A Post-Apocalyptic Journey Plagued by Bugs
Vessels of Decay is a post-apocalyptic journey that focuses on the story of two sisters, Freja and Mud. It relies heavily on Scandinavian folklore for its setting and storytelling, with a focus on the old gods of decay arising in a broken world.
The art design and music are incredibly interesting and are what initially drew me to the game. Post apocalyptic worlds are ones I am always interested in exploring, and this one had depth and curiosity to it. The music was also very beautifully done, so I had high hopes going into Vessels of Decay.
Sadly, much of the praise stops when it comes to the actual gameplay.
Sisters’ Strengths, Gameplay Weaknesses
Gameplay is split between the two sisters as they have their own interactions with the aforementioned old gods. This leads to a decent variety of gameplay mechanics. Freja and Mud each have their own set of abilities which allow them to either execute or absorb various enemies during combat. This connects back to the storytelling of the game and by itself is a great concept.
However, the gameplay itself is tedious and unpleasant to engage with; at least in most cases. Combat is a bit clunky and the inclusion of a stamina meter isn’t my most favourite of things, but it’s very manageable. The real issue is the sheer number of bugs that I encountered during my time in Vessels of Decay on Xbox.
Bug-Ridden Battles
During combat, when an enemy is damaged enough they enter a stunned state where you can either execute or absorb them, depending on which sister you are playing as. Hitting the prompt button could often cause the enemies to freeze in place while the action fails to occur. The prompt will continue flashing but the only way to defeat the enemy is to use basic attack combos. Annoying, but still manageable.
The cracks really start to show during the first boss sequence, which is a fight against a giant boar. This fight occurs in two stages, a chase sequence through a crumbling city, followed by a fight to the death in the woods. During the chase sequence, timing is incredibly strict and certain sequences need to be completed perfectly to progress. This is made more frustrating because of the awkward mechanics, specifically when it comes to grabbing bars to swing across gaps.
However, there are also several visual glitches that can occur during this sequence too. The boar may run behind parts of the background, and the camera will sometimes follow the boar instead of your character causing you to die, and the city destruction is a noticeable drop in quality compared to the rest of the art design.
Boar Fights and Hitbox Horrors
The fight in the field also has some of these same issues, most notably with the camera following the boar at times which can make it near impossible to survive. The hit box registration is also wildly inaccurate and the only way to avoid hits is to maintain a significant distance from the boar at all times.
Ignoring the bugs and glitches, it’s the standard fight in which you’ll goad the boar to charge into a large pillar so it knocks itself down. Hit it until it starts getting back up, rinse and repeat. The boar does have a second stage where it enhances its attacks with fire and every time it charges it leaves behind a trail of fire. Which is more challenging, but the hit box inconsistency is just exacerbated by this issue.
Skill Trees and Environmental Shifts
After completing this encounter, combat does become more varied, as this is when the majority of the combat mechanics are actually introduced. This includes the introduction of a skill tree and the previously mentioned absorption powers. The skill tree gives access to a variety of abilities, as well as the base line stat boosts that one would expect in a skill tree.
Following this fight, the world design expands with several new areas. Vessels of Decay is a linear game, but the environments change frequently enough to keep things interesting. Again, the world design and the thematic elements of the plot are really where Vessels of Decay shines. Which is why it is such a shame that most of the gameplay mechanics feel sloppy and buggy.
Difficulty and Frustration
I wouldn’t call Vessels of Decay a difficult game, more so just tedious when the mechanics feel like they are working against you. It’s also possible to get into a near unwinnable situation because of the checkpointing. See, dying doesn’t respawn you with max health and this means in areas with a large number of enemies, getting a checkpoint at low health can lead to a vicious cycle of dying and respawning with close to no chance of progressing. Unless you get lucky with health drops or, in my case, you have enough experience points left to level up your health and by extension refill it. It made progressing possible, but it still feels like an oversight.
A Beautiful World Marred by Technical Decay
Maybe I was just unlucky during my experience, but with the number of bugs I experienced, I never found myself truly invested in Vessels of Decay. It’s a unique and beautiful world, but that on its own isn’t enough to justify the frustration of playing.
Your Links
Vessels of Decay Takes Flashy Combat to New Heights on Xbox, PlayStation, Switch and PC – https://www.thexboxhub.com/vessels-of-decay-takes-flashy-combat-to-new-heights-on-xbox-playstation-switch-and-pc/
Scandinavian Folklore Meets Post-Apocalyptic Horror in Vessels of Decay, Coming in 2025 – https://www.thexboxhub.com/scandinavian-folklore-meets-post-apocalyptic-horror-in-vessels-of-decay-coming-in-2025/
Buy Vessels of Decay on Xbox – https://www.xbox.com/en-gb/games/store/vessels-of-decay/9pc7kmgz49rl
