Overview – developed and published by SummerClip, Ved: Recure is a fast paced mix of action RPG and Roguelike, combining the two styles to create a fast paced chaotic roaming brawler. As Zane, you are pulled into a mysterious world by the God of Games, attempting to cure a condition called V.E.D. which causes a loss of passion for video games. This title is available exclusively for the Steam service, with a link to each version of the game at the bottom of this review.
Disclaimer: before I get into the review, I would like to thank Evolve PR for providing the copy of Ved: Recure that was used for this piece, via the terminals service. The provision of this software has not influenced the contents of this review, all thoughts and opinions contained within are my own.
Now with the introductions out of the way, let’s get into the review, starting with the story. Please note, I will only be covering the core gameplay experience for this release, as to prevent spoilers and keep some of the surprises secret for players.
Story – after another night of working overtime, Zane returns to an empty room, switching on his computer and adding a new game to his library. This new game is his 1000th, but unlike his youth, his passion for gaming has faded. Falling asleep in his chair, he awakens in a mysterious world, with robots roaming the land. Here he encounters Demeowgre the God of Games, who informs him he suffers from V.E.D. and must clear this game to be cured and return to the real world.
Gameplay – Ved: Recure is a roaming brawler, featuring a mix of light action RPG and roguelike elements. The game is made up of four distinct chapters, each set in a distinct location with multiple stages in each. The objective of each chapter is to take down the waves of enemies, with enemies spawning in and attacking the player. To take down the different enemies, the player must unleash a variety of different attacks and skills that can deal massive damage to enemies.
In battle, the player can use normal attack combos, which are simple attack chains that are quick and effective against most enemies. Then there are the special attacks, which are power attacks which require energy to unleash for big damage. At the end of combo attacks or special attacks, there will be a window of opportunity for players to set off an extra attack. The extra attacks are special bonus actions that can extend a combo to clear out enemy waves.
Attacking isn’t all that the player is able to do, as there are some defensive skills that players are able to use during combat. The first is the dodge, which will allow the player to avoid damage from enemy attacks, giving a window to counter the enemy. Players will also be able to parry attacks, blocking incoming damage and setting up a response. Both of the attacks set up a counter attack, which can cause significant damage and potentially knock enemies down.
There will be a variety of enemies that appear, with a mix of melee and ranged attacks that they can use. When they appear, the enemy will rush the player and try to kill them if they are close quarters combatants. But if the enemy likes to strike from a distance, they will often try to have some distance to take pop shots at the player. Some enemies will also have shields, which will require then to be knocked down before they can take full damage from attacks.
When all of the enemies for the stage have been defeated, the player will be provided with a reward. The types of rewards that players can collect will vary, offering abilities, buffs and bonuses for clearing the current stage. As the player makes their way through a chapter, they will be able to select from a branching path of rewards, allowing players to plan a path through the chapter. This gives the game a layer of unpredictability during play.
There are several enhancements that the player can collect, with Active and Passive abilities that can be collected during a run. The active power-ups that can be collected can be added to the Buff Chain, which will allow the player to make their attacks more impactful. Active abilities can be applied to trigger when normal combos end, special attacks are triggered and more, with healing and effects like explosions that deal extra damage.
Then we have the passive abilities which have their own triggers, adding conditions to attacks and providing enhancements to other abilities. This can be through adding to explosive powers, freezing enemies and applying poison to enemies. And the last type of power-up is the character buff, which will provide a unique upgrade that only applies to that character. All of these different upgrades add more flexibility to the combat, keeping it from getting stale.
Players will also be able to get lasting upgrades for the duration of the run, with additional health upgrades and energy boosts that will aid survival. There will also be currency bonuses offering extra money, special resources and even shops that can be selected from the reward branches. It is important to plan out the route ahead of time, as not all branches lead to the same result. Thankfully it is possible to view the upcoming rewards on the road.
As the player clears the stages, they will encounter sub-boss bots at set points during a chapter. There are four bosses that will appear in a chapter, with a total of 16 boss battles to take on. When the player encounters a boss, they will be trapped in an arena as the onslaught begins. Their attacks are powerful and devastating, as they will strike with wide sweeps, area attacks and deadly projectile blasts. Carelessness during these battles can lead to a quick demise.
If the player does survive the sub boss encounters, they will be allowed to select from two different rewards before a sub wave appears to clear the stage. At the end of a chapter, there will be big boss encounter, where the player will need to survive deadly multi-hit attacks that can annihilate the player with ease. Both main and sub-boss battles will have the opponent shielded, where they need to destroy each set of shields before they can do maximum damage.
There is constant danger throughout each run, where death can occur easily if the player is not careful. In the event that the player dies, they will lose all of their collected power-ups during the battle, being sent back to a main base. While at the main base, the player will be able to interact with the God of Games, who will sell the player new weapons, accessories and more. These will allow the player to gain permanent power boosts between runs.
There is also the upgrade system, where the player will be able to enhance their weapons and equipment for the next run. Players can also permanently increase the stats of a character, using special resources that have been collected from defeating bosses. All of the permanent enhancements are carried between each of the runs. If the player wants to test out the new gear and power-ups, they can be tested out in the training grounds.
Finally, the player will start off with only a single playable character for the adventure. However, as the story progresses and the player gets deeper into the adventure, there will be additional characters that join the team. Each time a new playable characters joins the roster, they will be made available for the next attempt made. Each character has their own attacks, weaponry and skills that add a lot of depth and replay value to the adventure.
When playing the game, the player will be able to mix and match the equipment that characters have, with individual item level enhancements carrying over. This lets players improve a set of gear that can be shared, which will give the player more options during extended play. It also gives players the chance to persue their own personal play style and approach. This is a good choice as it offers a deep level of personalisation to the overall experience.
Now with the gameplay covered, it is time to discuss the other aspects of this release, starting with the controls.
Controls – Ved: Recure has an easy to pick up and play control system, which uses a simple 5 button control method. All of the action inputs are easy to use, offering a smooth and responsive combat experience that flows very well. The game works well with mouse and keyboard, however it is recommended for players to use a controller with support for Xbox controllers as standard. But through Steam input, a variety of options are available for players.
Difficulty – as this is a roguelike game, there is a rather solid difficulty curve due to the random elements of the buff and upgrade system. There are four difficulty options to select from when playing, with the recommended setting being Normal. But for those looking for a different challenge, there is Easy with some accessibility extra and Hard modes for more punishing challenges. While there may be some frustrations, the enhancements can ease the challenge.
Presentation – from a visual perspective, this title is pleasing to the eye with a dystopian anime style to the world and presentation. This includes gorgeous art for that appears throughout the game. The setting and world feel vibrant, with a lot of personality to the various characters that appear, giving the game a lively feel. Then we have the sound, which is done well with music that adds to the excitement of play, alongside dialogue in both Chinese and Japanese.
Final Thoughts – I enjoy a good action brawler game, which made Ved: Recure appeal to me. The action reminds me of Musou games and hack and slash titles, so when I got the chance to check this out I was excited. I am happy to say that the excitement was not misplaced. The flow of combat, game loop and general feel is a lot of fun, with a simple and easy to use control method. I didn’t feel the roguelike elements were too punishing either, as I learned with each failed run.
Sadly, the game does need a little polish, as it took some finagling to get it working first as the game kept crashing. However, after I got it going properly there were no additional issues with the performance. I do enjoy the game, but I think these inconsistencies may be frustrating to players, while I am also unsure how it will perform on handheld computer systems. But if you can deal with that and are willing to jump through hoops, I can recommend picking it up.
In the end, I give Ved: Recure a final score of 3.75 out of 5. This is a pretty fun game, with the action RPG and roguelike elements mixing well, alongside the vibrant world, distinct characters designs and a lot of fun combat, it is just hampered a little due to some technical issues. If you do want to check this game out for yourself, a link to the game will be below.
Link to Steam version (HERE)
