Vanquish is one of the games that I truly enjoy. Despite being a good game, many gamers have already forgotten this gem by now.
I was able to purchase this on the Steam Summer Sale (2024) for the price of a coffee along with 13 more games. I am also preparing myself to transition from desktop and console gaming to handheld gaming; that’s why I am beginning to stock up on my digital library. Gosh, the backlogs are way too overwhelming! As of writing this article, I am up to 117+ backlogs and wish list.
After purchasing Vanquish, I immediately began to download it, and after a couple of minutes, the feeling of nostalgia hit me once again when I began playing this high-speed shooter game for hours! And guess what… Man, I totally loved the experience!
But before this article turns into my personal story, let’s first refresh and go back to the main topic, which is to review this 15-year-old high-tech mech shooting game, Vanquish! Here we go!
Before we get started, here are some of the trailers to tease you into buying this game!
Video source: Gamespot
Now let's get started! Here is Vanquish in a nutshell:
This game is made by Platinum games, the company who developed other games such as:
- Bayonetta Series
- Nier: Automata
- Astral Chain
- Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
Now, here are the things that I love about this game. Let’s discuss it one by one:
Story
The plot of Vanquish happens when the Earth's population has hit a crazy milestone—over 100 billion people are now fighting for resources, and the planet's in chaos. Food's scarce, energy's a luxury, and border conflicts are erupting everywhere. Amidst this mess, a rogue group called the Order of the Russian Star seizes control of Russia and sets its sights on an American space colony called Providence. They're after the colony's solar energy tech, which they plan to use as a deadly weapon. The Order destroys San Francisco with Providence's energy array and gives the US an ultimatum: surrender or watch New York City go up in flames. The clock's ticking, and America's fate hangs in the balance. The battle for the country's survival has begun.
Gameplay
Vanquish’s gameplay is a high-speed shooting game. It resembles the game Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance. What I love about this is when Sam slides, the slow-mo effect is triggered when you aim at the enemies. The story’s twist is also quite engaging, but I won’t dive into it too much because some of you will be trying this one, and I don't want to spoil you. 😁
Also, setting it to hard mode is a treat—the enemy’s attack damage is stronger, and their HP is also higher, so it takes more challenge and more firepower to take them down—but it’s more satisfying too!
The animation is just ahead of its time.
I just love how the helmet goes out automatically as well as when switching weapons. It’s like Iron Man’s nanotechnology from the Marvel’s Avengers: Endgame movie! I would love to see this technology being added in real life!
Guns and weapons
Vanquish offers a variety of weapons to choose from. Sam has many options on how to defeat his enemies. From assault rifles up to sniper rifles and up to energy weapons, which are unlimited but consume his energy bar—which is a hefty trade because the energy bar is very important when dashing and vital to Sam’s mobility.
My favorite here is the rocket launcher—one shot of it can blast away the enemies, lol!
You can also upgrade the gun’s firepower when you pick up the upgrade dropped by the enemy. It is used as an item, and when you pick it up, the currently equipped weapon will get upgraded immediately.
Enemy designs
This, in my opinion, is one of Vanquish’s amazing things. They really put so much effort into designing the enemy details. As you’ll see. They also have a variety of enemies. The big robot enemies here look like the Decepticons in the Transformers movie! This also gives me a feeling of fighting alongside the Autobots, hahaha!
Sliding maneuvers
I think this is what Vanquish’s trademark is (if there’s any). Whenever I see someone perform the same kneeling slide stunt, I will easily remember this game!
Slow-motion animation
The slow-motion effect triggers when Sam has been seriously injured or whenever he is sliding and aiming. The explanation here says his reflexes are heightened; that is why everything is in slow motion, and he can react to the things happening in his surroundings.
Bosses
There are some bosses that are pretty awesome to fight. And whenever I encounter one, I get the impression that this boss is hard to defeat. Some of them are also huge!
After defeating one, you get a sense of fulfillment, especially if you put the difficulty settings on hard mode. 💪
Room for Improvement
These are the things that I personally think would be great if they were present:
- Limited options for upgrade. I hope we could upgrade the booster, energy, armor, melee, and other skills useful in battle.
- More bosses—there are only a few bosses in this game. I hope they created more.
- The overall story is forgettable. It didn’t have a huge impact on me after I finished the story/campaign.
Well. Some gamers might disagree with the list above because every gamer has their own experience with a certain game. So I think you still play and enjoy this game because there are now thousands of games out there, and this one’s almost forgotten.
But… before that happens, here’s another clip when you go crazy with this game!
Should I buy Vanquish and play it?
Yes, definitely! This game is short but still very engaging. This is great for gamers who want to play a Rambo-style story but mixed with high-tech soldiers and mechs—then you're going to enjoy it!
In Summary:
Even though this game is more than a decade old, Vanquish still packs a punch! Its graphics may be behind the current gen’s games, which is perfectly understandable, but the overall experience is great!
What are your thoughts on this game? Let us know in the comments section!
