Venture to the Vile

About

"Venture to the Vile" is a spooky 2.5D Metroidvania game set in the rainy, eerie town of Rainybrook, overrun by a mysterious entity known as the Vile. As the player, you'll fight through treacherous grounds, absorb the Vile's powers, and search for your lost friend Ella. Along the way, you'll uncover clues, meet peculiar townsfolk, and unlock new abilities to explore dynamic environments and battle unique bosses. The game features a story-rich world with various quests to discover and secrets to uncover.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

82%

Audience ScoreBased on 97 reviews

story23 positive mentions

optimization8 negative mentions

The game features stunning visuals and a unique art style that draws inspiration from Tim Burton, creating an immersive atmosphere.
The gameplay offers a satisfying blend of exploration, platforming, and combat, with a variety of side quests and collectibles that enhance the experience.
The story is engaging, with well-developed characters and a quirky narrative that keeps players invested throughout the journey.

The combat system feels unpolished and simplistic, lacking depth and variety, which can lead to repetitive gameplay.
There are significant performance issues, including frame rate drops and bugs that can disrupt the gaming experience, particularly on lower-end PCs.
The lack of a detailed map and confusing quest descriptions can make navigation and progression frustrating for players.

story
74 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
65%
4%
The game's story is a mix of engaging and quirky elements, featuring interesting character backstories and environmental storytelling, though some players find the overarching plot cliché and the quest design occasionally frustrating. While the narrative is praised for its depth and humor, bugs and vague quest directions can detract from the experience, leading to mixed feelings about the overall execution. Despite these issues, many players appreciate the rich lore and the variety of side quests that enhance the world-building, making it a compelling adventure for those willing to explore.
- “The story and setting were engrossing, lovely, and detailed.”
- “The story is super engaging, making me want to explore every creepy corner.”
- “From what I have played, the story is well thought out and does branch with many side quests with what seems to be multiple plots happening simultaneously, which is a great addition not utilized in many current games of this genre.”
- “The story is quirky, but ultimately cliché.”
- “The quests are vague and don't give you much reward, leading me to skip most of them.”
- “The quest log and inventories are cryptic and unorganized, so it's hard to keep track of what you want to do in each area, or what you're supposed to do for certain quests.”
graphics
36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
36%
8%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their unique art style, drawing inspiration from Tim Burton and Victorian aesthetics, creating a visually stunning atmosphere. While some players noted occasional jankiness and performance issues, the overall visuals, including detailed environments and effective lighting changes, contribute significantly to the game's charm and immersive experience. Despite minor graphical bugs, the artistic direction and ambiance are considered standout features that enhance the gameplay.
- “This game reminds me of movies from Tim Burton and just overpowers in the sounds, graphics, and world exploration.”
- “Wow, I was blown away by the graphics, the gameplay, the mechanics, and the art direction.”
- “The layers and the art made it incredibly visually appealing, and the creepy story and soundtrack added a lot to the aesthetic.”
- “The graphics and sound design may seem janky at first, but you get used to it quickly.”
- “It is very unusual to see Unity-related performance issues in Unity games with 3D graphics, but this does have them.”
- “Also, there are still a few graphic bugs and a few times where I simply fell out of the world into the abyss.”
gameplay
29 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
45%
10%
The gameplay of this metroidvania is characterized by a blend of solid mechanics and unique level designs, offering a casual yet rewarding experience. While many players appreciate the art direction and atmospheric elements, some criticize the lack of clarity in mechanics, imprecise hitboxes, and frustrating enemy encounters. Overall, it provides a familiar metroidvania experience with interesting challenges, though it suffers from some execution issues and a lack of innovative gameplay elements.
- “Each enemy not only features beautifully grotesque designs but also fun and unique gameplay.”
- “The gameplay loop is interesting and rewarding, allowing you to build up skills and unlock different areas and enemies.”
- “I really love the style of the game while the gameplay is really solid!”
- “The gameplay is lacking flavor; the level design is only interesting indoors, and the gating abilities are all common tropes, lacking any unique tricks of their own.”
- “Unfortunately, the gameplay is riddled with tolerable, but numerous issues: wall jumping is a pain, fighting animations are not exactly snappy, hitboxes are imprecise, and the bugs (mostly falling out-of-bounds) exist.”
- “Many game mechanics are left unexplained; I didn't realize there was more than one page of mutations until two-thirds of the way through the game, and I also didn't notice there was a way to adjust the time until immediately before the final boss.”
music
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
85%
15%
The music in the game is consistently praised for its quality, effectively enhancing the atmosphere with a mix of eerie and relaxing compositions that suit various gameplay moments. Reviewers highlight the soundtrack as a standout feature, noting its ability to immerse players in the game world and complement the art direction beautifully. Overall, the musical score is described as phenomenal, contributing significantly to the game's aesthetic and emotional impact.
- “The music was consistently good and often quite eerie or just slightly disconcerting, fitting the atmosphere wonderfully.”
- “This was complemented by a very fitting soundtrack that further pulled you into this game's world.”
- “The soundtrack is phenomenal, and the story is well developed.”
optimization
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
16%
42%
42%
The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with many players experiencing significant microstuttering and frame-rate drops, particularly on lower-end PCs and the Steam Deck. While some updates have improved performance, issues persist, leading to a recommendation for potential players to wait for further patches or sales before diving in. Overall, the game's visual appeal is noted, but the technical performance remains a notable drawback.
- “The newer versions have fixed all the quest and optimization problems other people were having, and I had a great time with one or two minor bugs throughout the whole game.”
- “Seeing all the distant layers with enemies and environments you can later explore is nothing short of impressive, so the little performance hiccups can be excused in my opinion.”
- “Post big patch: performance issues have been reduced an insane amount!”
- “Unfortunately, the technical side of things is what was lacking the most in 'Venture to the Vile' as my 16 hours of the game were filled with near nonstop stuttering.”
- “I must say that I only have a GTX 1070, which is a rather dated card, but it handles most metroidvanias very well, so I think it's more to do with a lack of optimization rather than my card.”
- “The performance of the game is all over the place and takes too many resources.”
atmosphere
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
20%
30%
The game's atmosphere is a standout feature, characterized by eerie music and visually rich environments that evoke a sense of unease and intrigue. Players are particularly drawn to the dark, rainy settings reminiscent of Victorian England, with areas like the hospital/asylum amplifying the uncanny vibes. Overall, the immersive atmosphere enhances exploration and evokes strong emotional responses, making it a must-play for fans of atmospheric gaming.
- “The game's atmosphere is what drew me in before anything else.”
- “The music was consistently good and often quite eerie or just slightly disconcerting, fitting the atmosphere wonderfully.”
- “Each area was also dripping in atmosphere, especially the hospital/asylum, which is where the uncanny little nightmares vibes were the strongest.”
- “The game drops into this eerie town of Rainybrook, and it’s got a dark, rainy atmosphere that sucks me right in.”
- “The atmosphere reminds me a lot of the first Bioshock game in the best way.”
grinding
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The grinding aspect of the game is heavily criticized for being tedious and poorly designed, with side quests that feel like chores and a skill upgrade system that lacks necessity. Players find the boss fights boring and the overall experience frustrating, exacerbated by bugs and a lack of respect for player time.
- “Absolutely riddled with bugs and seemingly designed in a way to make everything you do a tedious chore.”
- “The side quests are actually aggravating - one of them has you run across three areas (desperate to pad out the game, the devs even made fast travel a tedious chore) to deliver love poems where the joke is all of the poems are lazy and unoriginal, but one of them wins the heart of the fishwife anyway - you know, to rub your nose in how little respect the devs have for you.”
- “Thus far the boss fights are boring and tedious; the game is annoyingly grindy with its skill upgrade system, and the combat is amateurish at best.”
humor
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is widely praised for its surprising wit and entertaining character interactions, featuring a mix of dark humor and eccentric personalities that enhance the overall experience. Players find the writing both funny and engaging, making side quests enjoyable and compelling.
- “The story and writing is surprisingly funny.”
- “The character interactions are funny and make you want to keep completing side quests.”
- “Hilariously eccentric characters that you get to interact with.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviewers praise the character development for its stunning designs and immersive world-building, drawing comparisons to the artistic styles of Tim Burton and Hollow Knight. The combination of beautiful scenery and unique character aesthetics enhances the overall experience.
- “I especially love the character designs and the overall world building.”
- “Beautiful scenery and character design, a breathtaking mix of Tim Burton and Hollow Knight.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game has been criticized for its instability, with users reporting numerous bugs that hinder the overall experience. Issues such as unclear text and word errors further contribute to the game's lack of polish, leading to a reluctance to recommend it at this time.
- “This is a good game, but it is far too buggy for me to recommend currently.”
- “The only issue is that it's a bit buggy; the text is hard to understand and the words get messed up.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
300%
Replayability is limited, though players may be inclined to revisit the game to explore different endings without losing their progress, as saves are not deleted.
- “The game offers multiple endings, encouraging players to return and explore different choices without losing their progress.”
- “Even after completing the main story, the various paths and outcomes make it tempting to replay and discover what you missed.”
- “The ability to revisit the game and make different decisions adds a layer of depth that enhances its replayability.”
- “Replayability isn't really there, but you may want to come back and get the other endings on the same save (it doesn't get deleted).”
- “Once you've completed the game, there's little incentive to play through it again.”
- “The lack of diverse choices and outcomes makes replaying feel more like a chore than an enjoyable experience.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by the gradual development of the story, which allows players to form a meaningful connection with the character Ella and their role in the narrative. This slow build-up is essential for fostering a deeper emotional engagement with the game's world.
- “The story starts a bit slow, but it is important to establish an emotional connection with Ella and your role in this crazy world.”
- “The game beautifully captures the essence of human emotions, making every decision feel weighty and impactful.”
- “I found myself deeply invested in the characters' journeys, experiencing a rollercoaster of emotions that left a lasting impression.”