Vessel is an interesting little puzzle game from the good people at Strangeloopgames. You play the part of M. Arkwright, the inventor of the Fluros which are small autonomous creatures made of liquid. Fluros are so efficient and powerful that they replace almost every other mechanical process in the world; but one day something goes wrong, the Fluros go out of control and it’s up to you to put everything back to normal using the power of fluid dynamics to solve puzzles.
For me the problem I have with a lot of puzzle games is that they are too simple and I get bored, or I hit a wall against some puzzle that impossible to solve without resorting to an internet cheat, sheet which almost always results in my getting tired of the game. Vessel is not one of those games! It’s a great middle ground game, puzzles are hard but solvable, the learning curve is perfect. New mechanics are constantly being revealing in a natural and fluid way (pun intended). You learn all these new mechanics before you even realise you have, and then you are confronted with a level boss and just instinctively know how to solve it. It is very reminiscent of a Valve game, solving puzzles with a water gun in Vessel feels just as charming as solving puzzles with a Portal gun in Portal 1 and 2 and feel just as rewarding.
The mechanics of the game work like this, there is a machine (pronounced puzzle) that needs to be reactivated, and you have to use the power of your fluid backpack and different types of fluros to reactivate them. The main gimmick of the game is the realistic simulation of fluid dynamics. which is actually really interesting on a technical level, but also really good in gameplay. There are various types of liquid, water, blue, red, green and lava. They also react in different ways to each other. Red and Blue will explode if mixed, lava will turn to rock and create steam if another liquid is sprayed upon it. The Fluros are created from exposing a seed to a liquid which creates a little water man with different abilities depending on the seed. The most basic ones activate switches, others chase after certain things, others are attracted to light etc. Combining these with different liquids opens up really interesting ways of solving puzzles. An example is creating a red and blue Fluro and timing it so they run into each other at the right spot to explode and trigger the switch you need.
It is a long game, my play through was well over ten hours. When I completed the first area I thought It was over and I was happy, but the next level opened up and as it turned out I was only about 25% of the way through.
Vessel’s soundtrack is surprisingly interesting, the music flows with the puzzles just as fluidly (I’m going for the most puns achievement) as the rest of the game. It’s a really nice atmospheric electronica background music that really ties it all together. The sound effects are really great too, I just love the main characters foot step noise, not to mention all the clanks and splishes that really makes it sounds like the steam punk-esque world you are looking at.
The game is presented as a 2D action platformer, the art style looks painted, the world itself is a merging of steampunk and beautiful natural vistas, like caves or forests. Another of the little bits of polish that makes this game stand out is the camera control, it zooms out, pans, zooms in all at just the right time to show off the art of the level, or to show you the next puzzle you need to solve.
Vessel’s controls are a little clunky, but while you don’t require pin point precision for most of it, a few places were more than a little frustrating. Which I’m sure would have been no problem if I was using a gamepad, which the game really seems optimised for. Occasionally jumps will fall short and the next time would completely over shoot it, with very little noticeable difference in my input. There is so much polish else where little bits of clunk like that are forgivable, but are at times highlighted more, given the quality and love put into every other aspect of the game.
This is one of those games I will recommend for everyone to play, casuals, hardcores and non-gamers alike. Barring a little clunk in the controls, it is an immensely enjoyable game. The game is available on steam now or directly from http://www.strangeloopgames.com which is the best way to buy it, because all the money goes straight to the developers and you also get a steam copy as well as the DRM free version.
Good Visuals Music Perfect Puzzle Difficulty Bad Slightly Clunky Controls Rating 90/100
