Vessel is a puzzle platformer that has flown under the radar ever since it was released for PS3 in 2014. Of the sites that did review this game, whether on PS3 or PC, it obtained fairly good ratings. On the boot up of the game, one thing that stands out is the graphics isn't terribly good. I don't know whether it was intentional but the background artwork and character models were fuzzy and grainy. Vessel plays on a 2D plane, a sidescroller. The graphics are not obvious 3D. The mood and colour scheme is dark, to the point where sometimes you miss stuff in the background, stuff that was crucial in moving forward. The puzzles involve activating switches and dodging obstacles. The twist here is that there are these liquid/plasma based "fluoros" which are attracted to light (and other things). You will gain the ability to create these fluoros and the interesting thing is that while initially, you can only use water to make them, later on you can use fire, light, dark and more, making for some really cool combinations. The puzzles themselves start out okay but before too long, they get really difficult.
These puzzles become elaborate and you'll be stuck at a loss at what you need to do to advance. While the puzzles aren't hard to the point of frustration, the good thing is that they require more thought rather than quick reflexes. The solutions get really abstract and you will end up either spending huge amounts of time figuring out the solution or just cheat and watch a video online. I think this is probably one of the reasons why Vessel isn't as high profile as it could be. While the puzzles are clever, they aren't intuitive and it just isn't that much fun when a player with average intelligence will take minutes upon minutes figuring out each puzzle. Considering the movement mechanics aren't the best, Vessel could have easily strayed into the stupid frustration category. Your character can jump but the jump isn't that great, you end up falling back down really quickly and it will take a short while to get used to. If they could have fixed this jump mechanic, it would make the game less annoying to play, especially in the later parts of the game where platforming plays a not insignificant role. You are thrown straight into the game and at the beginning, you will wonder what the story is about since it doesn't tell you anything.
After a while, you will realize that there is an in-game journal which shows entries from the character. These short snippets are interesting and tell an intriguing story. It is an effective way of storytelling and doesn't get in the way of the game. The structure of the game is going from one puzzle to the next, coupled with some platforming. It's pretty much once you finish one puzzle, the next is waiting around the corner. A cool thing is that you don't die by falling from a great height which allows you to travel a little bit faster (falling down as opposed to climbing down). You'll probably die by molten lava or death by spikes when your plaforming goes amiss. The music is very hollow and eerie, which seems at odds with the game. While I appreciate how the music complements the puzzle aspect, it feels more at home in a survival horror game. It also feels like it's the same piece replayed over and over because they are so similar, making it feel uninspired. Vessel is not one for the impatient, as each puzzle will take time and much trial and error before it can be solved. However, the pride that you feel after solving one by yourself feels really good and it is a solid puzzle game with some interesting puzzles.
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