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The screen is a firework display of bullets, rockets and other dangerous-looking projectiles. The ludicrous depth of field means I can see each missile in acute detail as it whistles past my head. Although I’ve already watched a good half an hour of the game being played, it takes a few minutes to acclimatise to the controls amid the chaos; R2 to fire, R1 to swap weapons, L1 to dash, L2 to activate slow-mo. I find myself pressing L2 a hell of a lot.
I’ve been dropped in at the deep end, a mission a fair way into the game where I have to protect a transport truck from an enemy ambush – but I’m in no position to protect anything. I’m being attacked from all sides, the screen convulsing with red spasms and the controller shaking aggressively in my hands. It’s not long before my bullet-ridden body hits the ground, my head spinning as I try to assess what the hell just happened. This is my first experience of Vanquish.
Once I synchronise myself with the rhythm of the action, the game becames a whole lot more enjoyable. Similar to Platinum Games previous action offering, Bayonetta, Vanquish is fast, over the top and bat-shit crazy – and yet at the same time it has a very clean and clinical look to it. The juxtaposition of the two gives the game a very unique feel. It’s strange actually, because on paper Vanquish sounds like any other third-person action game. Let’s run through the checklist. Guns? Check. Cover system? Check. Political plotline involving saving the planet from Russians? You betcha. It sounds cliché in theory, but a mere five minutes of play is enough to show that it isn’t. Vanquish is far more interesting than the sum of its parts.
Assuming the role of the effortlessly cool Sam Gideon – who always seems like he has somewhere far more interesting he could be – players step into the rather comically-named ARS. Developed by DARPA (which I always thought was a fictional group from Metal Gear Solid, not the very real Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency – shame on me), the Augmented Reaction Suit grants its host improved mobility and a heightened sense of their surroundings. In terms of gameplay, this means being able to activate boosters that will propel you from A to B in half a nanosecond, and the option to initiate a slow-motion mode for more precise shooting.
Combining these features with your usual cover-to-cover combat system yields some interesting results. Leaping out from safety and immediately pressing L2, for example, will see Gideon floating through the air in a horizontal vault position, allowing players to take their time unloading their gun on the enemies ahead. Following up a boost with a melee attack has a range of different results depending on which weapon is equipped, but will always end in a stylish clash of metal. This is one of those games that, no matter the scenario, will always leave you feeling ridiculously badass.
To make sure you’re not being cool all the time (because that wouldn’t be cool at all), the game employs a resource system dictated by the temperature of your AR suit. Zipping about an environment using your boost will gradually deplete a meter at the bottom of the screen, so you can only make use of it for perhaps six or seven seconds. This meter also ties into the suits health gauge, so if you’ve taken a bit of a beating, you’ll be unable to use any powers. The slow motion is gauged by a circular indicator and will last for a set duration before you’re thrown back into the boring reality of normal time.
During my playtest I got to take on several bosses, the first of which began life as a giant laser-wielding crab. I say ‘began life’ because after you’ve pumped enough bullets into his cold steel abdomen, he transforms into an Armored Core-style mech, causing far more trouble than he was capable of in his crustacean form. Boss battles are long, drawn-out affairs, but manage to retain the knack for making you feel sufficiently cool. There’s this one bit while fighting the mech where Gideon grabs ahold of an airborne missile and,defying all known laws of physics, pile drives it back into the orifice from which it was fired. Several seconds later Gideon breaks out of the beast in an explosion of shrapnel. It’s awesome.
The campaign is diced into sections, separated by mission breakdown screens. You’ll be given a score based on how well you dispatch your enemies throughout the level, and there’s an incentive to replay levels for better figures. It’s not clear if there’s an added reward for good performances, but online leaderboards would certainly give the hardcore demographic something to sink their teeth into.
So yes, all things considered, the game looks great; a full-on assault on the senses that’s as stylish as it is playable. Given the pedigree of the development team, it’s safe to say this project bears the heavy weight of expectation – but so far Vanquish looks more than competent enough to take the heat.
Vanquish will be available for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 October 22nd
