The tavern is called the Thirsty Alpaca. 11/10. Buy it.
More? Fine.
I was drawn to Vacant Kingdom because I like twin stick shooters, I like puzzles, I like cutesy 2D graphics, and I like the idea of being good at bullet hell even though I’m not. As far as I’m concerned Vacant Kingdom delivers on all these.
The story is set after the defeat of an evil overlord as the remaining folk try to find their way in the world. The tone is light and filled with humour but it’s a thoughtful setting regardless. I found myself solving some local problems and trying to bring life back to the village of Knavedale.
To my mind the gameplay is more a blend of bullet hell twin stick and adventure because when you aren’t fighting monsters it is mostly a game of exploration and puzzle solving. There are no character stats but you do have a small selection of weapons to switch between. The atmosphere drew me in along with a bouncy energetic soundtrack. There are lots of chuckle worthy conversations with characters to bind everything together.
I’d say the difficulty on normal is pitched about right for the average gamer. With the optional final boss being most likely to trip up the inexperienced. Whether you choose to tackle that or not I found it overall a good way to get more acquainted with the bullet hell genre. There are options to make it easier or harder if you like.
Boss fights were challenging. It doesn’t hold back on the bullets and other attacks. My favourite fight was probably against the sea enemy on breaking ice. Weapons are easy to switch and hits feel fair. My hitbox actually felt very forgiving which is definitely preferable. The focus walk and slowed time add some tactics. There are times when it is necessary to move quickly to evade attacks and others where you can stay more in one place using your skills. Going between these two approaches when boss phases change kept me on my toes.
The puzzle solving was satisfying too. For anyone curious about the basement door riddle. It is solvable. However the dev is clearly doing it tongue in cheek and you are supposed to find the area where it changes into a much simpler riddle. However, I hate to be outdone and paused the game to spend half an hour on google looking up poems, history, maths and chemistry to work out the answer. Get your google terms right and it’s not that hard. You’ll even stumble on a spoiler answer on steam.
My only complaint is I would like to spend more time in Vacant Kingdom. There’s about five hours of game and the ending is a little abrupt and feels too soon. My play through took longer because for whatever reason I take at least 20% longer than most people at all games. Also, on average I died about a dozen times on most bosses. The game length is reflected in the low price and if it ever goes on sale would be a great bargain.
Vacant Kingdom is a well written funny game with endearing characters, and boss fights that will test your reactions.
Available from Steam.
mishmash 