Vindictus Early Access Open Beta Impressions
Vindictus
Nexon has officially started inviting players to have early access to the open beta for Vindictus. Although a lot of work need to be done on this game, this mmorpg will probably be the epitome of its genre.
Vindictus is an online massively multiplayer beat-em-up/role-playing game. This game is largely played via the use of maps (or dungeons as some savvy players like to call them). Instead of having one huge, open, world, you will be played on a map in which you will need to complete your objective. This is similar to Nexon’s Dungeon Fighter, which is a 2D based side-scrolling fighting game that also is played by roaming through dungeons. This game boasts of a complex, combo driven, combat system where you can grab items, throw projectiles and really feel immersed in the action. It certainly does not come short of what it wanted to achieve.
Vindictus is a fairly graphically demanding game. It will not require an extremely high-end PC to play, assuming you do not mind playing on medium specifications, but you will need a fairly recent computer model. The graphics of the game are exquisite and really add to the atmosphere and experience that you will receive from the gameplay. With graphics on max, you can see skin texture, depth of field, motion blurring and other effects that will really enhance the beauty of the game. On lower end specs, you will find that the shader is disabled so your model may look flat and the textures become bland. This is to be expected of any mmo because you need to sacrifice if you want to play this beautiful game on a crappy computer.
Vindictus
This game has fairly robust character customization capabilities. You cannot get into the minute details such as altering nose width and such, but you can tinker with your height, hair, eye color, eyebrows, facial hair and more to come. Keep in mind, this is only the open beta, the early access open beta at that, so of course more customization may be offered in the future, whether it be free or via a cash shop.
There are only two available characters to choose from. You can either choose the balanced, defensive, female character or you can choose the dual sword, agile and fairly powerful dual sword wielding male. Both of these characters will have a distinct play style, which is a great thing that they are doing. They both are not so efficient at just running in your face and hacking and slashing. The female makes use of a shield which they may use to turtle a bit and pick their shots. The male is able to cover long distances by dashing, which you can use to your strength when in close quarters combat.
The combat system in this game is fairly enjoyable. My character is a male, so I am able to wield dual swords. I can easily take on three or four enemies at a time since my character is swinging a full 360 degrees and covering a lot of ground. You have both a light attack and a heavy attack. The heavy attack will drain your stamina, which you have a definite amount of. When you run out of stamina, your character begins to pant and it may leave you vulnerable to an attack. So you are able to link both light and heavy attacks together to get different combos which have different outcomes. One combo may launch your enemy in the air while the other combo may blow your enemy back.
You are able to grab your opponents and throw them into objects or other enemies. When an enemy is grabbed, you can hit him with your free hand, slam him across your knee or toss him in a direction of your choice. This makes for a visually appealing and effective attack that can clear enemies off of you or your teammates.
This game shows a very strong promise. There are only two out of five characters currently available, but, even so, this game is doing a great job at offering a different style of gameplay. Most mmorpg’s out there are point and click and tend to follow the same standard of other releases before it. Vindictus is a refreshing step in a barren direction. The only popular mmo’s I can think of immediately, in the same genre as Vindictus, are Dungeon Fighter and Rakion. Vindictus certainly triumphs over both of those games and will possibly become a titan of a game. Keep your eyes open for Nexon giving out any more open beta invitations for Vindictus fans.