VED Review

It seems like every month players are treated to a different unique RPG adventure. Or in a huge franchise like Dragon Age or a new IP like it Black Legend: Wukongplayers enjoyed a variety of experiences. This month, one such adventure comes in the form of a handcrafted RPG VED. The first game from Lithuanian developer Karaclan, VED promises to offer a magical story for players to sink their teeth into. And while the game's art style may be visually appealing, almost everything else about the experience is second to none.

VED puts the player in the shoes of a young hero named Cyrus who discovers that he has superhuman abilities. So, he quickly becomes involved in a wild story that sees him mastering his abilities, fighting against all powerful enemies and hoping to save the world. All of this leads to a game that has exciting encounters and unique mechanics, but the actual story and writing feel a bit bland, which makes the experience forgettable in the end.

The world of VED is very unique

That is, VED not all bad. The story may be boring, but the beauty of the game and the combat can be exciting. The whole experience is presented in a beautiful hand-crafted style. Everything looks like a painting, with people moving and moving like art in a museum. This makes for a really cool sight that players can get lost staring at for hours.

If the player gets tired of looking at one world, there are two completely different worlds with their own eyes. One is the dirty and seedy city of Micropolis, full of gangs, warring factions, and ugly celebrities. Another appears every time Cyrus teleports, and is full of fantastic creatures and magical floating islands. Both do a great job of captivating players, with VEDWar makes everything better.

Fighting VED can be fun

The combat is unique here, which is good, because the player will fight many things during his journey. When they reach the mysterious floating island world, they must equip themselves with powerful abilities, which are unlocked by renovating the charming Troglodyte town. Once they are happy with their belongings, they must go out to discover the secrets of this land. To do this, they teleport between the various islands, each with a new threat or scene to engage with.

Some islands have friendly NPCs to meet, others have random events that require the player to roll a D20. Depending on what they do, they often get buffs or debuffs during that run in the magical land. Then, if they're brave enough, they can fight one of the many enemies that litter the islands. If they can't defeat the threat, they go back to town and have to do it all over again. Fortunately, the islands they have cleared are still clear.

At the start of each encounter, the player can choose one of three buffs or debuffs to apply to the enemy. Depending on what the buff is, they will be rewarded with more energy, which works like VEDthe money. If they think it is too difficult, they can also skip these as they are completely optional. They will lose the bonus power, but will still be rewarded with regular money if they win.

Battles are turn-based, but there are quite a few turns. Players have to choose their attack, choose where they want to hit the creature, and hope the creature doesn't take them out first. However, instead of always having a set of attacks to choose from, the player's movements are determined by Cyrus's position. The hot bar is divided into four sections, and each section represents a different location on the battlefield. Some attacks move players, others keep them away, and it's up to them to sort it out.

VED's history and VED's writings leave much to be desired

In any story-driven RPG, the actual story needs to be exciting. Players don't want to settle for dull or uninteresting stories, they want dialogue to be natural, and they want the narrative to make sense. in the VEDKaraclan seems to struggle to deliver on almost all of these fronts. So, instead of blowing the players on a fun adventure, most of them crash.

The story follows a boy named Cyrus, who has the power to teleport. When he teleported, he was transported to a magical floating island world. Outside of this world, he must travel through the city of Micropolis and jump through many factions trying to make his mark on the world. Therefore, all decision makers take the facts, with the end of each chapter telling them what they chose and the decision they made.

This should make the story interesting, but nothing natural. The dialogue seems to flow strangely, unlike the way a person would speak. The characters speak in run-on sentences, the conversation ends abruptly, there are a lot of dumps, and the script seems like it needs a lot of editing. Karaclan says that everything is translated into English, and while it can make for some awkward dialogue, the fact that it's all about the story diminishes the overall experience.

With that, VEDHis tone of voice was a little vague. The dialogue probably doesn't help, but many times, it seems like the text is being read rather than the words being spoken. This can really hinder the immersion of the game, and often, it can ruin the listening experience. Of course, not every game needs an award-winning voice, but it would be nice if these actors were a little stronger.

VED is far from a perfect game, but it does have a few redeeming qualities. The hand-drawn art style is a delight to behold, showcasing the power of this game. Additionally, combat is often exciting, because if players aren't careful, things can quickly go haywire. However, the story and dialogue hold the experience together. And ultimately, it leads to an overall bland experience.

VED is available for PlayStation, PC, Xbox and Nintendo Switch. Game Rant was provided a PC code for this review.