Vindictus (PC) Review - PAGE 1

Vindictus is quite different from Nexon’s usual RPG offerings.  Rather than the cheery, happy-go-lucky atmosphere given off by Maple Story and Mabinogi, their latest MMO drops players in Erinn, a world ravaged by war against raging monstrosities. 

The darker setting is a drastic departure from what we’ve come to expect from the publisher, but it follows a recent trend that started with Dungeon Fighter Online, which Nexon themselves stated was geared toward a more mature crowd. 

Because Vindictus runs on the Source Engine, a beefy system isn’t needed to run it. On its highest settings, you might catch yourself admiring your character due to all the fine details found on the armor you equipped.  Once you do get around to looking elsewhere, you’ll find battle-torn areas that look like a war has taken place within them. The environments are also interactive, which usually means you can break almost anything you see.

From the get-go, you’ve got three character classes to choose from: Fiona for sword and shield, Lann for dual-wielding, and Evie as the resident caster. Whether melee or ranged, all three are perfectly capable of handling themselves in melee combat. Evie can stick with staves for ranged DPS or equip a scythe and become insta-melee.

Rather than having a huge explorable overworld, the game is divided into instance-based dungeons that always end with a boss fight. The only free exploration is a few detours within dungeons that can lead to some extra enemies for additional XP or props that sometimes yield money or HP-restoring gems when destroyed.  The interactive environments are indescribably entertaining, believe it or not. I mean, you can chuck melons and ceramic plates at enemies! Why would you? Because you can.  Hell, you can even pick up a dead enemy and use its corpse as a weapon.  Now that never gets old.

For extra challenges and greater rewards, an ‘Oath of Honor’ can be applied to a mission before you begin, which basically adds another objective, like finishing within a time limit, not letting your armor get broken, or avoid using restoratives. Alternatively, you can earn large sums of gold by doing Bonus Missions, with varying objectives to fulfill. Some are straightforward, like killing X number of enemies with objects you pick up, or just plain frustrating, like obtaining a rare item with some ridiculously low drop rate.

What makes Vindictus stand out from the majority of MMORPGs out there is its hack-and-slash gameplay.   Players can opt to use a keyboard and mouse (obviously) or hook up a controller of their choosing, and we tested the latter feature with an Xbox 360 controller. Given the Dynasty Warriors-esqueplay style, the controller felt completely natural during instances, whether you’re dodging or going on the offensive. The limited hotkeys are transferred to the D-pad. Outside these dungeons, however, you’re better off going back to mouse and keyboard, since the controller can’t be used for anything other than moving your character around town.

Numerous other distractions can be found around town, like crafting items or armor, perusing the auction house, or taking a boat out for some fishing. Just remember to bring a buddy for that last one, or you’ll go insane waiting for nibbles and treasures all by yourself.

In true Nexon fashion, paid content can be found in the Avatar Shop, though it’s mostly cosmetic, like hairstyles and extra outfits. Tickets can be purchased to expand inventory space, and certain beneficial potions or revival items are convenient to have in battle. Note, however, that everything you buy from the Avatar Shop has an expiration date, meaning you’ll to pay again to renew your purchase.

Vindictus’ linearity and limited scope means it won’t be ousting World of Warcraft any time soon, but you know what? It doesn’t have to. Here is an MMO that moves away from the usual oh-so-exciting point ‘n’ click in favor of action-oriented gameplay. It’s refreshingly simple and totally free-to-play, yet it boasts gorgeous visuals reminiscent of ArenaNet’s Guild Wars. Grab some friends and get in there.