Voodoo Vince Review | Wanna see what I doo?
If there is a genre of games I think pc gaming truly lacks behind is the 3d platforming, especially the kind of 3d platformer games that lean toward a more mature tone and I have found one in Voodoo Vince.
Aesthetics
|
Reflective mirrors are a small and always appreciated detail
|
The 3d graphics are typical of what could be experienced on the original Xbox, with a heavy usage of looks inspired by cartoons, but not leaning too much into the over saturation of the textures.
This has been proven to be a winning strategy, since it manages to keep the game looking fresh even after many years from its original release.
So is true for the animations, full of life and charm, plus the death animation of the enemies can be influenced by one of your voodoo powers(more on this in the game mechanics section), giving a nice little fun detail.
The voice acting is done competently, but also unremarkable, nothing made me cringe or drop my jaw.
On the other hand, the soundtrack is pleasant to listen to, the tracks have been inspired by the Louisiana music, giving a singular jazzy feel to the tunes.
Game Mechanics
|
The gameplay loop is spiced by constant one-trick rides |
As stated in the introduction, the game is a typical 3d platformer.
At the start of the adventures you have the basic set typical of the games of this genre: you can jump and double jump to solve platforming challenges (plus hovering for precise positioning), you attack the enemies with either a strong punch or a weak spinning attack and ultimately you can defeat many enemies by using one of your voodoo powers. While you gain more powers along the way, these differ only in an animation, nice to see, but not without any real value in the actual gameplay loop. You also unlock the ability to swing, which becomes fundamental in the later stages, and to teleport to previous levels if you wanted to backtrack a bit.
The main mechanics are functional and may not blow the mind of any veteran of this genre, but they get used well in the levels.
Indeed, the semi-linear levels are quite diversified, offering a varied set of obstacles based on the theme each one follows. Most of them have a one use gimmick, but it suits the base mechanics enough it doesn't become annoying or feeling like it's unfocused.
The camera is a bit bad though, it has happened in different situations where it would get stuck in a bad position, making precise movements impossible. It doesn't happen too often, but when it does, it's annoying.
On the collectables, each one has a purpose: hearts, beads, zombie dust containers, voodoo powers icons, skull pages and power skulls. Hearts increase the number of lives at your disposal, beads increase your energy and once full allow you to use a power, once gathered 100 zombie dust containers you get an extra health tick, power icons increase the number of voodoo powers at your disposal, all skull pages need to be acquired in a level so that a power skull appears somewhere. Found its location, you must chase it so that once gathered your power gauge increases, allowing you to store more voodoo powers charges.
Not the most unique rule set for collectables in a platformer, but functional.
The saving system is automatic and very generous, you save even after collecting a single zombie dust container.
The enemies are not that interesting to fight, the only noteworthy thing to say is that they are divided in 3 categories: normal, flying and burrowed. Some flying ones can drop bombs and the burrowed rise suddenly from the ground, but that's it. They are more like dispensers for the beads instead of being a genuine threat.
In fact, the game is not particularly difficult, I had no problems beating it and I think that if I felt like doing it I could have gathered all the collectables without too much worry. It would have made the game even easier than it already is.
I finished beat it in 7 hours.
Summarizing, while not the most challenging, it was a fun experience with serviceable mechanics.
Narrative
|
How much BLEEP can a BLEEP, BLEEP? |
It's a quiet night in an old voodoo shop in an old town when suddenly, two thugs break in into the shop searching for an item: zombie dust. They find it, but end up spilling some of its content, creating chaos. The owner of the shop, madame Charmaine, tries to stop them, but she gets knocked out and kidnapped. All seems lost, but the dust has brought to life Vince, Charmaine's voodoo doll. Under her help, Vince must face a dangerous journey to save her from the clutches of Kosmo, the mind behind the heist.
From here, the adventure starts in the shoes of Vince.
The incipit itself is not fascinating, but it doesn't need to be, nor it wants to. The game aims for a humorous style, and I think it manages to. The dialogues between the Vince and the other characters is funny to hear, with a humor geared towards the absurdist, the aggressive and dry. The main protagonist sometimes expresses unflattering remarks to the other characters. It's nothing too dark, but it's definitely mean and it reaches the balance of being child-friendly without feeling childish, so even adults can unironically enjoy it.
The main story isn't anything worth talking about either, both in the events department and the characters one. The second ones in particular are used for jokes and to give context to the objectives of a level more than anything, you will not hear about personal stories. Despite this, the developers undoubtedly tried to make them feel unique even with very few lines of dialogue that made them a bit interesting to interact with, such as a skeleton that likes to jazz, or a demonic doll.
So in the end, while you will not close the game with emotional tears down
your face, you are going to have at least a smile.
Recommendation:
Voodoo Vince is a good suggestion for anyone starving for a good 3d platformer.
Available on Steam and the Microsoft Store.
Comments
Post a Comment