In the 90’s a new game style arose, a scary and brutal game style with games like Resident Evil coming out,showing a scary new world. Vaccine which came out on the Nintendo Switch on July 6th is trying to bring this back. In a world where graphics and beauty have become amazing, this game wants to bring back what was lost. It is really like a game from the past and while the idea is novel, it is also not really a good thing, as this style of game has aged horrendously. The characters look melty and it is hard to distinguish things. This of course is also because that is how the games in that era were, but still.
Though that isn’t to say that the game is actually bad. Vaccine tells the story of two people and one of them is always infected with a terrible virus, with you being given a half hour to save the victim before they die. The story isn’t all that important as it stays the same no matter which protagonist you choose. The whole mansion is always different after the first room where you will always find a knife. You might find a gun or other items but usually you just find the undead. You can’t just go and learn the mansion which makes the game all the more tense and strategic. One playthrough, you might even be lucky enough to instantly find the antidote.
This game is unlike other games like this though, because of an RPG like experience system. Your characters gain experience which will carry through if you win. This game also has one more twist up its sleeve. When you win, you can play again of course. But this time you will have less time and this continues to decrease with each victory. Not only does this game pose the challenge of changing up the mansion with each playthrough, but each win subtracts precious time.
Personally, I cannot for the life of me, see myself playing through this game enough times to see how many minutes get taken off, but it is an interesting idea. Certainly there will be people who play it until the clock will not drain anymore and I salute them for that drive.
While this game might have a lot going for it, it really shows how far we have come. To see a company decide to make a game in part for nostalgia shows that this is important in a way. But, honestly this style really has aged poorly. The game looks terrible blown up on a TV, but it does look good on the Switch in handheld mode. The music drives the tenseness as well, and makes it worth playing in handheld mode. CRT mode is also usable though, which brings on even more nostalgia. So turn on CRT mode and plug in some headphones and try not get to scared.
All in all, Vaccine is a game that is worth playing. If you want a cheap horror game and were a fan of 90’s horror games than this is for you. Younger gamers may not enjoy this game simply because of how it looks but it really is worth it. Really though this game could be the start of a younger gamer’s new fascination with older games and that really would be cool.
So, take your Switch, turn off the light and save your ally from the terrible virus. With only a will to succeed and a knife you will be in for a long fight.
Vaccine is out right now on the Nintendo Switch!