Vernon's Legacy

About

Vernon's Legacy is a single player action adventure game with a horror theme. It was developed by TripleBrick and was released on September 23, 2016. It received neutral reviews from players.

"Vernon's Legacy" is a narrative-driven puzzle game where players help the protagonist, Jake, uncover the secrets of his late grandfather's past. Players will solve puzzles and uncover hidden objects within the family farmstead to reveal the legacy of Vernon. Through these discoveries, Jake will come to understand his grandfather's life and the choices he made. The game features a heartwarming story about family, love, and the importance of legacy.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

47%

Audience ScoreBased on 30 reviews

story6 positive mentions

music3 negative mentions

The game features impressive graphics that effectively utilize Unreal Engine 4, creating a visually appealing atmosphere.
The first half of the game successfully builds a creepy atmosphere with engaging puzzles and an intriguing story told through notes.
The sound design, particularly the thunderstorm ambiance, enhances the overall sense of foreboding in the mansion.

The second half of the game devolves into frustrating gameplay, relying on repetitive chase mechanics and poorly designed mazes.
Many puzzles are illogical or based on trial and error, leading to a lack of satisfaction and engagement.
The game suffers from technical issues, including poor optimization, lack of configuration options, and frequent crashes.

story
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
61%
13%
The story is primarily conveyed through scattered notes, which some players found engaging and well-written, while others felt it lacked depth and originality compared to similar titles like "Amnesia: The Dark Descent." Although the initial atmosphere and mystery are promising, many reviews indicate that the narrative ultimately falls short, with a sense of incompleteness due to the game's early access status. Overall, while the setting and backstory have potential, the execution leaves much to be desired, leading to mixed impressions among players.
- “I loved finding and reading all over the place to get the story.”
- “The letters found during the search for keys, cogs, or levers provide an interesting backstory that is well written and short, so reading is no chore.”
- “The story is told almost exclusively through the notes you find around the manor, and even though I'm usually not a huge fan of that, this game somehow makes it work.”
- “Unfortunately, I can't say that it stands out from the crowd, as the initially promising atmosphere and story quickly dwindles into mediocrity.”
- “Some people in other reviews have talked up the story aspect of this release, but in reality, it's not that special.”
- “So while the game starts interesting and builds a decent mystery as to what is going on in the vaults, it does not deliver story- or gameplay-wise.”
graphics
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
47%
33%
20%
The graphics in "Vernon's Legacy" are generally praised for their impressive use of the Unreal Engine 4, showcasing beautiful environments and detailed visuals that enhance the overall experience. However, some users noted issues such as clipping, unfinished textures, and a lack of polish that detracted from the game's potential. While the visuals are a standout feature, they are not enough to compensate for the game's other shortcomings.
- “The graphics take advantage of the Unreal Engine 4 and show off what it can do well, and the game also delivers great sound effects that echo realistically as you explore your uncle Vernon's mansion trying to figure out what exactly happened and why his butler and cook left before you arrived.”
- “Graphically, it's stunning, although there are a few problems with clipping through doors and unfinished textured faces; it doesn't distract from the beauty!”
- “The story is intriguing, the graphics are beautiful, and somewhat reminiscent of Amnesia.”
- “Graphics - 0 price - 0”
- “There were halls that went nowhere, boxes flying around, difficulty picking items up, and fuzzy graphics. Just glad it was cheap.”
- “Triplebrick needs to put more polish in its games and not just in the graphics.”
atmosphere
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
34%
33%
The game's atmosphere is initially engaging, particularly in the early stages set within a spooky mansion, enhanced by a foreboding ambiance and effective sound design. However, as the game progresses, many players feel that the atmosphere diminishes significantly, leading to a less compelling experience overall. While some elements, like clever puzzles, contribute positively, the overall atmosphere fails to maintain its initial promise.
- “Surprisingly, the first half of the game somewhat succeeds in creating the required atmosphere within the old, abandoned mansion and the sounds of the raging thunderstorm outside.”
- “Initially, we had a spooky mansion setting, and quite a gripping one at that - the foreboding atmosphere and nice ambience, as well as the gothic look of the place, made this compelling enough to want to go on.”
- “The game has a spooky atmosphere, and in order to get to the basement, you have to solve some fairly clever puzzles.”
- “Unfortunately, I can't say that it stands out from the crowd, as the initially promising atmosphere and story quickly dwindles into mediocrity.”
- “And unfortunately that was where it unraveled - that initial setting was by far the best area, as once you end up deeper in the game and are introduced to the entity which pursues you, it loses every ounce of fun and atmosphere and just becomes a horrible chore.”
- “I definitely don't recommend this game; however, if you can't help yourself and want to try this title due to its visual appeal and its other components in its genre (walking sim, puzzles, dark atmosphere), buy it on sale.”
gameplay
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
34%
33%
The gameplay is divided into two distinct halves: the first half features engaging adventure elements with puzzle-solving and exploration, while the second half devolves into repetitive chase sequences that feel derivative and less polished. Although the initial experience offers a compelling atmosphere and clever puzzles, the latter portion suffers from poor design choices that detract from the overall enjoyment, leading to a disappointing conclusion for many players.
- “First of all, I think it would be important to mention that the game can be divided into two parts: the first half functions as an adventure game (or 'walking simulator' if you will) where we search for keys, unlock doors, collect a few items, and solve puzzles to advance; meanwhile, the second half consists mostly of hectic running from the mentioned evil entity, degrading gameplay into a second-rate Slenderman clone (well, not exactly, since the monster in this case floats or rather flows following a pattern, but if it notices us, it will give chase).”
- “The creepy mansion is fun to explore, with a decent story and clever puzzles providing solid gameplay.”
- “Vernon's legacy is still a decent game, with fluent gameplay and a cool atmosphere.”
- “First of all, I think it would be important to mention that the game can be divided into two parts: the first half functions as an adventure game (or 'walking simulator' if you will) where we search for keys, unlock doors, collect a few items, and solve puzzles to advance; meanwhile, the second half consists mostly of hectic running from the mentioned evil entity, degrading gameplay into a second-rate Slenderman clone.”
- “Other than the visuals, the gameplay becomes brutal in the last 75% of the game.”
- “Having played 81 minutes now, I've had it refunded - what looked truly like a great little indie game was an ultimate failure, let down by a game design choice which absolutely destroyed it from around 40 minutes of gameplay onwards.”
music
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
49%
38%
The game's music is minimal, primarily consisting of a repetitive soundtrack that plays when reading notes, with the thunderstorm outside providing a more significant atmospheric sound. While some players appreciate the sparse sound design for enhancing the sense of foreboding, others find the lack of a varied musical score disappointing. Overall, the music serves more to set the mood than to engage players actively.
- “The sound design is sparse, with no voice acting and very little music, mostly when you open up the journal in order to read notes, but what there is helps to set the mood.”
- “I don't believe there was any soundtrack except for the thundering storm outside, which did a great deal to sell a heavy sense of foreboding.”
- “As you explore the mansion, the only soundtrack you get is the thunderstorm happening outside.”
- “Sadly, the only music soundtrack you get is when you are reading notes, and it is highly repetitive.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, players report a mix of minor glitches and design issues, but no game-breaking bugs or crashes. While some users express frustration over the lack of developer engagement in addressing these problems, the early access status provides some leeway for these stability concerns, with optimism that they will be resolved before the final release.
- “It should also come as no surprise that Triplebrick is missing in action from their own forums, while multiple players are asking for help with glitches.”
- “While I haven't encountered any game-breaking bugs or glitches and the game has never crashed, there are a lot of small design issues that should've been addressed.”
- “-4 points for being a buggy, incomplete mess.”