There are a lot of titles that have come and gone, with many leaving a lasting imprint on the gaming world. Games like Rare’s iconic Goldeneye which took the world by storm on the Nintendo 64 with its innovative first-person shooter approach, and has helped to revitalize a genre that now continues to flourish and innovate to this day. Other titles however, while not as groundbreaking, have left a mark in their special way and one of those is PlatinumGames’ 2010 action-third person shooter, Vanquish.
Vanquish takes bits and pieces of the tried and true PlatinumGames formula, which is to create something wild, chaotic, and fun at the same time. The game, much like Goldeneye, helped to innovate a genre by combining the fast-paced movements of bullet-hell shooters, beat-em’ up mechanics, and an incredibly cool mechanic granting players the ability to slide boost. The game went on to receive critical acclaim, with many reviews praising its mechanics and innovative style of gameplay. It’s now 2020 and we’ve slide-boosted back into the game for another shot to see how the game feels after a decade.. has it aged well??
Quality over Quantity
One thing that we often see various companies do is to try to squeeze as much content into one title, in order to create a fulfilling experience for players. Sadly, that trend tends to be quite hit or miss since too much of something is not always a good thing. Quantity outshines the quality and many players are left feeling overwhelmed and bereft of a genuine gaming experience.
Vanquish on the other hand focused more on creating a quality action experience, while throwing in additional features which demonstrate the ingenuity that PlatinumGames is notable for. Games like Bayonetta illustrate this well and so too does Vanquish. Each aspect of the gameplay in Vanquish is explained thoroughly with a straightforward in-game tutorial and once the fundamentals are understood, you’re thrown right into the action. There’s never a moment where things seem to come to a halt, as new enemies constantly invade the world around you and your goal is to eradicate them with finesse. Easy-to-use controls, swift and fluid movement, along with pretty corny humorous dialogue allow Vanquish to feel refreshing even after its initial release, even looking more visually impactful than some of the more recent titles on the market which is saying a lot.
Short But Sweet
Vanquish is by no means a long game and to be quite honest, if it were it would lose its luster completely. Vanquish was designed to be fast, go fast, and end fast which reflects the narrative very well anyway. Hordes of enemies fly down to Earth, a team of heroes step in to eliminate enemies, rinse and repeat until the world is saved. This quintessential recipe is used to create a smashing action title that is short but incredibly sweet, due to the PlatinumGames formula that never ceases to amaze us. You’re thrown into a world that feels somewhat familiar, have a strong and brave hero who’s willing to go above and beyond for their comrades, and kicking some serious tail while looking stylish. It definitely reminded us of Bayonetta at times with all of its visual flare and acrobatic movements, but Vanquish took all of the finer points and transformed itself into an unforgettable experience.
Final Thoughts
If you haven’t had a chance to play Vanquish then now is the time, since it’s currently available on the PlayStation 4. Don’t miss out on all of frantic action! It’s definitely worth every penny! PlatinumGames doesn't disappoint and to answer the question, yes, Vanquish has indeed aged very well and still continues to kick some serious alien tail!
Author: Rob "NualphaJPN" B.