Vellum: Scribbling Through a World of Ink and Imbalance

A magical journey through tomes, with a few ink blots along the way

Launch Day Larry

Welcome to the world of Vellum, where you, a scribe-wizard hybrid, dive into corrupted magic tomes to battle The Torn. It’s a game that promises a whimsical narrative and a unique art style, but does it deliver a spellbinding experience or leave you flipping through pages of frustration? Let’s dip our quills into the ink and find out.

Gameplay: A Dash of Fun with a Splash of Simplicity

In Vellum, the gameplay is a mixed bag of innovative ideas and notable challenges. The combat mechanics are straightforward, focusing on shooting and moving, with basic attacks charging mana for special attacks. While this simplicity makes the game easy to pick up, it also leaves players yearning for more depth. The combat feels like a basic FPS, and the lack of dynamic elements can make battles feel repetitive.

The controls are solid, but movement is clunky and slow, heavily relying on the dash ability for dodging. This can be frustrating, especially when compared to the fluidity of games like Crab Champions and Risk of Rain. Environmental challenges, such as small platforms and enemy attacks, can disrupt player control, adding to the frustration. However, the game redeems itself with its fun, fast-paced action and significant replayability. The unique system where players choose enemy buffs alongside their own adds strategic depth, keeping players engaged.

Graphics: A Beautiful Mess

The art style of Vellum is both a blessing and a curse. The game is praised for its attractive visuals and unique book library ink world theme, which adds to its visual appeal. However, the high-contrast art style can make it difficult to see what’s happening during gameplay. Players report difficulty in tracking enemies, projectiles, and animations, as they often blend into the environment. This lack of clarity is particularly problematic during boss fights, where monochrome damage blobs make it hard to differentiate between attacks.

Performance issues also plague the game, with frame rate drops even on high-end hardware. This suggests that the game may not be well-optimized, leading to high GPU usage and overheating for some players. Despite these issues, the graphics are generally well-received, with the game’s design and the effort put into it being appreciated. The inclusion of decent cosmetics allows for some level of customization, enhancing the visual appeal.

Story: A Literary Adventure with Room to Grow

The narrative of Vellum is a delightful romp through a book-themed world. Players assume the role of a scribe, a wizard responsible for repairing corrupted magic tomes by entering them and defeating entities known as The Torn. The story is still in its early stages, with limited lore introduced, but the unique theme and storytelling style have been well-received.

The game’s story is enhanced by its distinctive style, where everything from abilities to enemy types is book-related, adding depth and charm to the storytelling. The main character, a floating ink pen, and the use of anthropomorphic elements contribute to the game’s unique appeal. The thematic approach extends to the naming of enemies, abilities, and effects, adding depth and charm to the storytelling. However, the story is still developing, with limited lore available, and some disorienting gameplay elements can detract from the story immersion.

Final Verdict

Vellum is a game with potential, offering a unique narrative and art style that sets it apart from other roguelikes. However, it suffers from significant gameplay and performance issues that need addressing to improve the overall experience. The game is fun, easy to grasp, and offers a lot of replayability, but requires optimization in movement, enemy interaction, and difficulty to enhance replayability and player engagement. With the game still in early access, there’s hope for updates that will introduce more skills and address current gameplay issues, indicating potential for improvement and increased satisfaction in the future.

Score: 6.5/10