Vagante Switch Review – A Cooperative Roguelike That’s Fair

Ah, roguelikes. A genre that has defined an age, and Vagante is one that applies the pixelated platformer to the genre. For fans of roguelikes, it is without question that I inform you that Vagante is a tough one. You will die a lot. You will find a lot. You will swear a lot. But somehow, this one feels a bit fairer than others before it, and this roguelike platformer will keep players coming back for more and more, especially thanks to its cooperative features.

So is Vagante one of those roguelikes that deserves to be in the upper echelon? Or is this just another game in the genre? Let’s find out!

Vagante is dark and grim. It starts off by asking you to select a hero class: knight, rogue, or mage. From there, you are presented the starting screen, where you can see your caravan, some fireflies and flowers moving back and forth, and a haunting cave entrance that is the starting point for the adventure to ultimately find unfathomable treasures.

Like many roguelikes before it, death is inevitable. Thankfully, Vagante does provide a wonderful tutorial to cover the basics to help make your transition to adventure smoother. Unfortunately for me, I was forced to do the tutorial twice, as I went into the main case initially (Triggering the tutorial), and then once I completed the tutorial, I was exited back to the starting screen, where I noticed a sign to the right. There I was presented a cave with the words “Tutorial” over it, so I just hopped in to see if it was different… but it wasn’t… and I couldn’t just return so easily.

Despite that, I felt confident to start my adventure, and lo and behold, I died within 5 seconds. Stepped on a switch and triggered a trap that crushed me. I was reminded quickly what type of game Vagante is.

What we have here is a beautifully pixelated platformer that is unfortunately hurt a bit by its incredibly dark atmospheres and lack of biomes. In total, there are only four different areas to explore, and considering the lighting, it is quite difficult to fully appreciate any of the environments due to the dark nature of the game.

That doesn’t mean that it is a bad experience, but it can be tainted at times by its accidental inaccessibility. Imagine if you can if every stage in Spelunky 2 was dark, because that is what most of Vagante feels like. Like the Spelunky series, too, Vagante has a lot going on in each stage, including treasures, enemies, items, a shop, and more en route to the exit to go to the next area. One area that Vagante differs in is in its mini-bosses which exist in every single stage, adding an extra bit of challenge and difficulty. This part of the game feels a lot like The Binding of Isaac, but thankfully, these mini-bosses do not need to be killed in order to exit. If you are able, you can swiftly bypass them, but you will go without reward, as these mini-bosses drop keys that open big chests and more.

Another area that shares similarities to both mentioned game series is the ability to play cooperatively with up to four people. Vagante goes the route of increasing difficulty with each additional player, and this is definitely the fair route to go that keeps things interesting while also challenging. Co-op is a ton of fun, especially if you have relatively skilled people to play with, and this is definitely something that adds tremendous value to the overall experience. It is hard, just like the single player experience, but like many other games out there, it is much more entertaining and fun dying with people than alone.

Even though the game is quite dark and things are hard to see, the design of the world and its various character, both heroes and villains, look incredible. There are certain spells and items you pick up along the journey that can light areas up to help you see better, and it is within these moments that you can appreciate Vagante‘s graphical style and design, as it is truly stunning.

The soundtrack, although nothing to write home about, is a nice blend of different styles while also catering to certain moments in the game really well. For example, the haunting sounds of the Dark Cave illustrate the happenings perfectly, and once you encounter the stage’s mini-boss, that music drastically changes to a more panicky and desperate sound that ensures the listener that things just got even more serious. Transitions like this help tremendously, and it is definitely an area that deserves compliment.

The last major area to cover in Vagante is its progression system, which honestly caters to the replay value heavily. Basically, as you play the game, killing enemies, collecting items, and killing mini-bosses, your level will increase, and with each passing level comes some unlockables, which include things like new classes for your character, more items, extra music, and even special rewards like a training dummy for the main lobby. Leveling up is not too much of a grind, and of course the more you play a game like this the better you get over time, which only increases your chances of leveling up even more. It is a solid progression system that genuinely gives purpose to each play through.

As is the case with these randomized roguelikes, there is a whole lot more than meets the eyes, and Vagante is no different. This is an incredibly hefty game with a lot to offer, and fans of the genre will find a lot of fun whether they play by themselves or with a party of friends/family.

The overall experience may be marred a bit by the dark nature of the game, as that does unfortunately cater to some seemingly unfair deaths, but the plethora of items you pick up to help you (Armor, weapons, potions, vials, etc), the campfires that heal you along the way, and the ability to save your game between stages helps to make this a fair experience despite its difficulty.

When all is said and done, Vagante is a game that will offer the right kind of experience for those looking for a tough roguelike that will take up hours of their time. As is the case with any roguelike, it may not be the most accessible game out there, but it is definitely one to check out if you are a fan of the genre.

Vagante Switch Review provided by Nintendo Link
Review also found on OpenCritic
Publisher: Blitworks Games
Developer: Nuke Nine
Release Date: January 26th, 2022
Price: $14.99, £11.59, €13,99
Game Size: 127 MB