I have a major soft spot for games that focus on telling a story through almost exclusively their gameplay. I adore Shadow of the Colossus, I devoured both LIMBO and INSIDE, and I thought The Last Guardian was, pretty good… OK, so they can’t all be winners. Vane falls somewhere in the middle for me.
The game doesn’t hesitate to throw you in at the deep end, beginning with a dramatic set-piece as you take control of a young child caught in a lightning storm. It became immediately apparent that the movement was designed with weight in mind, making for a slow and sometimes clunky experience. But it didn’t matter in that moment as I was taken aback by the ground shattering around me, and the mysterious cloaked figures on the edge of my vision.
Fade to black. And then, I’m a crow. Or it could be a raven, I’m not sure. Either way, I’m controlling a big black bird in a desert wasteland, with no idea what I’m supposed to be doing. I get to grips with the even clunkier flying controls and settle into a rhythm of spamming the spacebar to maintain speed. I head towards the glint that the camera is dragging itself towards and find more birds, which join me when I land and call out to them.
Following the wind from this point I find a massive tower to try and topple over. So I spend some time exploring, finding more companions, and I stumble across a golden pool in a deep cavern. And as if by magic, I’m a child again. But I needed to be a bird, how do I change back?
After scrambling around for longer than I care to remember, I stumble off the cliff and for a second think I’ve failed. But no, the child is now a bird again… Apparently, throwing yourself off a ledge will transform you back into your bird form. On the one hand, I love being able to fling myself off of high places. On the other, I wish I’d known this much sooner.
It’s a recurring trend in my playtime of Vane that I would become completely stuck for long periods of time, because I didn’t know how to progress. First there was the child in the cave incident. Later on, I spent ages flying around aimlessly cause it wasn’t apparent that the giant magic golden ball could be pushed. There was one puzzle I got stuck on for far too long because I was supposed to be searching for more children, and had literally no idea that was the way to progress. If it weren’t for walkthroughs, I may not have finished Vane at all.
And honestly, Vane is a chore to play. Movement is painfully slow, the camera resists you at times and clips through walls at others, and there’s an awful lot of empty space to wade through. If I had to sum it up in one word, it would probably be “clunky.” But if I were to review Vane purely from a gameplay perspective, I wouldn’t be doing it justice.
The vast majority of Vane‘s strengths lie in its presentation and world-building. Throughout the game, I was astounded by the absolutely gorgeous art-style and clean, crisp world. It reminded me an awful lot of Bound (a beautiful game I highly recommend) or even Journey. But more than that, the effects implemented with the world advancing forward and backward through time as you move through it were simply incredible.
There’s a section where you escort a golden ball through a ruined landscape, and it’s slow and obtuse for sure. But it’s worth it because seeing bridges and buildings lost to time reform as you push ahead is genuinely beautiful. It feels like you’re the last hope in an otherwise doomed world. It feels important. It feels like it matters.
And I haven’t even mentioned the music yet! It fits the game perfectly as it ponders over peaceful melodies and builds to reflect the majesty of the world you’re exploring. It hits all the right notes and matches the tone of the game wonderfully.
As far as I’m concerned, Vane is not on the same level as Shadow of the Colossus. It doesn’t have the gameplay to reach such heights. But I would without reservation put it on par with The Last Guardian. Similarly to that game, I hesitate to recommend it for its gameplay due to its clunky controls and uncooperative camera, but as an experience I would recommend this without a doubt. The visuals, the world, the music; it all culminates to create a fantastic story and immersive world to explore. I just wish that it wasn’t such a pain to play, cause it’s an absolute joy to behold.
A digital copy of Vane for Steam was provided by the developer.
Find Vane on Steam here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1063310/Vane/