Vaporum: Lockdown

I highly recommend the original Vaporum but I don't really recommend this one. The combat feels slightly improved, but the real issue is the puzzle design. If it was just more puzzles than the first game that'd be one thing, but the issue here is that the puzzles are designed differently with many of them incorporating timing mechanics which weren't present in the previous game, at least not to such an extent. The result is that it becomes hard to tell if you have the correct solution for a puzzle and just need to execute it better within a strict timing window, or if your solution is wrong. This makes the puzzles generally more frustrating even when the solutions are still relatively simple.

I liked Vaporum for what it was - a somewhat simple grid-based dungeon crawler with some interesting additions such as gadgets (think spells) and different circuit lines for additional skills and build variety. I was kind of looking forward to Vaporum: Lockdown, but I just can't really get into it. I think the main issue with it is that it's just Vaporum again. I don't really mean that facetiously either - it's literally the same game. The UI is the same, the environmental graphics are the same (with very few new additions), the enemies are almost entirely the same, the gadgets and weapons and armors are mostly the same as well. Every aspect of this game has a few new additions, but also almost everything that was already in the first game, which makes it feel more like a DLC than an actual new game. Hence it also plays exactly the same, with the same rig choices and so on. Of course, the actual levels are new, but due to the environments being so reskinned, it doesn't really feel as new as it should. But that's ok - it is a prequel after all, and I don't necessarily fault the developer for reusing assets of a solid game (though it sucks that so many gameplay elements are mostly …

A competent dungeon crawler with an enjoyable steampunk vibe, creative with its mechanics Most of its late game puzzles I would not have been able to complete without a walkthrough, however.

Back in 2021, I had purchased a bundle with both the first game and second game in this series. A lot of time has gone by since I had tried the first game and got very sick playing it, due to forced head movement in it. 5 years later, after reading how different this game was supposed to be, I apprehensively decided to try it. It is unfortunate, but the problem has not been corrected in this game. I disabled all motion blurring, head bob, used the "Classic" movement, and so on to try to prevent my view bobbing. And the moment I stopped because the tutorial had me open my inventory, my character started looking around on their own accord, making me feel sick again. I swear I turned everything off to disable this, but when I pressed ESC to double check the game settings, the game completely froze on me, and I had to terminate it to use that screen again. The little forced motion already made me feel sick. I'm not going to try again. I cannot play this, as cool as it sounds and looks...

Wow, even better then the first one which I rated just under Grimrock 1. Still not a flawless game, but definitely my new number 1 dungeon crawler I'd recommend to people trying out the genre. I do recommend playing this one before Vaporum 1 (makes more sense from story point of view, also it's the better one, so if you don't like this one no need to buy the first one). If you have ever considered trying out the genre or are already a rabid fan this game is a strong recommendation. +++Map/Puzzle design (much better flow in the maps and even better puzzles in this one) ++Atmosphere (even better then the first one, it was fun exploring this steampunk-esque tower) +Hub (we get a sort of hub in this one, which I liked cause I was hoarding all items in that spot, which btw there is 0 reason to do ^^;) +Time-freeze mechanic (carried over from the first 1 which is still my new favorite mechanic in dungeon crawlers) +Build variety (feels a lot better in this one, mainly due to a few more levelups and tweaked effects) +Final boss originality (even better then the final boss from the first one) =Breakable walls (they could have been just slightly more noticeable in a few places) …

10/10 Great fun.