N-Philes :: News

Viewing Entry

Vexx

The platform genre is where the roots of the game industry really are. Looking at almost all mascots, they are derived from this genre, and many turn into series. Mario, Sonic, Crash Bandicoot, and others are all primarily platform game figures. They also have one other thing in common, an image of being "kiddy." The bright colors, vibrant worlds, simple stories, and the way the environments present "happy" gameplay, all lead to this labeling, one that is a negative in today's gaming world. In an attempt to mature the genre, Acclaim has made a platformer with a story or revenge, an avenger as the hero, and sometimes dark worlds.

Story

The first indication of what Acclaim intended of this game is in the story. Most platform games have a generic story, one that doesn't make much sense, and is there just for the purpose of helping with gameplay progression. Acclaim put in a real story here, and it contains war, murder, and revenge. The Shadowraith Dark Yabu and his minions invade the peaceful village of Overwood and they turn everyone into slaves. Sick of being a slave, Vexx attempts to attack Dark Yabu and fails to do anything. In order to save him, his grandfather distracts Yabu by launching an attack of his own. While Vexx looks on, Dark Yabu murders his grandfather cruelly and Vexx flees, vowing revenge. Mid-flight he finds the Astani war talons, a relic from before and the only weapon dangerous to Yabu. Vexx sets off with these war talons to return his world to peace and to destroy Yabu.

Gameplay

The war talons are where all of Vexx's power emanates from. Without them he would be nothing, but with them he can now grab onto ledges, double jump, climb up certain walls, long jump, high jump, and punch enemies. Strangely enough, most of these moves are what you would find in any other platform game, whether Acclaim likes it or not. What truly separates Vexx is how he punches and attacks enemies. There is a combo system implemented which allows Vexx to string punches together for greater damage, or even juggle them in the air. While juggling there are little blue orbs released which charge up the talons. When fully charged Vexx can activate them so that they are more powerful and can shoot out at enemies. While intriguing, the combos and juggling is underplayed. It is easier to just defeat enemies without worrying about combos, and juggling doesn't hurt any more than a regular punch, though it is fun to see how long an enemy can be kept in the air. Actually using the charged talons seems out of the way and has almost no specific purpose. It doesn't even enter the mind as an option unless there are a lot of enemies surrounding Vexx.

The combo system takes a back seat to the actual platforming mechanics, and that is a very good thing. While it's nothing brand new, it is executed brilliantly. The jumping from platform to platform is fun and challenging, with enemies and other objects giving a great challenge and impeding you from moving forward. There is a central hub from which all the worlds are accessed, with one of the many hearts to be collected chosen before going into the level, like choosing your mission. Upon entering the level there is no need to go specifically after that heart, rather Vexx can go anywhere in the level that he can see. This adds to a feeling of freedom upon entering a level making it common to end up with a different heart than first intended. It also makes the game more entertaining than, say, Super Mario Sunshine because of the freedom to go anywhere, whereas in Sunshine different objectives must be completed first.

There is one major problem hampering the game, as the camera system works against you, getting in the way. While the c-stick is used to move the camera around, almost half the time it doesn't work and will refuse to move in the direction needed. It gets stuck on walls, in corridors, almost any time that it needs to be turned. There were a lot of times when the platforms turned to the side, and due to the camera it was impossible which way to jump. There are ways to fix the camera to the angle necessary, such as jumping forwards, then back onto the platform, but this shouldn't be necessary. Cameras have advanced so much since the beginnings of platform gaming that this camera should be smarter and more advanced. There is an over the shoulder cam as well that can be accessed with Y, and pressing X should put the camera behind Vexx, but the problem persists in the trouble areas.

Other than that the game controls fairly well. Vexx will jump with the A button, reacting precisely and instantly. The B button does all the punching, with the L doing crouching and allowing for uppercuts and other such crouch related maneuvers like high and long jumps. The other shoulder button will put the war talons in charge mode, and will allow Vexx to swim when under water or on the surface, though due to speed underwater swimming is preferable. As said, the controls all work well with Vexx's different moves, with the exception of one isolated move: wall jumping. While it should work flawlessly, it doesn't due to the camera. The camera swings wildly during wall jumps, resulting in the missing of consecutive wall jumps.

There aren't too many challenges that involve the wall jump technique, so it doesn't get overly irritating. With over 80 different hearts to collect, and almost all of them requiring different platforming skills to collect, there is plenty to see and do. As to give hints on how to get hearts there is a little rhyme given for each heart, as well as arrows pointing you in the right direction. The layout of the worlds simply leads to fun platforming.

Visuals

The worlds are also big and seem alive. There is always stuff going on, enemies running or flying around, platforms moving and other such things changing, including time of day. In fact, by standing on a sundial and changing the time manually, just watching the change from day to night and back again is jaw dropping. The levels could also be described as vibrant at day, which seems to be against what Acclaim was going for with their "grown-up" idea, but at night they can seem slightly spooky.

The rest of the graphics also impress. There are some nice lighting effects going on, including some light coming reflection off objects. Also just the general effects used come off as flashy and well done. Trails follow punches, orbs, and other objects. Watching Vexx climb walls causes sparks, and then watching him slide back down makes even better sparks. Vexx and others in cutscenes sometimes do tend to be lacking polygons and texture. There is also a strange pop up issue, as orbs form as Vexx moves forward, and as for peripheral vision there is none, as things will pop up while turning to the side. This is just a minor complaint as it doesn't hamper gameplay, and the game still looks quite good.

Audio

The soundtrack are the best I have ever heard in a platformer, and can even be described as epic. The music is fully orchestral and really draws the player in. The other audio in the game don't fare quite as well. Punching enemies, and the sounds made when they're hit and when they disappear can even be described as something which might be found in a Mario game. While not a bad thing, I don't think Acclaim wanted Vexx to be too closely compared to Mario. Other effects are better such as walking on different surfaces. Voices range from nothing special, to a well-done voice that reads scrolls collected in each level. These scrolls tell the backstory, and it's nice to find them voiced so well. Vexx himself does not speak. I'm not sure if going with the whole stigma of the main character in a platformer never speaking was so good.

This game gets an N-Philes score of A-.

While not necessarily attaining that grown-up feel that Acclaim hoped for, it is one of the better platformers I've recently played. The story does help push the idea of it being mature, but what it really boils down to is the mechanics of the game, and they are definitely solid here. Anybody who loves platforming will like this game. But I'll warn you that the platforming is a difficult challenge at times, and the final boss is one of the hardest I've met since maybe Jet Force Gemini. There isn't a whole lot to come back for, but if platforming is your thing, a second go round isn't out of the question. Make sure to pick it up if you need a new (but not incredibly unique) platforming fix or are curious as to what this new grown up idea is all about.

Posted in: Reviews