Vaccine
Overall, I wouldn't recommend Vaccine on the Nintendo Switch. Sure, it's certainly a novelty to release a game in 2017 with the looks and control mechanics of something from back in 1996, but the game feels as if it would have benefited from a couple of extra months of fine tuning.
Top Critic
Minimal story, frustrating design, and a revival of all the bad things of which survival horror washed its hands years ago — these all crop up in Vaccine and combine to have the game miss its mark. Instead of a love letter to bygone scares, what we get is a tiresome endeavor for anyone but the most diehard fans for old school horror. What's worse, even such fans might be turned away by Vaccine's blatant ripping off of Capcom's renowned franchise.
Top Critic
The idea of implementing roguelike elements and endless game design in old-school survival horror has potential, but Vaccine fails to capitalise on it. Aspects where the developers could have improved on were perks that could allow a 180-degree turn, a map system, or even a combo system where it can be possible to earn back extra time like Resident Evil's The Mercenaries mode. With much more variety in level design and more enemies, Vaccine could have been an interesting guilty pleasure. In its current state, this seems more like pre-alpha build with many of the features not yet implemented.
Top Critic
Vaccine is shit, but it does say its own name in a creepy deep voice when you start it, which is the single thing it has over Resident Evil 7.
Top Critic
Vaccine makes an admirable attempt to recapture the original survival horror style game, both looking and playing the part. Unfortunately, the advancements that developers have made in the past 20 years have made games like Vaccine obsolete.
Top Critic
While Vaccine recreates the look and feel of classic survival horror games, its own additions to that formula leave a lot to be desired. Randomized games can be fun when done right and properly balanced, but Vaccine has no qualms about sometimes generating a game layout that's completely unfair and almost unwinnable, while at other times showering you with more guns and ammo than you know what to do with.If the randomizer was more balanced and perhaps the timer or the multiple playthrough requirement for the true ending were removed, Vaccine could very well be an excellent throwback to the games that started it all - as it stands, however, it's a never-ending exercise in frustration.
A true love letter to Resident Evil
Top Critic
I loved it when I was a kid, so I ended up enjoying myself way more than probably anyone else will with Vaccine.
While I applaud the effort considering this was made by a one man studio, I feel the game is lacking in many ways. The procedural generation is interesting, but has limited effect on the actual overall experience. If only the combat or pathfinding was a little more interesting this game could have offered genuine replay value. Unfortunately that is not the case. Unless you spend your days wishing all 3D survival horror games looked and played like they did in the 90s, but without an actual story, this game does not have much to offer in terms of entertainment value.
Top Critic
Vaccine isn't a title I'd recommend even to the most fervent survival horror fans. There just isn't enough variation to continue playing death after death. Stay away from this one.
