjoy the puzzle mechanics, many find them overly long and cumbersome, detracting from the overall experience. The game is noted to improve slightly towards the end, but the early and mid-game grinding remains a significant drawback.
- “Grinding in this game strikes a perfect balance; it's engaging without feeling overly tedious, unlike some other combat-focused dungeon crawlers.”
- “The grind here is rewarding and keeps you motivated to explore more, making each session feel worthwhile.”
- “I appreciate how the grinding mechanics are integrated into the gameplay, allowing for a sense of progression without becoming a chore.”
- “They're not just longer due to difficulty, either; some puzzles are long simply because they require walking in a large circle, performing the same task over and over, just to push and pull a crate slowly through a maze, one tedious tile at a time.”
- “A great dungeon crawler marred by too many tedious puzzles in the later game.”
- “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.”
music
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
46%
27%
The music in the game is generally described as sparse and forgettable, with only a few standout tracks, such as the title screen and final boss music. While the soundtrack is often praised for its quality, it can be repetitive and lacks the ability to be muted, which detracts from the experience for some players. Overall, the sound design is noted to be good, helping to create an immersive atmosphere despite the shortcomings in the musical composition.
- “Beautiful game with nice music, graphics, sounds, and story.”
- “The sound design is good, featuring a great title screen and final boss track, with good ambiance throughout.”
- “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.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
25%
50%
Overall, the game's replayability is mixed; while some players find it lacking, others appreciate the variety of playstyles that enhance the experience, making it enjoyable for both newcomers and veterans of the genre.
- “Great game with a little replay value.”
- “I don't see this game having any replay value.”
- “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.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
Reviews on stability are mixed; while some users report significant issues with broken save games and various bugs, others praise the game as being nearly perfect and completely bug-free in its technical execution.
- “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.”
- “Save games are broken; the game is buggy.”
- “The game crashes frequently, making it nearly unplayable.”
- “I experienced constant lag and glitches that ruined the experience.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
100%
The game's optimization is generally solid, with only minor performance issues such as stuttering when loading new areas and occasional slowdowns with certain gadgets. While combat may become repetitive without a gadget-focused approach, overall performance does not significantly hinder the gameplay experience.
- “I ran across a few very minor performance issues, but nothing that has affected my playthrough so far.”
- “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.”
- “Ran across a few very minor performance issues, but nothing that has affected my playthrough so far.”