Vaporum
Developer: Fatbot Games s.r.o Publisher: Fatbot Games s.r.o Rrp: £14.99 (Steam), £15.19 (Gog.com) Released: 28th September 2017 Available on: Steam and Gog.com Played Using: Mouse and Keyboard Approximate game length: 15 Hours You listen carefully, trying to distinguish between the thump and hiss of the pistons surrounding you and the light clanking of tiny metallic feet. This place is a maze and the steam driven monstrosities that inhabit this place could appear at any time. Who built this place? Why? You don't know but right now the most important thing is finding a way out. Welcome to Vaporum! It's a first person dungeon crawler in the vein of The Legend of Grimrock series, except rather than being set in a world of fantasy with magic and elves etc this one has a steampunk setting. It’s been a while since I'd gotten to play a first person dungeon crawler so as soon as this game popped up in my Steam discovery feed I had to get it. In this game you play as a man with amnesia, he has no knowledge of who he is or where he is. All he knows is that he awoke on a rock in the middle of the ocean and that in the distance a large metal tower pierces the sea.
Movement is performed through the usage of the [W], [A], [S] and [D] keys with the [Q] and [E] keys being used for turning left and right (those who have played either of the Legend of Grimrock games will find this tile based movement system to be very familiar). For the most part the mouse is used for inventory management, combat and making use of the interactive elements of the world. Not long after starting the game you get to choose from one of four exo-rigs, each one having different strengths and weaknesses. Make your choice carefully as once you've picked an exo-rig your stuck with it (unless you restart the game). It's also at this point that you get to see your HUD and have access to your inventory and notes etc. Once you've chosen and donned your exo-rig you may notice that your health bar has been called Integrity.
You rig improves by collecting a substance called fumium, defeating enemies is the most common way to gain the substance but you can also occasionally find it in containers. Once the rigs fumium level hits a certain threshold (fills a bar found in the inventory screen) it will level up restoring all integrity and power to full. With each increase in level you’re also given a 'circuit point', these points are spent in the circuit screen (found as a sub-menu with the inventory) and grants permanent increases to whatever subject you apply it to. A feature that I found was quite interesting was the Arx Pedia which is found in the main menu. Any enemy you defeat becomes available to view within the Arx Pedia giving information on the creature as well as the games world through the flavour text. My only complaint is the fact that it can’t be viewed without exiting back to the main menu.
You can switch between two weapon sets allowing you some versatility in combat, for me I tended to carry a melee weapon with shield in weapon set one and a two handed shotgun or rifle in weapon set two. Another interesting addition is the time freezing mechanic. You can activate it at any time and it doesn't have any form of cooldown. While activated time simply stops, you, as the player can fiddle around with your inventory without fear of reprisal. But the moment you move everything else will too... until you stop. What's the point, you may ask? Well at first I didn't get it either. That was until I found I was getting swarmed by enemies. In a panic I accidentally activated the mode and suddenly found that things were more manageable, not easier per say, but definitely more manageable. There's even a function that allows time to flow normally until you release the button, thus allowing you to wait for cooldowns to finish. Word to the wise, if you do decide to make use of the time freeze function I advise turning off 'sticky keys' on your system... it gets a little irritating after the 4th or 5th time.
Should you get this? Well if you’re a fan of old school dungeon crawlers, or just want a fix of something like Legend of Grimrock then I can definitely recommend this game. I certainly don’t regret any time I’ve spent with it. If this appeals to you perhaps try; Legend of Grimrock Legend of Grimrock 2 Might & Magic 7