Vane Reviews
Vane is a unique experience and for that in itself Friend & Foe should be applauded. As an artwork, it’s compelling. But as a game, it’s recommended with strings attached: this is a harsh, uncompromising world and you’re going to need to struggle to survive.
Aside from occasional camera troubles, Vane stands out as one of the most immersive titles of 2019. Whether exploring the world as a child or a bird, the visuals masterfully blend together in a beautiful environment worthy of exploration. In relying on visuals instead of dialogue, players can form a deeper appreciation for the world around them - one open to interpretation. Vane is not a particularly long adventure, but it's one that'll leave audiences reflecting long after the credits have rolled.
Vane is a game that sticks to its ideals at the detriment of everything else. It's a noble idea to let players figure out everything on their own — until you realize that the large environments and the number of interactive but ultimately useless elements mean more time wasted in activities without a payoff.
It is boring walking simulator with crow. As dry as desert in this journey.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
Vane is a 2-hour atmospheric adventure game that due to its numerous technical problems and confusing language will take up to 5 hours to finish. It is a unique experience with stunning art design and music that unfortunately has been lost in a sea of bugs and gameplay problems
Review in Persian | Read full review
It seems like during the years of development, Friend & Foe has forgotten what it wanted to say with Vane.
Review in Russian | Read full review
It can still look visually striking when viewed from a distance while its audio design, with a brooding electronic score, can also be wonderfully atmospheric. Sadly, it's not enough to salvage a wholly disappointing experience that never reaches the lofty heights it begins with.
Developers Friend & Foe wanted to give freedom to the players with Vane, and on that aspect, they succeeded. Unfortunately for me, this also became a major disappointment, as there was maybe a bit too much freedom to properly lead me through the story and through the experience it should’ve been.
Vane is the kind of game where you can see what the developers were going for. It has moments where the vision comes together and perhaps you've turned a corner, but all too quickly it goes back to its old, disappointing ways.
Vane is an intriguing game with a variety that encourages you to dig deep into its dubious world, but its sluggish controls hamper this peculiar experience.
Review in Arabic | Read full review
Vane is a different game. It does not present an interesting story, but it ends up delivering a unique experience of seeing the world from above through the view of a crow. Even though it has some serious technical problems and gets the player lost in some moments, Vane manages to make the player have some fun while solving some puzzles and trying to understand what happens to that world.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Vane is an experience filled with intrigue and mystery, but it’s held back by some technical issues. One can’t help but feel that it could’ve used some more time in the oven. That said, despite its issues, it’s better than the sum of its parts and worth checking out by fans of Team ICO’s past work.
If you love pretentious indie games then you may enjoy Vane but those just looking to have fun will likely get irritated with it.
At first glance, Vane is a visually very appealing exploratory adventure game with a clear creative vision, but this is overshadowed by the gameplay. If the same amount of care and work had been put into the gameplay mechanics and gameplay itself as was put into creating the graphical identity, an interesting game with the potential to stand alongside other similarly-themed titles could have been created. Unfortunately, Vane has so many problems that I cannot in good conscience recommend it. Beautiful graphics alone are not enough.
Review in Czech | Read full review
When all was said and done, I had only spent five to six hours in total with the game (perhaps seven if you count the first hour of lost progress). While some may take issue with this, keep in mind that with a price tag of just $24.99, buying this game is comparable to seeing one or two really good movies. Or if you prefer, think of it as taking five or six hours to stroll through a special art exhibit. I can say that in my experience with it, it certainly strengthened my opinions about video games and the art world. Had the game been slightly longer and had it been free from some of the technical issues with its gameplay, I could easily have seen myself giving this a 5/5. Keeping in mind that those bugs can be addressed with future patches and updates, I’m happy to settle with a 4 instead (though it really deserves a 4.25). Vane is currently available for digital download on the PlayStation Store. If you enjoy artistic puzzle games and you’ve been looking for something new and unique, you will enjoy this game.
Vane is one of those games that have a lot of great ideas but doesn't execute them in a very compelling way. The game has a beautiful art direction but doesn't take advantage of its own mechanics which at the end, make the game feel pretty underwhelming.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Vane could have been an amazing experience, since it is based on some great ideas, but it seems that the developers didn't have the budget to materialize them.
Review in Greek | Read full review
Vane lasts 4 hours, and if we have to compare all the elements we defined till now in the review, sadly, we can’t promote this game. The whole product is chaotic, cause of bugs, a questionable gameplay, and a bad camera management…It’s not easy to be satisfied just by a pleasant graphic design and a great soundtrack.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Vane is game that has much potential, It has the feel of The Last Guardian to it and that in itself is a reason to want to like this game. The incredible visual style and the haunting 80s synths soundtrack adds buckets of atmosphere. It’s just a shame that the game is so obtuse for its own good.
For as beautiful as Vane looks and sounds, and for as exhilarating as the flight can sometimes be, there are so many barriers to your enjoyment of this title. Friend & Foe have poured so much into the experience but have forgotten the fact that we also need to interact with it.