Vagante Review

In 2014 I was deep in the throes of my roguelike addiction. Games like Spelunky and The Binding of Isaac got me hooked and I was always on the lookout for new games in the genre. There was one game at the time that I knew I had to play the moment I saw it: Vagante. I really liked the 2D platforming gameplay of Spelunky, but at the time there weren’t many roguelikes using that viewpoint or gameplay, so I was more than excited when I first saw Vagante, which looked like it had a lot in common with Spelunky. It was released in early access in late 2014, and I picked up a copy as soon as I could. I remember thinking that it did have some similarities to Spelunky – mostly the 2D platforming gameplay and the fact that you have to pay close attention to your surroundings otherwise you could easily fall victim to a trap. I also quickly realized that Vagante is without a doubt its own game thanks to the action RPG combat and item system. I didn’t play it quite as much as I should have (I might have had an unhealthy obsession with constantly growing my steam library), but I remember thinking that the game had potential; although it was a little rough around the edges and hard as heck. Jump ahead to 2022 and Nuke Nine, the developer of Vagante, has teamed with publisher Blitworks to bring Vagante to consoles and I leaped at the chance to try out the full game on console and see how it has grown over the years.

Vagante’s gameplay and overall setup fit well with the roguelike framework. The gameplay loop of permadeath and restarting at the beginning of the game is explained by a premise that sees a caravan of adventurers traveling to a cave in the forest that according to rumor holds unfathomable amounts of treasure. I suppose that it is unrealistic to expect that this caravan has an unlimited supply of adventurers, but I imagine that there have been countless groups of adventurers making camp outside this cave over the years. You can choose one of three classes (knight, rogue, and mage) and each one has a few different character skins to pick from. As you play you will gain experience points that will unlock backstories. These offer one extra layer of customization to start your run as each one gives different bonuses and sometimes detriments. For example, there is one called “Strong Thrower” that increases the speed at which you can throw items picked up in the environment. It will also add two to your strength, but you will suffer a negative two penalty to intelligence. Another backstory lets you heal for an extra five points of health each time you use the campfire in-between stages. There are also two additional characters in the unlock path, bringing the total to five. 

Each character has their own unique set of skills that can be unlocked by leveling up at the campfire in-between stages. Many of these are extremely useful, for example by spending one point in the Holy branch for the knight you will no longer take fall damage, which is a huge benefit for players learning the game. The Mage has a level one skill that is equally as useful. If you invest one point in the alchemy branch all potions will be immediately identified upon pickup (I’ll explain why this is so important a little later on). Each class has a number of offensive skills as well that can really aid you in battle, one example is the knight’s sword dive ability.

A full run of the game consists of making it through four biomes made up of three stages each. The order of the biomes always stays the same but the layouts of each stage are procedurally generated, and each stage will contain one of the four bosses designed for that biome. I’m pretty sure the game uses the “Chunk” system where the developers design a large number of small tiles or sections by hand and then input a series of rules dictating how they can and can’t be combined. Each biome is very unique in its design and layout. The first one, the caves, consists of narrow tunnel-like areas that lead into more open sections, and each stage is usually very vertical meaning that you will have to climb up ladders and make use of the ledge grab. 

Vagante features a lighting and line-of-sight system that adds to the sense of exploration. In a sense, it’s sort of like the fog of war design element seen in many game maps. Parts of the stage you have explored will be visible on screen if they are in view, but enemies will only be visible if you have a direct sightline to them. This might sound like an annoyance, but it works very well in the game adding to the excitement and tension. The caves also have a few traps. It’s these traps along with the platforming gameplay that really give the game the Spelunky comparisons. There are definitely a few borrowed elements such as the instadeath spike traps on the floor that you can safely walk through as well as arrow traps that shoot straight ahead if anything passes in front of them. In addition, there is a chance for a variant to appear in each stage, similar to how Spelunky occasionally has a dark level or a level filled with snakes. In Vagante’s case, two examples are a cave-in level where rocks periodically fall from the sky and another level where you will encounter different colored slimes that are much more dangerous than the run-of-the-mill green ones.

The action RPG portion of Vagante is what really sets it apart in the now crowded roguelike field. The game features a dungeon crawler style loot system, with a large number of different types of items you can find, from equipment like armor and weapons to potions, spellbooks, and scrolls. Each item of equipment will have a unique (sometimes humorous) name and specific stat buffs (and occasionally debuffs). Some items also have bonus properties, anything from allowing you to double jump, to phase shifting, and even granting you a loyal familiar. The catch with all of this is that most of the items you find will be unidentified when you pick them up, you won’t know their properties until you equip the item or “quaff” it down in the case of the potions. Drinking unlabeled potions can be very harmful for obvious reasons, and equipping unidentified items can be equally as dangerous. Some items are cursed and will have an extra property, one time I gained a naughty familiar that would periodically pick me up and then drop me. The properties on cursed items aren’t always bad however, another time I gained the triple jump ability from a cursed item. The biggest downside to cursed items though is that you are unable to take them off. In order to remove them, you have to purify them with an uncurse scroll. There is another scroll that is just as helpful: the identify scroll, which can be used to identify any of the items in your inventory.

On the surface, the combat in Vagante is somewhat simple. There are a handful of weapon types (I think I’ve come across around nine or ten). Each type has a different swing speed and attack animation, both of which take some getting used to; however, once you get the hang of things it’s a lot of fun. The game doesn’t have a ton of weapon types, but there are just enough to keep things interesting with a bit of variety. The ranged combat is a little trickier and can feel very awkward at first, this includes the magic system, but once I realized how it functioned it made a lot of sense. I liked how each of the three attack types has its own dedicated button which gives you a nice range of options in the heat of battle. Each biome has a handful of enemy types and they get progressively harder throughout the game. Playing this game for review has taken me longer than expected, I had hoped to reach the fourth area so I would have a mostly complete experience, but the game is difficult; however, like most well-made action roguelikes, it is also rewarding.

Part of me wishes there was some sort of persistent upgrade system that gave you a little more of an advantage the more you play. The backstory system is unique and some of them are helpful, but so far none of them really stand out as overpowered (which I admit is good game design). The difficulty could definitely be a turn-off for some players. There is no time limit to complete levels, which is a blessing and a curse. On one hand, you can take your time and be extra careful, but on the other, when you die you feel like you’ve wasted a ton of time. If you are having trouble with the difficulty, I would recommend trying out the online co-op mode. When a player dies in this mode they can be revived in-between stages, so as long as one player completes the level the team can continue. I was only able to dip my toes into this mode briefly, but it seemed like it would be a lot of fun trying to get through the game with some friends.

Vagante has a wonderful pixel art style that looks like it would fall somewhere between 8 and 16-bit if it wasn’t zoomed out. The developers decided to go with a large perspective, meaning that the playable character is pretty small and you are able to see a large portion of the environment. I think this works very well, since it makes the levels look more detailed. The sprite designs also really stand out, and they have a slight cuteness factor to them. I feel like they could have been featured in a classic game from the early ‘90s. I also really like the item icons in the menu, they look great. Speaking of the menu, its design is superb along with the rest of the in-game HUD. When brought up, the player’s inventory takes up a small portion of the screen (lower-left corner), but all the information you need is there, and this is very helpful considering the game doesn’t pause when you open the menu.

Conclusion

One of the greatest things I’ve enjoyed in my time with Vagante is slowly learning how the game works, such as discovering all the different systems within the game and familiarizing myself with all the characters and learning their strengths and weaknesses. When I first played the game, all those years ago, it was definitely a little rough around the edges. I’m happy to see it reach its final state, which is a compelling roguelike platformer RPG that should appeal to fans of any of those genres.

This game was reviewed based on Xbox One review code, using an Xbox One console. All of the opinions and insights here are subject to that version. Game provided by publisher.