Homages to our childhood are very much at the forefront of gaming right now, with so many titles playing on our sense of nostalgia. Rainy Night Creations is aiming for that effect with its take on the '90s survival-horror genre. Harking back to the days of Resident Evil and Dino Crisis, Vaccine intends to make its mark by bringing back fixed camera angles and tank controls to truly immerse the player into a time now forgotten. Are some things better left in the past?
As with some of the most famous horror settings, Vaccine takes place in a mansion where you play as one of two characters (Manuel G.P. or Rita O'Connor) poised with the task of finding a vaccine to cure your partner from the “Shredder Syndrome”. The text reads: “Despite all your best efforts, your friend got infected again” – a contradictory statement on your first playthrough that makes much more sense after your initial attempt. Unlike most horror forays, Vaccine comes with a time limit of 30 minutes for you to have both found the cure and returned it to your fallen comrade. Adding a great sense of tension, the time limit constantly decreases every time you succeed; your friend relapses, forcing you to speed up the process and uncover the mystery before it’s too late. The twist is that for each run the entire mansion completely rearranges itself, making every venture brand new.
Procedurally-generated environments are an interesting idea that keep the game fresh. Instead of learning the map you’re forced to concentrate on stealth and careful play. The downside of this is that luck plays a huge factor and can often frustrate. Starting off you will always find a knife in the first room; how the rest of the mansion plays out is a roll of the dice. Sometimes a gun will be available next door whereas other times it can take multiple attempts before any weapon is remotely close, making encounters far more strenuous. The idea may be trendy, but can lead to an uneven experience here.
A neat and rarely seen trait for this genre is an RPG mechanic. Building up your XP through defeating enemies, accessing new areas or finding new documents allows one of five traits to be upgraded. Out of the options available health and aiming felt the most useful to us, with luck, determination and stamina wasted - it’s rare you can’t outrun a foe. These traits are essential for progressing through the difficulty stages, so choose wisely.
As previously mentioned we have both fixed camera and tank controls implemented; both of these can be off-putting for newcomers. Fans of the original Resident Evil will likely adore the throwback even if the gameplay feels outdated. Jumping into Vaccine the style immediately grabs you, with the classic blocky graphics encompassing everything from character models to room textures. Though this is great for the aesthetic and tone, it does make identifying items more difficult than intended and therefore hinders progress.
This is a problem, because Vaccine is a gruelling game - death is only a corridor away. Enemies come in forms such as a standard zombie, annoying rat-like creatures (that will nibble away at your damage meter when you're least expecting it) and a Licker lookalike à la Resident Evil. We suspect few will manage to unlock the true ending by beating the game nine times.
Earlier in the year, Vaccine released for Wii U when the console was already past its prime, almost like the corpses that roam the halls here. Our previous review referred to common spelling errors and poor writing in the documents that portray the story. Spelling is improved, but odd writing sadly remains; at times the text seems not only poor but odd. Lines like “Is suffering” are misplaced and rushed; no care has gone into delivering a core line for the protagonist to follow. Aimlessly wandering the mansion piecing snippets together to uncover the story can be fun in a sense, yet it's mostly unrewarding. The story is there if you want it, but it's certainly not forced down your throat.
For a much more secluded experience handheld mode reigns supreme, giving the game its most polished look. Blown up on a TV the blocky textures are frightfully hard to look at and are downright ugly. Not all retro styles have aged gracefully, and the blocky art-style here has regrettably aged horrifically. Impressive in the '90s, yes, but it just doesn’t hold up in 2017. The visuals are a problematic distraction, and some deeper colours or richer backgrounds could have helped. That said the included 'CRT mode' is a nice touch.
An area deserving of praise is the music, which plays into the time-limit theme very well, sending chills down the spine every time you open a door. Though there isn’t a huge variation, what is available is stellar. The slow and constant rise before petering out with light piano melodies makes for some terrific, apprehensive moments. For a small system the Switch sure does blast out this soundtrack, being a relentless reminder of impending threats - it's unsettling from start to end.
Conclusion
Vaccine is not as infectious as one may hope, with '90s controls and camera angles being at the forefront; it could easily dissuade newcomers. Handheld mode offers a more intimate take, meaning music is at the core for holding the tension – in this one area it does a stellar job. Increasing the picture size to a TV regrettably shows the ugly nature of the graphics however, not only hindering gameplay but the overall experience. Story is something that can either be taken or left, though don’t expect much in terms of a pay-off considering the challenge in reaching the true finale. Finally, the randomised environments at the heart of Vaccine are a clever idea but, like in the Wii U original, serve up a flawed overall experience.
Comments 38
That's too bad. The premise seems fascinating, a mansion with random rooms you have to hunt through to save a friend. I like the idea, guess it just didn't come through in the execution.
Yeah...I didnt like this game. Too much frustration and unfair placements
I want to see a 90s style game like this more inspired by the first Silent Hill.
aww... i was hoping it would be good. might skip this then.
So it's as bad as the Wii U version.
I have no nostalgia for these blocky PS1 era games that were once considered 'realistic', and I'm no Resident Evil fan, so this is definitely not for me. I did enjoy the dev's previous game, FreezeME, though, so here's hoping their next game is something more up my alley.
Have I missed the I and Me review?
Quick question. Why did you give the wii u version 4/10 and the switch version 5/10
Sounds like it needs a sequel.
@garydbz25 portability
As much as capcom is lauded for constantly pumping out remasters and re-releases, I feel like a "classic" RE 1-3 collection would be right at home on the Switch. I have them on Vita, but the small screen and lack of physical L2/R2 buttons makes them a chore to play.
If it uses similar tank controls to Resident Evil then that was a big mistake imo; they should have went with controls that were closer to those in Eternal Darkness.
Love this game, played over 10 hours already. It's pretty barebones though and while i didn't feel i got ripp-offed at 10 bucks, it's totally worth at least 5. Shame there isn't more to the game though.
This is the only game i have on my Switch outside of Zelda so far.
@RedMageLanakyn For sure, if anything playing Vaccine, just makes me want the RE remake on the Switch.
So, it's basically 99% the same game, yet NL felt compelled to script an entirely new review?
You lost me at tank controls and fixed camera angles.
Wait a sec...... so what you're saying is..... the handheld version is better? How very peculiar.........
It's great, I double dipped already.
@gatorboi352 How many times have we seen every Virtual Console game re-reviewed? Sometimes a new context can change how we see a game. I think the Sonic Adventure games are a prime example of that.
@garydbz25 Hi, a different reviewer did the Wii U version and myself did the Switch. When comparing I felt I enjoyed it more than my predecessor (not that much overall) and the Switch's handheld mode was one of my more favourable parts which the Wii U didnt have hence the slightly higher score
@MarioPhD Yes I enjoyed it much more in handheld mode. On the big screen it felt misplaced
@Kalmaro Yeah shame really. Could have been Switch's answer to Resident Evil.
@SetupDisk Glad you enjoyed it
Nice review. But the game is not for me.
Too bad. I remember the review for the Wii U version and was hoping some issues were fixed. I love the look and style of the original Resident Evil and this would have been really fun for me on a lot of different levels.
I'd rather see the original resident evil series come to Switch but with Capcom ducking the Switch with games like Disney afternoon & the new Mega Man collection (both really BELONG on the Switch) I really doubt that will ever happen!
I just can't get past the title or the "Despite all your best efforts, your friend got infected again" line. I don't expect all of my video game developers to be doctors but if I was going to name my game after something, like a vaccine, I would make sure I knew what that something was. Vaccines are not a cure, they are preventative. You give someone a vaccine so that when they encounter a virus, they are immune to it. Giving your friend a vaccine after he's infected will do nothing for him. Had you given it to him beforehand, he wouldn't have gotten infected the first time, let alone "again". A better name for the game would be Antidote or IVIG. Sorry for the rant. I just feel like this is the equivalent of releasing a Pokemon game and calling it Skylanders. I'll get over it, simply by just forgetting that this game even exists.
Good review. I should probably note though that the true ending can actually be acquired by succeeding three times, not nine.
It all depends on certain actions you must do to unravel the mystery. I completed it myself in three successful runs. I also can't stress how essential upgrading the "luck" skill is. I found myself acquiring a ridiculous amount of ammo, health and weapons when upgrading that attribute. Definitely made the game easier.
REALLY hoping Capcom releases a new RE on the Switch
Looks terrible, good luck to it though, RE all the way if I was to play a game like this again
When I first saw this game I was like WTH? I kind of knew it would be a bit of a dud. It looks terrible and to be honest over priced. But all switch Eshop titles are over priced, so , what are ya gonna do? This was kind of the week of Duds. Hopefully soon we start getting some good Eshop titles
Why would you try and reproduce an awful era in graphics?
@BarryDunne you know, your right. i did watch a trailer of it. and i still don't know if i want it or not.
i'll try out a demo of it. and see how that will confess me on buying it.
I also think a resident evil collection on switch would be amazing! would love that to happen! I will probably give vaccine a miss though as it doesn't sound great.
@Grawlog and yet still, they say I'm the troll.
@Forde999
Hey Matt. Wasn't sure where to send requests so I'm asking you. 😀
Any chance we could get a What Are You Playing This Weekend article each week like Push Square does? Thanks.
@Fandabidozi Hey, thanks for the request. I'll mention it to our editor 🙂
I am enjoying the game quite a bit, but wanted to point something out:
The music is ripped from Resident Evil 2. I wish it wasn't, but it was.
I know I'm a bit late!
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