Vigilantes
- October 2, 2018
- Timeslip Softworks
- 14h median play time
Get on Steam"Vigilantes is a single-player, turn-based tactical RPG set in a gritty, crime-ridden city. Experience hardcore combat, character development, base building, and surveillance gameplay in a post-apocalyptic world with a splash of cyberpunk. Build your ultimate crime-fighting team using the detailed UPLIFT system, which includes various stats, skills, and perks."
Mac OS
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Reviews
- Engaging turn-based tactical combat that offers a satisfying challenge and strategic depth.
- Unique noir setting with a compelling premise of vigilantes fighting against crime syndicates.
- Good character progression and customization options, allowing players to build diverse teams with different play styles.
- Repetitive gameplay loop with limited enemy variety and predictable AI behavior.
- User interface can be clunky and lacks intuitive navigation, making it difficult to manage resources and characters.
- The story feels disjointed and lacks meaningful character interactions, reducing overall immersion.
- story260 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 75 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The game's story is generally considered basic and not a primary focus, with many players noting its repetitiveness and lack of depth. While some appreciate the unique vigilante theme and character interactions, others find the narrative disjointed and lacking in engaging elements. Overall, the story serves more as a backdrop to the combat mechanics rather than a driving force, leaving players desiring a richer narrative experience.
“It has a story that's unique.”
“Amazing gameplay, fun fighting, wonderful story.”
“The story is where it's at with this game - it's the most enjoyable part.”
“There really aren't too many story beats once you locate all the vigilante companions.”
“The story does not really grip oneself.”
“The story pretty much takes a back seat for most of the game except at the beginning when recruiting the predetermined companions and for lieutenant/boss takedowns.”
- gameplay156 mentions
- 28 % positive mentions
- 64 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The gameplay is a mix of tactical RPG elements featuring turn-based combat, crafting, and base management, reminiscent of titles like XCOM and Jagged Alliance. While some players appreciate the solid mechanics and strategic depth, many criticize the repetitive nature, poor AI, and a grindy gameplay loop that detracts from the overall experience. Overall, the game offers enjoyable combat and character progression, but it struggles with engagement and variety in missions.
“Excellent turn-based gameplay with a good strategic layer.”
“What the game lacks in presentation and expensive cutscenes, it makes up for with surprisingly deep gameplay from the combat to managing your little band of misfits in the ever-on-fire Ryker City.”
“If you like turn-based tactical combat, this game offers very solid gameplay and it's finished.”
“The premise is good but is held back by poor AI, a boring gameplay loop, and a grindy nature that does little to reward you.”
“The AI is dumb, the maps don't change, and the gameplay is a grind.”
“It lacks meaningful gameplay, the UI is unpolished, and (most importantly) the combat system quickly loses its fun.”
- graphics76 mentions
- 24 % positive mentions
- 71 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many players noting that while the neon noir aesthetic and comic-book style are appealing, the overall quality is average and sometimes lacks polish. Critics point out issues such as muddy textures, poor HUD design, and generic animations, which detract from the experience. However, some appreciate the indie charm and the game's ability to create a fitting atmosphere despite its visual shortcomings, making it a worthwhile experience for fans of turn-based combat.
“Good turn-based combat RPG, nice synth soundtrack, and neon noir feel to visuals.”
“I like the aesthetic and noir storytelling with a black sense of humor.”
“Graphics are ok ... nothing to blow you away, but the comic-booky feel fits the genre and they certainly are not distractingly bad.”
“Imagine XCOM and take off all the fun mechanics of it, give it a cool cyberpunk artwork look just to swap it to hideous poor 2010s 3D models, and last but not least: a HUD so poorly done that it would make a blind person cry while in front of them.”
“The rest of the game is terrible; it lacks shortcuts, the maps are repetitive, and many times I couldn't see enemies right next to my people because of the bad graphics.”
“While I don't expect the highest quality graphics, the textures look extremely muddy, like it's for the browser.”
- music50 mentions
- 64 % positive mentions
- 30 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received high praise for its engaging synth soundtrack, reminiscent of 80s action films and classic titles like Shadowrun. While the tracks are generally outstanding and enhance the game's atmosphere, some players noted that the music can become repetitive after extended play. Overall, the sound design is solid, contributing positively to the immersive experience despite some gameplay shortcomings.
“The music tracks for this are outstanding.”
“One of the things I loved most about this game was the music.”
“The music is great (Knight Rider ftw!) and the sound effects when you whack someone with a kick or a baseball bat are very satisfying.”
“Being based on fresh ideas is the biggest strength of the game, combined with a very good gameplay, decent graphics, and a very good yet a bit repetitive soundtrack.”
“Music is repetitive but very engaging.”
“Some pieces of the soundtrack are better than others, but in general I can say that sound design is solid.”
- grinding38 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The reviews highlight a significant issue with grinding in the game, describing it as tedious, repetitive, and often lacking in meaningful rewards. Players note that while the initial gameplay can be engaging, it quickly devolves into a grind that hampers enjoyment, particularly due to poor AI and a lack of enemy variety. Some players appreciate the balance of challenge and grinding, but many feel that the overall experience suffers from an excessive focus on grinding missions, leading to a slowdown in pacing and excitement as the game progresses.
“The premise is good but is held back by poor AI, a boring gameplay loop, and a grindy nature that does little to reward you.”
“This was pretty engrossing at first, but after about forty hours or so, I felt the pace of the game had slowed to a crawl -- battles just became these long, boring, tedious affairs, with no real sense of dynamism or tactics other than to lure the AI into basically charging into a funnel of gunfire.”
“Well, the negative reviews are correct: it's grindy, repetitive, lacking in enemy variety, and the AI is confused and yet very predictable.”
- character development22 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
Character development in the game offers a decent level of customization and control, allowing players to experiment with different playstyles through perks and bonuses. However, while the initial character generation is engaging, the overall depth of individual character development is somewhat limited compared to other titles, making it feel less expansive than it initially appears. The integration of character development with crafting and base building adds to the enjoyment, but players may find it lacks the intricacy they desire.
“You get a lot of control over character development, and the story has a nice kick-ass feel to it (referring to the vigilante movie) plus a little Watchmen vibe.”
“It has good character generation (chargen) and character development (chardev), decent combat, and a decent amount of stuff to do outside of combat.”
“Individual character development was minimal, mostly when they are first introduced.”
“The leveling and character development is ok but ultimately not as expansive as it looks at first glance; it's deceptive really.”
“Character development isn't as intricate as in some other games, but it will give you enough space to experiment that you'll be able to narrow down your play-style.”
- atmosphere18 mentions
- 44 % positive mentions
- 39 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of Vigliantes is consistently praised for its dark, gritty aesthetic reminiscent of comic books, enhancing the game's immersive experience. Reviewers highlight its strong noir elements and engaging presentation, likening it to a turn-based strategy version of Hotline Miami, which contributes to its overall appeal despite minor writing flaws. Overall, the game's atmosphere is considered a significant strength, drawing players into its violent underworld.
“Turn-based punisher-style game with a great atmosphere, interesting features, and maiming the underworld with uzis, machetes, and incendiary grenades.”
“The atmosphere is incredible.”
“It's heavily oriented towards combat - I even saw some minor typos here and there, and the writing is a bit too hard in the noir style, but on the whole, the atmosphere of the game is solid.”
“Don't let the above keep you away; however, since the game's atmosphere and how the rest of it works makes it all worth dealing with the above issues, especially since to put it succinctly, this game feels like a turn-based strategy version of Hotline Miami with the art style and music as well as what story is in the game currently.”
“Vigliantes has a dark, gritty atmosphere with the various screens looking ripped from a comic book.”
- humor14 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game features a unique blend of noir storytelling and dark humor, which some players find amusing despite its shortcomings in character development compared to similar titles. The AI's comical ineptitude and the randomness of enemy placements add to the humor, while local newspaper reports provide additional comedic moments. Overall, players appreciate the game's funny elements, even if it feels like a lesser version of its predecessors.
“I like the aesthetic and noir storytelling with a black sense of humor.”
“AI is almost hilariously bad, but the battles are short and you can still have fun optimizing how fast you take everyone out.”
“There's also a somewhat plain but serviceable system for tracking info on the bad guys and reading local newspaper reports (which can be pretty funny).”
- replayability10 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 30 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
Overall, the game is considered to have above-average replayability due to its diverse builds, equipment, and mechanics, making it enjoyable for multiple playthroughs. However, some players feel that once completed, the game lacks significant replay value, suggesting that adjustments could enhance this aspect further.
“There is in fact enough diversity in builds, equipment, and game mechanics to justify replayability.”
“Loosening the later would greatly enhance replayability, but I like where it's currently at.”
“It's ok and I'll go ahead and give it a thumbs up, but after finishing the game I really don't feel like it has much replay value.”
“It's worth the $$ and has above average replayability.”
“There is in fact enough diversity in builds, equipment and game mechanics to justify replayability.”
- stability8 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
Overall, the game demonstrates strong stability, with users reporting minimal glitches, no significant issues like locks or corrupted saves, and a generally bug-free experience, especially for an indie title. However, some players noted questionable texture choices that may be perceived as glitches.
“It was reasonably bug-free (impressively so for a small indie title), though not completely so.”
“I am not sure if those are glitches or actually terrible texture picks.”
- optimization4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The optimization for melee characters in the game is lacking, as players feel that the mechanics do not adequately support their playstyle. Additionally, the base building system, which is intended to enhance team performance, does not seem to effectively integrate with melee-focused gameplay.
“I like melee characters in games like Shadowrun, but it isn't optimized for them.”
“Base building that directly affects your battle team performance.”
