Vane

Playstation LifestyleLucas White

9/10

When it comes to games like Vane, knowing what you’re getting into beforehand is both a blessing and a curse. This is a game you can finish in a couple of hours, but that’s provided you figure everything out right away as you move through its abstract story. If you take a wrong turn, get distracted by your surroundings, or things simply don’t click right away, it could be a much more ponderous experience. Either way, Vane is a rare title that trusts your instincts, and almost never tells you what to do. It’s up to how you react to your surroundings, and of course there’s some light puzzle-solv...

GameSpewAlec Hawley

6/10

None of the problems break Vane, indeed the lack of guidance is what defines it, gives it its uniqueness and differentiates it from hundreds of other puzzle platformers. It’s often a game that’s easier to admire than actually play though; a challenging piece of art that makes almost everything else you’ve played seem like a spoonfeeding popcorn movie. The closest comparison is probably Jonathan Blow’s The Witness, but even that gave more guidance than Vane and was far more linear, too.

Metro GameCentralGameCentral

6/10

An atmospheric and often perplexing exploration game that suffers from bugs, uneven level design, and an unwavering dedication to leaving you to your own devices.

GameSpotJames O'Connor

5/10

In a flap.

Push SquareJohn Cal McCormick

4/10

We were something like six hours into Vane when we glanced down at our phone to see what time it was, and realised that we'd only been playing the game for forty-two minutes. How was this even possible? It was like when Matthew McConaughey visited Dr. Miller's Planet in Interstellar: a world catastrophically affected by the intense gravity of a nearby black hole that slows down time so much that standing on the surface for ten minutes accounts for seven years passing back on Earth. It was that, but in reverse. Mere minutes had gone by in what felt like hours. On the plus side, that meant that ...

GameGrinAlan Wen

4/10

It can still look visually striking when viewed from a distance while its audio design, with a brooding electronic score, can also be wonderfully atmospheric. Sadly, it’s not enough to salvage a wholly disappointing experience that never reaches the lofty heights it begins with.

DestructoidChris Moyse

4/10

Vane has a very strong opening, some unique visual ideas, and an atmospheric electronica soundtrack. Unfortunately, all of this is quickly muted by aimless and frustrating gameplay. Though Vane‘s abstract approach to storytelling is genuinely liberating, the player remains caged with simplistic gameplay tropes, immersion-breaking technical problems, boring puzzles, and a terrible save system. Point your wings in another direction.

DualShockersTomas Franzese

3.5/10

I normally don't have problems with experiential games like this; in fact, I love games like Inside, Ico, and Shadow of the Colossus that Vane is clearly pulling from. That being said, Vane just ends up being a mishmash of impressive visuals and a few intriguing concepts that never really materialize into anything truly worthwhile. At its currently high price tag, I would definitely recommend skipping out on Vane and just marveling at some of its beautiful screenshots, removed from the technical problems and frustration Vane brings when playing.

Game SkinnyRobertPIngram

3/10

A beautiful world begging to be explored falls victim to unclear direction and clunky controls, making for a disaster instead of a delight.

TechRaptorSamuel Guglielmo

2.5/10

Vane's first fifteen minutes are amazing. Then the game plummets in quality faster than a diving bird. Tons of glitches, obtuse puzzle, terrible controls, an awful camera, and stuttering frame rate keep Vane from being worth your time.

COGConnectedAndrew Gilbert

20/100

Vane opens by throwing you at the base of an enormous tower as an intense storm tears the structures around you apart. Carrying…soooommmeethiiinng, you brave the storm and debris as you make your way to the single light pouring from a doorway into the tower. When you arrive, you’re rejected at the door by a tall, cloaked figure, whose voice is powerful enough to send you flying, dropping whatever it is you’re carrying. The door seals itself before you get sucked up into the storm, and the screen fades to black.

PolygonColin Campbell

Unscored

Vane begins with me joyfully soaring above sun-bleached sand drifts. But it gently dissolves into me slowly pushing a giant rock from one tiresome puzzle to another. This feels like an apposite visual juxtaposition for my entire experience, which slides from admiration to mild boredom.