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Vessels of Decay

Vessels of Decay Game Cover
41%Game Brain Score
Most mentioned positive aspects:atmosphere, emotional
Most mentioned negative aspects:story, gameplay
61% User Score Based on 18 reviews

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Nintendo SwitchLinuxXbox Series X|SPCPlaystation 5Mac OSPlaystation 4Xbox OneXboxSteam DeckWindowsPlayStation
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Vessels of Decay Game Cover

About Vessels of Decay

Vessels of Decay is a single player hack and slash game with fantasy and post-apocalyptic themes. It was developed by Aurora Punks and was released on June 19, 2025. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

Something has awoken, rising from the Decay. Civilization has ended, and creatures older than man are slowly emerging from the depth of the earth. Vessels of Decay is a retro-inspired...

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Reviews

61%Audience ScoreBased on 18 reviews
atmosphere3 positive mentions
music3 negative mentions
  • The game features striking pixel art and a strong Scandinavian/Nordic atmosphere that sets it apart from typical post-apocalyptic titles.
  • Combat and boss fights offer unique, strategic challenges with visually engaging finishing moves and abilities that feel satisfying when executed properly.
  • The story and world-building create an intriguing, eerie, and solitary experience anchored in folklore and cultural identity, supported by calm and fitting music.
  • The game suffers from numerous bugs and glitches, including game-breaking soft locks, crash loops, and technical issues with controls and camera, detracting greatly from gameplay.
  • Movement, platforming, and combat controls are often clunky, unresponsive, or imprecise, causing frustration during timing-based sections and combat encounters.
  • Limited enemy variety, repetitive puzzles, and reused assets reduce gameplay depth, and the narrative is sometimes minimalistic to the point of lacking emotional engagement or clarity.

  • story

    15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    20% positive mentions, 60% neutral mentions, 20% negative mentions

    The story of Vessels of Decay offers an intriguing Scandinavian post-apocalyptic setting with themes of loss and transformation, following siblings Freja and Mud across 10 chapters. While its premise and environmental storytelling are appreciated, the narrative often feels understated, occasionally unclear, and less compelling as a standalone element. Technical issues and presentation choices somewhat detract from the overall storytelling experience.

    • “There are 10 chapters where you play as one of the two sisters depending on the story, switching between Mud and Freja as the story progresses.”
    • “The player follows the adventures of siblings Freja and Mud as they fight a wide variety of monsters on their quest to restore the world’s former glory, navigating dilapidated city centers and mysterious Zelda-esque temples filled with puzzles and challenges.”
    • “Vessels of Decay, developed by Simon Jakobsson together with Aurora Punks and published by Headup, is a striking attempt to merge retro-styled action-adventure design with a distinctly Scandinavian take on post-apocalyptic storytelling.”
    • “Movement sucks, sounds are annoying, and the story is pretty boring.”
    • “The result is a story that complements the world effectively but doesn’t quite stand on its own as a compelling driving force.”
    • “I had completely lost interest in the story by this point of the game and all of the persistent technical issues drowned out any enjoyment Vessels of Decay had managed to cultivate.”

  • gameplay

    13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    23% positive mentions, 54% neutral mentions, 23% negative mentions

    The gameplay offers a mix of top-down action-adventure elements including combat, exploration, and puzzles, with an emphasis on timing and positioning during battles. While it is accessible and relaxing with a distinctive mood and artistic style, its mechanics can be inconsistent and occasionally frustrating, preventing it from fully realizing its potential. Overall, it appeals most to players who prioritize atmosphere over mechanical depth.

    • “From a gameplay standpoint, the experience leans into a top-down action-adventure structure that mixes exploration, combat, and occasional puzzle elements.”
    • “These battles emphasize timing and positioning, with mechanics such as stagger effects and finishing moves adding a cinematic touch to encounters.”
    • “It’s a relaxing game that is easy to get into and it doesn’t have complex mechanics.”
    • “However, the gameplay is pretty typical and it’s far from perfect.”
    • “Despite these strengths, the execution of its mechanics can be uneven.”
    • “The game makes a point at one time to have you in timed safety areas with the wisps and combining it with the difficulty of the wisps lighting effect with the janky bridge mechanics makes it something to cause frustration in most people.”

  • graphics

    10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    30% positive mentions, 40% neutral mentions, 30% negative mentions

    The game's graphics feature a simplistic yet striking pixel art style heavily influenced by Scandinavian aesthetics, which shapes its unique post-apocalyptic world and tone. While not highly detailed, the visuals effectively complement the gameplay and setting, creating captivating and distinctive environments.

    • “The Scandinavian influence is not just aesthetic—it shapes the creatures, the landscapes, and the tone of the experience, giving the game a unique identity that sets it apart from more conventional post-apocalyptic titles.”
    • “When I saw a gameplay video, I was instantly drawn in by the retro-inspired graphics, isometric action, RPG gameplay, and a post-apocalyptic setting steeped in Norse mythology.”
    • “The various types of puzzles and challenges in each area weren’t anything that hasn’t been done before, but the areas were aesthetically captivating, and at one point I came across a shopping mall which acted as the lair for a host of giants, goblins, and trolls — an interesting location!”
    • “I didn't buy this game for the art style, as it is rather simplistic in execution.”
    • “Graphics: pixel/5.”
    • “Vessels of Decay is quite a unique take on action adventure with its simplistic pixel art style.”

  • music

    7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    29% positive mentions, 28% neutral mentions, 43% negative mentions

    The music is praised for its ethereal, calm synth melodies that perfectly complement the game's lonely, dying world atmosphere. It enhances the nostalgic and immersive experience, contributing significantly to the overall tone and mood. However, some found the music selection limited.

    • “The game’s music and sound effects carry the experience.”
    • “Initially, I remember being enchanted by the ethereal synth music and the nostalgic pixel art throughout the city ruins which served as the tutorial area.”
    • “Music: few”
    • “Initially, I remember being enchanted by the ethereal synth music and the nostalgic pixel art throughout the city ruins which served as the tutorial area where (sadly) I experienced even more egregious technical difficulties.”
    • “The music and soundtracks were calm and match the feeling of a lonely dying world.”

  • atmosphere

    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    75% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 25% negative mentions

    The game is widely praised for its strong and distinctive atmosphere, enhanced by minimalistic yet effective visual and audio design. While this immersive mood stands out, some feel it comes at the expense of deeper character development and emotional engagement. Overall, the atmosphere is a defining and compelling aspect of the experience.

    • “Where the game leaves a strong impression is in its visual and atmospheric design.”
    • “In the end, Vessels of Decay is a game defined by its atmosphere and identity.”
    • “Promising -- the combat is fun and I dig the atmosphere and soundtrack.”
    • “While this minimalism can enhance the atmosphere, it also means that character development and emotional stakes don’t always reach their full potential.”

  • stability

    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions

    The game suffers from frequent bugs and glitches that cause soft locks and disrupt gameplay, severely impacting stability. Issues like unresponsive controls and progression blocks force restarts, making the experience frustrating despite its promising concept.

    • “Man this was such a disappointment. I was enjoying the game and was even willing to overlook the horrible first boss fight, the lack of clear instructions, and the glitchy bugs—until I got soft-locked in the second chapter because I didn't pick up an antler before leaving the room, and the game wouldn't let me re-enter. My only option was to restart the entire level. Considering the game is such a buggy mess, I believe I'll have to restart levels multiple times, which I shouldn't have to tolerate.”
    • “Cool idea and seems like a great game, but unfortunately very buggy.”
    • “It's a little buggy right now—I can't get the boar chase to work because the sprint button wasn't working for me, and when I rebound it, the character would just fall asleep repeatedly.”

  • character development

    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions

    The character development is minimalistic, which can enhance the game's atmosphere but often limits the emotional depth and growth of the characters.

    • “While this minimalism can enhance the atmosphere, it also means that character development and emotional stakes don’t always reach their full potential.”

  • emotional

    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The game's minimalistic approach contributes to its atmospheric appeal but limits character development and emotional impact, resulting in less compelling emotional engagement.

  • optimization

    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions

    The game's optimization for controllers is lacking, with specific issues such as poor handling of decay causing performance problems. Overall, controller support requires improvement for smoother gameplay.

    • “Getting back to controllers, Decay is poorly optimized for them.”
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Frequently Asked Questions

Vessels of Decay is a hack and slash game with fantasy and post-apocalyptic themes. Common tags for Vessels of Decay include indie, linear, pixel graphics, 2d fighter, souls-like and others.

Vessels of Decay is available on Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, PC, PlayStation 5 and others.

Vessels of Decay was released on June 19, 2025.

Vessels of Decay was developed by Aurora Punks.

Vessels of Decay has received mostly positive reviews from players. Most players liked Vessels of Decay for its atmosphere but disliked it for its story.

Vessels of Decay is a single player game.

Similar games include The Last Case of Benedict Fox, Enotria: The Last Song, Hunt the Night, Hob, The Spirit of the Samurai and others.