Vellum

About

"Vellum is a cooperative action roguelike, offering both single-player and multiplayer modes, with stunning graphics and strategic gameplay. As a Scribe, dive into magic tomes, casting spells and determining your enemies' evolution. Band together with other players to reshape battlefields and fight through echoes of familiar tales."

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

91%

Audience ScoreBased on 692 reviews

gameplay50 positive mentions

grinding8 negative mentions

Vellum features a unique art style and engaging gameplay mechanics that keep players invested.
The game offers a variety of build options and customization, allowing for different playstyles and strategies.
Frequent updates from the developers show a commitment to improving the game and adding new content.

The movement and combat can feel clunky, with some players reporting a lack of responsiveness and clarity during gameplay.
Enemy difficulty scaling can be inconsistent, leading to experiences where the game feels either too easy or frustratingly hard.
There are performance issues, particularly with frame rates dropping during intense moments, which can detract from the overall experience.

gameplay
112 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
52%
4%
The gameplay of the game is characterized by a mix of engaging mechanics and a unique art style, offering a variety of build options and replayability. While many players appreciate the fluidity and fun of the mechanics, some express concerns about balance, complexity, and occasional performance issues, particularly in movement and map design. Overall, the game provides a solid experience, especially in co-op mode, but could benefit from further refinement and difficulty adjustments.
- “This game flows like ink on parchment—smooth, with mellifluous references and astonishingly fun gameplay, all stylized to a fine point.”
- “Genuinely one of the best games I've ever bought, the gameplay is very diverse and engaging, and at higher difficulties you really do have to think instead of just holding the W key.”
- “Great build potential, endless replayability, decent gameplay variation with ink colors, fun (and plentiful) modifiers, and a brilliant art style on top of it all.”
- “The overly complicated maps just compound this design flaw to make for agonizing gameplay.”
- “The gameplay itself is kind of boring; movement feels sluggish and the game is somehow too easy yet frustrating at the same time (I played 5 runs, won all of them, and honestly had enough).”
- “There are some questionable gameplay choices, like your dash not moving you in the last direction of your last input, but the second to last, which can lead to confusing situations during combat.”
graphics
82 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
73%
22%
5%
The graphics of Vellum are generally praised for their unique and aesthetically pleasing art style, which resonates well with the game's whimsical theme. However, some users report performance issues, including frame rate drops and graphical bugs, particularly in high-level gameplay, which detracts from the overall experience. While the visuals are considered stylish and immersive, the limited number of maps may lead to a sense of aesthetic repetition.
- “Vellum is an amazing game, with great visuals.”
- “The art style and visuals are really nice, and I saw some other people complain about performance, but it runs just fine for me and I've had no issues performance-wise.”
- “Everything ties together so beautifully; the art style and music are amazing, and the gameplay is fluid.”
- “There are very few maps, so the game will feel aesthetically repetitive.”
- “My old computer is no excuse; I can play far more graphically intensive games with at least 60 fps, so I shouldn’t be getting an average of 20~40.”
- “Graphic bugs and huge frame drops.”
story
42 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
24%
69%
7%
The story is described as whimsical and immersive, complemented by a unique art style featuring anthropomorphic fountain pens. Players appreciate the depth and variety in missions, with engaging quests that enhance gameplay without disrupting the pacing. The customization options and mission-specific rewards contribute to a rich narrative experience that encourages exploration and experimentation.
- “The art style, enemies, classes, and story are all so immersive and have such depth to them.”
- “I found the story to be whimsical, and I am digging the artwork - the anthropomorphic fountain pens do it for me.”
- “Each run can last anywhere from 5-15 minutes, but the pacing and storytelling works well enough that it doesn't feel like it's in the way of your run.”
- “I wish you could see your progress towards completing the quest tome and pages.”
- “I found the story to be whimsical, but it lacks depth and engagement.”
- “The main story feels short, lasting only about 10-20 hours if you focus on it.”
optimization
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
64%
18%
Overall, the game's optimization has received mixed feedback, with some players experiencing significant performance issues, particularly during late-game runs and with multiple objects on screen. While many appreciate the game's visuals and find it stable on their systems, others report lag even on high-end computers, indicating a need for future improvements. Despite these concerns, there is optimism that the developers will address these optimization challenges in upcoming updates.
- “I think the game is great and has a lot of love poured into it, but I think what would make me and a lot of other players get a lot of mileage out of it is some optimization to what the player can do.”
- “Optimized in the future for end game runs, the game definitely has more potential than it already has.”
- “Performance: 9.5/10”
- “Poor optimization when runs reach past appendix 6/7.”
- “Poor optimization for multiple objects (maybe a system to delete prior objects instantly to reduce lag like a world object limit?).”
- “Although be warned that this game has optimization issues as of release (current as of June 2024) and will lag even the best computers.”
replayability
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
63%
25%
13%
Overall, the game is praised for its great depth and endless replayability, with unique gameplay variations, fun modifiers, and a creative art style enhancing the experience. However, some players feel it lacks sufficient incentives for currency earned, which may limit long-term engagement. While many find it highly replayable, a few express concerns about its longevity after initial play.
- “A very unique, creative, and intensely fun game with loads of replayability.”
- “Great build potential, endless replayability, decent gameplay variation with ink colors, fun (and plentiful) modifiers, and a brilliant art style on top of it all.”
- “Certainly provides interesting replayability, instead of forcing you to grind specific tomes over and over.”
- “I wanted to like this game, but after an hour of play (4 games), there were numerous points that made me unable to see the game offering much replayability.”
- “It has some replay value, but is missing some serious sinks for the currency you earn.”
music
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
29%
14%
The music in the game, currently limited to a single track due to its early access status, is generally well-received but can become repetitive over time. While the audio complements the clean art style and fluid gameplay, some players feel it lacks the impact they desire. Overall, the sound design is considered good, though not exceptional.
- “The artstyle is clean, the general theme is amazing, the music and audio is great, and it's a neat little challenge.”
- “Everything ties together so beautifully, the artstyle and music are amazing, the gameplay is fluid.”
- “Overall, the sound and music is pretty nice; nothing super outstanding, but it's good overall and I dig that.”
- “As it's early access, there is currently only one song track during the levels (though it is not a bad track to be fair).”
- “I can only slightly fault the sound design/music and it doesn't quite feel impactful enough as I personally would like, but this is not enough to affect how well designed the game is.”
grinding
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players report a mixed experience with grinding in the game, noting that while the main levels can be completed relatively quickly, the subsequent grind for upgrades can feel tedious and unfulfilling, especially when compounded by technical issues like save file loss. Cosmetic rewards are available through grinding, but their minor impact on gameplay does not significantly enhance the overall experience. Challenges, such as climbing obstacles while under attack, often add to the frustration rather than providing satisfaction.
- “After 20 hours of grinding out the meta progression and just playing the game, it crashed and then erased my save file out of existence after the latest update.”
- “I was able to complete all of the main levels in the first 12 hours of playing, and to fully upgrade everything after that only took 3 more hours of grinding through the levels.”
- “An example is a mini-challenge where you have to climb a vertical rock that has little footholds for you to jump on; it doesn't feel satisfying to get to the top normally, and if there's a horde of enemies jumping around trying to knock you off, it just feels like a tedious delay of the inevitable.”
humor
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is appreciated for its quirky elements, particularly the amusing design of the fountain pen heads, which elicit a lighthearted response from players. Overall, the game's comedic touches contribute positively to the player experience.
- “I like the funny little fountain pen heads, hehe.”
- “(Thank you for responding, dev. That's kinda funny actually! :D)”
atmosphere
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised, being described as unmatched even when compared to other renowned titles in the genre, such as Hades and Risk of Rain 2. Reviewers highlight its exceptional integration with gameplay and graphics, contributing to an immersive experience.
- “The atmosphere is unmatched, even by other titans of the genre, like Hades or Risk of Rain 2.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game features a complete experience without any microtransactions, which has been positively received by users, who appreciate the regular updates and the inspired design of character heads. Overall, the monetization model is seen as a strong point, contributing to the game's status as a gem.
- “The game is all there already with no microtransactions and regular updates, and I'm happy to say this is a gem.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional impact of the game is profound, with players expressing deep attachment and heartbreak over its limited recognition, highlighting a strong desire for it to receive more appreciation and visibility.
- “I'll shill for it until the day I die; it's genuinely heartbreaking to see only 192 reviews at the time of writing.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users report that the game exhibits a high level of stability, with no significant bugs or issues encountered. Overall, the experience is smooth and reliable.
- “Here is where I'd put my big report so everyone knows how buggy it is right now; however, I have yet to find a single one.”
- “Here is where I'd put my big report so everyone knows how buggy it is right now; however, I have yet to find a single one.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
Reviewers highlight the strong character development through unique and imaginative character designs, as well as the engaging worlds they inhabit, which enhance the overall narrative experience.
- “The character development is incredibly rich, with unique abilities and fascinating designs that truly bring the world to life.”
- “I love how the characters evolve throughout the game, each with their own creative abilities and captivating backstories.”
- “The depth of character development adds so much to the gameplay, making each character feel distinct and memorable.”