Vertigo 2 Review (Octorine)
Just finished this game, and I can't recommend it strongly enough!
The art style is simple, but beautiful, and makes great use of scale. There are some stunning sights in this game. The character models can be a bit clunky at times, and the animation is sometimes lacking, but the personality of each character comes through. I appreciated that every level is populated with various creatures or robots, not all of which are hostile. Some are just there, going about their day.
The writing is very silly and doesn't take itself too seriously, but never in a lazy way. The characters are interesting and varied, the world is well thought out, with a coherent lore and a deep backstory. Despite the general zaniness, the levels felt like places, not levels, which, to my mind, is the best thing you can say about a video game level. I really enjoyed the in-game encyclopedia entries that unlocked during gameplay, and would always start each session by reading all the ones I had unlocked during the last one. There are are also some great Half-Life-style set pieces, which keep the narrative moving along, and are often quite funny
Where the game really shines, though, is in the interactions. The game has some physics, so your hands interact with the environment in a believable way, but doesn't go to extremes like Boneworks, where it feels like you're playing QWOP VR. The haptic feedback for various interactions is really fine-tuned to perfection, and makes everything feel natural. The guns (and there are a lot of guns) are varied, and all feel unique, each with it's own reloading method.
Speaking of reloading, the game's ammo system is a nice compromise between infinite ammo and ammo boxes. Each gun takes magazines of some kind which have to be replaced when they run out, but the magazines regen over time. This means you have to think about ammo, but don't have to hoard it, or spend all your time searching for hidden ammo boxes. The health system, likewise, is an interesting compromise. You have regenerating health, but only up to 50%. To get to 100%, you have to consume health items or use first aid stations (which both feel great, by the way). This made it so you had to worry about getting hit, but not so much that it wasn't fun.
There's more to talk about, like the variety of enemies and bosses, or all the secrets, Easter eggs, and cameos, but the bottom line is that this is a great game and you should buy it.