Vane is out now on PS4. I wish I could tell you puzzle-adventure game lovers to rush out and buy this one, but it feels like it's a couple patches short of a full launch.
I hate saying that. The world itself is concept art come to life. The iridescent black bird soars like a spaceship reentering the atmosphere. And the child is both fragile and naive to the frightening power they possess. Without words, the soundscape ranges from intimate to deafening, with musical tones that make you feel like your in a submarine caving under pressure. On a scale of What the Heck, Vane is somewhere between Journey (with less hopeful hardships) and Inside (with a little less Frankenstein).
As much as I absolutely love Vane's world, its day-one patch can't solve the problem of an aggressively uncooperative camera and clipping issues where I fall through walkways and staircases and entire cliff walls all the time. It's exciting to fire up Vane, but it's always with an I-give-up sigh that I have to turn it off after an hour's worth of Geometry Glitch Fight Club. And whatever club handles puzzles not triggering properly.
Vane's environmental puzzles are cool to solve, the world is beautiful and dangerous, but the game just needs a little more time in the oven. Expect our full review soon.
Vane is out now, January 15, on PS4.
