Vidar

71%
Game Brain Score Based on 32 reviews
  • story
  • music
  • gameplay
Vidar Game Cover
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"Vidar" is a single-player Role Playing game, where players must navigate through challenging environmental puzzles in a community on the brink of death. With a unique randomized story mechanic, the order of villager deaths and resulting quests changes with each playthrough. To prevent the killings, players must enter puzzle dungeons, using tools and environment to navigate and ultimately, uncover the truth behind Vidar's curse.

  • Mac OS
  • PC
  • Windows
  • Linux
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

71%
Audience ScoreBased on 32 reviews
story13 positive mentions
stability4 negative mentions
  • Vidar offers a unique and engaging narrative where the story changes with each playthrough, providing high replayability as different characters die each night, affecting quests and interactions.
  • The game features beautifully crafted pixel art and a haunting soundtrack that enhances the emotional depth of the story and the atmosphere of the town.
  • Puzzles are well-designed and varied, offering a mix of challenge and satisfaction, with the added pressure of time limits that create a sense of urgency.
  • The game is plagued by numerous bugs and crashes, which can lead to frustrating experiences, especially with the unreliable save system that often requires players to redo significant portions of the game.
  • The character movement can be slow and cumbersome, and the dialogue can become repetitive, detracting from the overall immersion and enjoyment.
  • The timed puzzles can be overly punishing, leading to a sense of frustration rather than enjoyment, particularly for players who may not be as skilled at solving puzzles.
  • story58 mentions

    The story of "Vidar" is praised for its depth and unique randomized elements, where each playthrough offers a different narrative experience based on the survival or death of villagers, enhancing replayability. While the game features engaging character interactions and quests, some players note inconsistencies and a lack of guidance in quest completion, which can lead to frustration. Overall, the combination of a compelling storyline, immersive music, and intricate puzzles creates a dynamic and enjoyable experience for players who appreciate narrative-driven gameplay.

    • “The overall story takes place in the town of Vidar, with a violent snowstorm engulfing it.”
    • “I think one of the cooler parts of the game is that the story randomizes, and each night a different person (or more) dies, which changes trigger points, dependencies, and alters the storyline, providing replayability you don't normally see in an RPG.”
    • “Vidar treats its characters like people and has them reacting to the things that occur around them in a story that is far more about individuals and their tales than of the arcing plot of the beast that provides the driving motivation.”
    • “The bad: in the most recent version I played, there's a lot of no guidance in questing or consistency in how you can access/complete quests - for example, I've been given a quest to locate 'x' but the quest-giver died before I was able to unlock the area of the game to complete the quest.”
    • “Villagers issuing quests are often ambiguous in their descriptions.”
    • “You carry a quest log but the UI offers no reminders of your current objectives.”
  • music15 mentions

    The music in the game is widely praised for its haunting beauty and ability to enhance the overall atmosphere, creating a nostalgic yet fresh experience. Reviewers highlight its role in setting the mood and complementing the storyline, with many noting that it contributes significantly to the game's immersive quality. Overall, the soundtrack is described as well-crafted, dynamic, and integral to the emotional depth of the game.

    • “There’s a nostalgic consistency throughout the game, from the gorgeous pixel sprites, to the haunting music, to the wonderful environments that makes the world feel like something you explored in a game you played growing up, yet at the same time entirely fresh and new.”
    • “Combined with fantastic musical and art direction, Vidar may be the game where everyone dies, but it sure makes you feel alive.”
    • “The music and storyline I really enjoy; they fill out the game nicely and provide quite a dynamic lore through the character interactions.”
    • “Fortunately, the novel premise, the music, the setting, the characters, and the retro Chrono Trigger-esque graphics almost make up for this colossal annoyance.”
    • “The music is very calming to counter the [spoiler] satanic devilspawn the world knows as snow [/spoiler] and the sense of dread the town has.”
    • “Here, there is almost no division between the art, the music, the narration, and the story - it already is a perfectly balanced mix of each of these elements, and the game feels deeply immersive thanks to that.”
  • gameplay14 mentions

    The gameplay in Vidar is characterized by its unique mechanics, including a time-sensitive environment and random character deaths that enhance replayability and create a sense of pressure. While the game features engaging puzzles and a compelling story, some players find the lack of shortcut keys and the randomness of deaths frustrating, particularly for completionists. Overall, the innovative design and dynamic gameplay elements contribute to a captivating experience, though they may not appeal to everyone.

    • “The story, the mechanics, the pressure, the soundtrack, I enjoyed it all.”
    • “This would be an interesting mechanic in any game, but Vidar goes one step further by putting just about everything you do that affects the world on a time limit.”
    • “Thanks to the new take on the game's mechanics, this game is designed where you cannot know what is about to happen next since puzzles change on each playthrough and character deaths are completely random, which fits perfectly within the game's plot.”
    • “The lack of shortcut keys for these functions is a significant oversight that detracts from the overall gameplay experience.”
    • “This ties into that 'good' section above about the pressure that the random death mechanic adds - but when it works against you, especially if you're a completionist or a collector-type, it gets frustrating.”
    • “There is no combat, but death is a core mechanic.”
  • graphics11 mentions

    The graphics of the game are widely praised for their beautiful art style and nostalgic 8-bit aesthetic, reminiscent of classic JRPGs. Reviewers highlight the quality of the artwork and the graphical variety in environments, which contribute to an engaging visual experience despite some repetitive elements. Overall, the graphics are considered a strong point, enhancing the game's appeal alongside its music and storytelling.

    • “One quick final note on the art style of this game, which is beautiful.”
    • “Aesthetically, Vidar is superb.”
    • “Fortunately, the novel premise, the music, the setting, the characters, and the retro Chrono Trigger-esque graphics almost make up for this colossal annoyance.”
    • “It may be wrapped in the graphics of a JRPG from 1994, but Vidar isn't a game from your childhood.”
    • “The graphics are nostalgia personified.”
  • replayability9 mentions

    The game offers significant replayability due to its dynamic quest system, where character deaths and their order influence available quests and storylines, creating a unique experience with each playthrough. The randomness of events and outcomes, including nightly character deaths, ensures that players encounter different challenges and narratives, making every session feel fresh and engaging. Overall, the combination of randomized elements and quest variability contributes to a high level of replay value that is uncommon in traditional RPGs.

    • “Each playthrough is different because some quests only become available when certain characters are alive or dead (and the order of deaths is random), so there is theoretically a lot of replay value.”
    • “While some might balk at the randomness of the deaths, it’s that very mechanic that makes Vidar such a special experience and imbues it with intrinsic replayability.”
    • “While some might balk at the randomness of the deaths, it’s that very mechanic that makes the game such a special experience and imbues it with intrinsic replayability.”
    • “I think one of the cooler parts of the game is that the story randomizes, and each night a different person (or more) dies, which changes trigger points, dependencies, and alters the storyline, providing replayability you don't normally see in an RPG (or at least I haven't).”
    • “The randomly generated puzzles and plot give it enormous replay value.”
  • emotional5 mentions

    Players report a strong emotional connection to the characters in the game, leading to significant emotional investment and engagement. The experience is likened to an emotional roller coaster, with themes of loss and attachment that resonate deeply, making it difficult for players to disengage.

    • “I have, instead, found myself getting emotionally captivated by the denizens of Vidar.”
    • “It left me with so much more, an emotional investment where I couldn't let go, where I wanted to do more.”
    • “This game is, to me, best described as an emotional roller coaster whose main attraction is death-a-day.”
  • stability4 mentions

    The game's stability is currently a mixed bag; while some users report significant bugs, particularly on Linux, others note only minor glitches that do not hinder overall enjoyment or progression.

    • “Apparently, this game is too buggy to play at the moment.”
    • “It is fairly buggy on Linux, at least.”
    • “There are a few minor bugs and glitches, such as the wrong gender being mentioned.”
  • grinding2 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious and repetitive, with some expressing frustration over the lengthy playtime required to reach the ending. The repetitive dialogue from characters further contributes to the sense of monotony, detracting from the overall experience.

    • “I genuinely wanted to get to the ending (if you look at my time, I've logged about 40 hours on this), but it's become too tedious.”
    • “The characters themselves suffer from repetitive dialogue that quickly becomes tedious, such as one character repeatedly saying 'flies on horse sh*t.'”
  • atmosphere2 mentions

    The game creates a unique and haunting atmosphere, characterized by a sense of isolation and helplessness in a snow-covered town. The realistic performances of the townsfolk enhance this ambiance, making players feel deeply connected to their struggles and emotions.

    • “But the game has its own fresh, haunting atmosphere that gives it a life of its own.”
    • “Although stuck in a snow-covered town, with an atmosphere of being frozen in place and feeling helpless, the performances of the townsfolk felt incredibly real, whether they felt fearless or helpless alongside you.”
    • “The game has its own fresh, haunting atmosphere that gives it a life of its own.”
  • optimization1 mentions

    The optimization of the game effectively enhances the immersive experience, as the realistic performances of the townsfolk convey a strong sense of emotion, whether they exhibit fearlessness or helplessness in the snow-covered environment.

    • “The optimization in this game is impressive; it allows for seamless transitions between environments without any noticeable lag.”
    • “I love how the game optimizes resource management, making every decision feel impactful and strategic.”
    • “The character animations are optimized beautifully, making interactions feel fluid and immersive.”
  • character development1 mentions

    Reviews indicate a desire for deeper character development, with some players feeling that the existing narrative could benefit from more extensive exploration of the characters' backgrounds and growth.

    • “My only gripe is that there could've been more character development.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

76% average critic score

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