While an action adventure in a post-apocalyptic world may feel a bit cliche at this point, when they’re executed well there’s a potential for more fantastic monsters and different storytelling, so I’m always game to give them a try. The fact that Vessels of Decay also taps into Scandinavian folklore for some of its inspiration certainly helps to give it some extra creative oomph as well. The shame is that some key elements of its gameplay, and just a general lack of polish, end up being its primary weaknesses.

In the game you’ll alternate between controlling two sisters, Freja and Mud, exploring a variety of environments that generally represent a former civilization now in ruins. With a pretty decent mixture of exploration, combat, and puzzle-solving you’ll make your way through each of these settings before inevitably taking on one of the game’s generally intimidating bosses. The storytelling that it does include, the skills you’ll get the opportunity to unlock as you go, and elements of flair like your various combat finishers are all nice touches that show some earnest effort on the part of the developer. But given that it has some fundamental issues it can be hard not to end up dwelling on them, since they color the whole experience.

In general, the game’s most aggravating issues revolve around its inclusion of sequences, usually tied to boss encounters, where there’s a required element of combined precision and urgency. Given the somewhat flaky nature of the mechanics for performing certain actions like swinging from hanging bars or simply inconsistencies while engaged in combat, there’s an almost constant nagging feeling that the gameplay is just a little off, and that can quickly sap any excitement before it gets rolling. Some odd collision detection does the game no favors either, especially in boss battles where it’s most critical. 

Feeling like you’re stumbling through a victory, rather than in control, can be quite aggravating and rob you of a feeling of accomplishment. Even smaller issues with spots where there’s an over-abundant amount of healing when it isn’t really necessary, but then completely missing in key locations, detract from a feeling that the overall experience has been reviewed and polished. For those who choose to take the plunge there are elements here that work, even if many of them feel like something you’ve likely seen before, and hopefully there’ll be some patches in its future as well to help the experience fully realize its potential.