Interested in exploring the landscapes of Norway without the associated travel costs? Consider Vigor. In this game, you assume the role of a survivor in a post-nuclear war Norway, tasked with enduring the harsh environment. You’ll have access to a cabin that serves as your base, allowing you to upgrade weapons and expand your living space. Additionally, you can discover and acquire various clothing items.
Vigor is an exclusively online multiplayer experience, requiring an Xbox Live Gold subscription to play. Like other free-to-play titles in the genre, such as Warframe and Fortnite, the game is monetized through optional in-game purchases that offer advantages.
While the online component can be engaging, the absence of a dedicated campaign or NPCs (Non-Player Characters) can lead to periods of isolation. In some instances, entire levels may be traversed without encountering another player. The core gameplay loop revolves around exploring these environments to acquire as much loot as possible. This loot is then used to construct and upgrade items back at your home base, creating a repetitive cycle.
This gameplay loop can become monotonous quickly. Furthermore, players with inadequate weapons or insufficient training may find themselves eliminated before identifying the source of the attack. Without insurance, death results in the complete loss of all carried items, forcing players to begin anew. This can be frustrating, as starting with nothing necessitates venturing out unarmed to scavenge for basic supplies.
The game’s environments are visually impressive, with Bohemia Interactive Studio (developers of Operation Flashpoint and DayZ) successfully capturing the essence of the Norwegian landscape. However, other aspects of the game leave room for improvement. Compared to titles like The Division 2, which shares a similar core loop of looting, upgrading, and engaging enemies, Vigor lacks several key features. Firstly, as previously mentioned, Vigor lacks a campaign, storyline, or single-player mode, offering no narrative to follow or objectives beyond scavenging. Secondly, the limited selection of customizable characters restricts player expression and contributes to a sense of uniformity. Finally, the absence of NPCs, directly related to the lack of a campaign, creates a feeling of emptiness within the game world.
In conclusion, Vigor benefits from its visually stunning environments and initial novelty, earning it a marginal passing grade. However, it falls short of being a strong recommendation due to its repetitive gameplay and lack of depth.
