Vessels of Decay

Man this was such a disappointment, I was enjoying the game I was even willing to look past the horrible first boss fight, the fact the game doesn't tell you what you need to do a lot of the time, and even the glitchy bugs until I got soft locked in the 2nd chapter because I didn't pick up and antler before I left the room and it wouldn't let me back into the room so my only option was to restart the ENTIRE level and I might of been willing to do that but the fact that the game is such a buggy mess only leads me to believe ill probably end up having to restart levels again down the lane for the same reason and I don't feel like should have to put up with that. If the dev ever releases and update to fix a lot of the issues the game has I'd be more than willing to pick it back up but I can't find the drive to play it in its current state

I remember playing the demo of Vessels of Decay, liking what it was going for but didn’t get a good feel for how things were implemented. The game released with mostly negative reviews for a while, many talked about the game breaking bugs and bizarre design decisions. 10 months later, The game is currently on sale with 90% off and it has received one big update to fix many of the reported issues. It is with these advantages that I was willing to give the full game a shot and see how it holds up, fearing that I might regret it. There are 10 chapters where you play with one of the two sisters depending on the story. Although the controls are mostly similar, they do have exclusive skills and one of the sisters can be made stronger with a skill tree. The gameplay is mostly fighting enemies, solving minor puzzles, finding out how to reach the exit and finding collectibles. The first good thing I can confirm is me completing the game without any issues. The only bugs I experienced were a few visual bugs or some minor things not worth talking about. The game’s music and sound effects carry the experience. The visuals can look very striking and pretty at times. Advancing further with t…

movement sucks, sounds are annoying, and the story is pretty boring. maybe coming back if there bug fix updates. not recommended (and certainly NOT for 18$).

Vessels of Decay, developed by Simon Jakobsson together with Aurora Punks and published by Headup, is a striking attempt to merge retro-styled action-adventure design with a distinctly Scandinavian take on post-apocalyptic storytelling. Rather than presenting a generic ruined world, the game frames its setting through regional folklore and cultural identity, placing players in a landscape where the remnants of modern civilization are slowly being overtaken by nature and something far older and more mysterious. The journey follows siblings Freja and Mud as they move through this decaying world, uncovering fragments of the past while confronting creatures that feel rooted in myth rather than science fiction. From a gameplay standpoint, the experience leans into a top-down action-adventure structure that mixes exploration, combat, and occasional puzzle elements. Movement through the world is punctuated by combat encounters that often unfold in contained spaces, forcing players to engage directly with enemies before progressing. These battles emphasize timing and positioning, with mechanics such as stagger effects and finishing moves adding a cinematic touch to encounters. Boss fights…

Vessels Of Decay the story was good, environment story telling was good, but need polishing if that the right word like some enemies hitboxes were whacky, pixel animation felt incomplete like the climbing and sprinting didn't complete or there should be an animation, and also some enemies that has stance broken meter build up doesn't allow a prompt to a finisher or execution on them. I beat the game and I wish there was chapter selects where you can collect the remaining trinkets because it a story base game instead I will have to start over and I will to 100% the game. The game really good there was good art scenes just felt like it need to polish in a way.

Updating since I finally had some assistance and was able to sort out where the issue came from. Turned out the runes that showed the proper order were too small for me to notice, while using my handheld. It wasnt until I was told where to look aand then tried again on my computer. Now that I can actually finish the game I can look back at it much more fondly. Yes there were a few issues but overall I dont find as many fun games with this setting so Im glad to have another added to the list. Hopefully a proper guide can get put up to help people avoid similar hang ups like i faced.