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VANE |OT| Fly like an Ico

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SirNinja

SirNinja

One Winged Slayer
Member
Nov 17, 2017
8,230
Las Cruces, New Mexico, United States
Transform between boy and bird of prey,
exploring a vast ruin-filled desert
that changes as you progress,
as danger approaches from the horizon.

UCIAhGQ.png



Info​
Developer: Friend & Foe (Japan-based indie studio; members' past projects include The Last Guardian, Killzone, Battlefield 3, and Bionic Commando)
Genre: Adventure, Exploration, Puzzle
Platforms:
  • PlayStation 4 (digital only; Store links: US / EU)
  • PC (Steam)
Release Date: January 15, 2019 (PS4), July 22, 2019 (PC)
File Size: 4.75 GB
Price: PS4: $24.99 (US) /£17.99 (UK) | PC: $19.99
Preorder bonus: Free dynamic theme (click to preview). The theme will also available separately afterwards for $2.99.


Story
Sprawling ancient ruins dot a vast, mysterious desert. Among their many secrets is a mysterious golden dust, which holds the power to transform many things around it - including you.

You are a bird of prey, but flying into a pool of this golden dust turns you into a young boy. Fall too far in this form and the gold will be blown off, reverting you to your original form.

Guided almost entirely by your own intuition, you must use the powers of both child and hawk to reshape the world, and unravel its many extraordinary mysteries...

vane_golddustuij5h.gif



Key Points/Features​

  • The game uses a polygonal, "texture-less" art style, making use of several shader tricks to maintain an organic style from afar
  • Has no spoken dialogue, and almost no text. The story is told primarily through imagery
  • Very little hand-holding. There are some minor visual cues (e.g., points of interest will shimmer on the horizon in bird form). Philosophy is that players should find their own way.
  • Features an original, haunting synth soundtrack that accompanies your every move
  • In the creators' words, Vane aims to be "an enigmatic and unnerving game that aims to leave an impact".


Screenshots
(Click to enlarge; images open in a new tab.)






Release Trailer




Previews
Polygon: "Leapfrogging Trico: Vane's journey from Last Guardian appetizer to dessert" (January 7, 2019)
PSU.com: "Vane PS4 Interview – Developer Friend And Foe Talks Gameplay, Secrets, PS4 Pro & More" (January 3, 2019)
PlayStation Blog: "Vane Lands on PS4 Tomorrow" (January 14, 2019)

Vane Devlog - contains various info about the game's development and showcases since 2014


vane_storm01kqc.gif



Reviews/Accolades
OpenCritic / Metacritic
Polygon - The 50 Most Anticipated Games of 2019 (list is alphabetical)


vane_stairsrqkkq.gif



Frequently Asked Questions​

Q: What is this game a mixture of?
A: Outlets have compared the game to Ico, Rime, The Witness, Shadow of the Colossus, Journey, Inside, and many more. It takes a little something from a lot of games.

Q: Any chance for a physical version?
A: Very slim. The game is less than 5 GB in size, however, so even those with lousy internet shouldn't have too much of a problem here.

Q: Is it coming to other platforms?
A: Yes! It's out on Steam right now:





vane_flight8gk7n.gif
 
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hydruxo

hydruxo

▲ Legend ▲
Member
Oct 25, 2017
20,447
Definitely keeping an eye out for impressions on this one, hope it's good
 
Mercenary09

Mercenary09

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
2,395
Some people in that other thread mentioned they ran into some issues with the game but there is a patch on the way. Don't know if it will be out by release day yet.
 
Gedi

Gedi

Member
Oct 29, 2017
785
Stumbled across the trailer on the PSN Store a few weeks ago and first impressions were of Ico and Inside. The moment when I saw the character jump of the ledge and turn in to the bird was the point when I went from intrigued to probable purchase. That said I didn't realise it was out so soon. Saw the thread about it yesterday and have now pre-ordered.
 
Zojirushi

Zojirushi

Member
Oct 26, 2017
3,299
Right out the gate with that windmill looking thing, yeah they know exactly what they're doing lol.

Too bad they also seem to copy that Team Ico framerate ugh.

Smoothen this out on PC a bit and I'm all over this.
 
wafflebrain

wafflebrain

Member
Oct 27, 2017
10,254
Hope the bugs mentioned in the other thread (especially the losing progression one) are ironed out in a day one patch. Been looking forward to this one for awhile, hope it does well.
 
KraytarJ

KraytarJ

Member
Nov 14, 2017
1,580
Hope this game turned out well, I've been keenly interested since its reveal a few years back.
 
stan_marsh

stan_marsh

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
8,688
Canada
Mercenary09 said:
Some people in that other thread mentioned they ran into some issues with the game but there is a patch on the way. Don't know if it will be out by release day yet.
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wafflebrain said:
Hope the bugs mentioned in the other thread (especially the losing progression one) are ironed out in a day one patch. Been looking forward to this one for awhile, hope it does well.
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Thanks for this info, will wait for patch to buy.
 
More_Badass

More_Badass

Member
Oct 25, 2017
23,623
Has there been whispers about this among Twitter/sites? The lead-up to release has been so quiet. The fact that there's a review embargo makes me hope it's an Inside-style situation where the devs are hoping for a big blast of critical acclaim rather than it being the game has just been forgotten and overlooked by outlets
 
ListeningGarden

ListeningGarden

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,498
PC is indeed happening, and was mentioned as recently as a month ago:



Friend&Foe‏ @FriendAndFoeDev

Replying to @prudis06

Still planning it! PS4 first, and then we'll tackle PC!

They have been saying PS4 first and PC shortly after since 2016. Should be added to the OP!
 
Penny Royal

Penny Royal

The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
4,158
QLD, Australia
I've been in for this since the first showing 2 years ago. Don't care if it's rubbish just want to see that art style & world.

The instant gratification crowd are going to hate it though, same as Journey which is what this reminds me of more than anything.
 
LonestarZues

LonestarZues

Member
Oct 27, 2017
16,129
I've been looking forward to this game since the PSX reveal. Can't wait to dive in on Tuesday or maybe Monday night if I have the time.
 
shaneo632

shaneo632

Weekend Planner
Member
Oct 29, 2017
29,021
Wrexham, Wales
Very curious about this one. I'm expecting mixed reviews though (60-70 Metascore) from the gameplay videos and what people were saying in one of the other threads.
 
OP
OP
SirNinja

SirNinja

One Winged Slayer
Member
Nov 17, 2017
8,230
Las Cruces, New Mexico, United States
Last edited:

Deleted member 11976

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
7,585
shaneo632 said:
Very curious about this one. I'm expecting mixed reviews though (60-70 Metascore) from the gameplay videos and what people were saying in one of the other threads.
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People have already played it? Reviewers?

Kind of curious about where this will land amongst Ico/SOTC/TLG fans because that's definitely the camp I'm in. Reviews for TLG were OKish but I loved it, even though I had my own issues with it.
 
Grimwood

Grimwood

Banned
Nov 23, 2017
46
It's beyond sad and hilarious in a way, how such a unique rare gem gets so little attention. It's looks like basically a new "Team Ico" masterpiece, a once in years true work of art experieince. Been on the most wanted list since, well the announcement in 2014.
 
OP
OP
SirNinja

SirNinja

One Winged Slayer
Member
Nov 17, 2017
8,230
Las Cruces, New Mexico, United States
hydro94530 said:
Has the length been mentioned at all yet? Game looks really cool!
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That's one of the parts of Vane I have absolutely no clue about, and probably the single biggest thing I want reviews to make clear. My guess is its runtime will be comparable to Shadow of the Colossus, and for similar reasons: not a terribly long experience, despite a vast world size.

Grimwood said:
It's beyond sad and hilarious in a way, how such a unique rare gem gets so little attention. It's looks like basically a new "Team Ico" masterpiece, a once in years true work of art experieince. Been on the most wanted list since, well the announcement in 2014.
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Yeah :-/ Hopefully once the game is out, word of mouth will spread and it'll move some copies. It looks like a mixture of so many different games and yet something entirely original. I really can't wait to experience it for the first time.
 
kami_sama

kami_sama

Member
Oct 26, 2017
7,009
When I saw the game, I was sad that it was ps only. But now that I have a ps4, I'm gonna buy it lol
 
klastical

klastical

Member
Oct 29, 2017
4,712
LonestarZues said:
Most Indie games don't have reviews drop until after the game releases. So it's not really strange at all.
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It's very strange and in poor taste to have a review embargo that lifts several hours after the game is released. It leads me to suspect they are trying to hide something. I'm assuming the game releases at midnight eastern time.
 
LonestarZues

LonestarZues

Member
Oct 27, 2017
16,129
More_Badass said:
The strange thing is the complete lack of previews or hands-on or anything like that. The devs are keeping this game really close to the vest
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I do agree on the previews or hands-on or lack of them is strange, but not unheard of for Indie games.

klastical said:
It's very strange and in poor taste to have a review embargo that lifts several hours after the game is released. It leads me to suspect they are trying to hide something. I'm assuming the game releases at midnight eastern time.
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It does, but it's not any different then most Indie games as far as review embargoes go. Although most Indie games don't have midnight releases on PSN. At worst if you wait for reviews in the morning you're losing out on a dynamic theme. Not a big deal either way IMO.
 
BushidoBro

BushidoBro

Member
Oct 27, 2017
543
First I've heard or seen of this one, looks interesting, love the art style and overall aesthetic. Was hoping to not purchase anything this year until RE 2 but looking forward to reading impressions.
 
ivars

ivars

Member
Jan 14, 2019
2
Hey guys! Ivar from Friend & Foe here. Thanks a million for putting together this nice thread, and thanks a lot for the interest everyone!

We are happy to try and jump in here and answer questions as they bunch up. Right now the main one seems to be about a day 1 patch. Rest assured, there is a day 1 patch that addresses some last-minute issues that we've been burning the midnight oil to fix.

This being the case (and us being hopelessly understaffed perfectionists), that has also meant that getting a final version out to reviewers in good time hasn't happened to the degree that we would have liked. We think it sucks too, but it is what it is. Our goal is to have the best possible experience ready for everyone on launch day, and reviews should keep coming in post-launch.

All in all we are super excited for the big day and can't wait to see what people think. Got any more questions, keep 'em coming!
 
pswii60

pswii60

Member
Oct 27, 2017
26,679
The Milky Way
Game looks really interesting and from a strong pedigree. Will wait for the reviews to hit before jumping in but I'm expecting good things given Sony has been pushing this pretty hard themselves. Love the ICO/Journey/etc vibes.
Elven_Star said:
Hope it's enough of a success on PS4 to make porting to other platforms possible for them.
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We know what you're doing.
 
monmagman

monmagman

Member
Dec 6, 2018
4,126
England,UK
ivars said:
Hey guys! Ivar from Friend & Foe here. Thanks a million for putting together this nice thread, and thanks a lot for the interest everyone!

We are happy to try and jump in here and answer questions as they bunch up. Right now the main one seems to be about a day 1 patch. Rest assured, there is a day 1 patch that addresses some last-minute issues that we've been burning the midnight oil to fix.

This being the case (and us being hopelessly understaffed perfectionists), that has also meant that getting a final version out to reviewers in good time hasn't happened to the degree that we would have liked. We think it sucks too, but it is what it is. Our goal is to have the best possible experience ready for everyone on launch day, and reviews should keep coming in post-launch.

All in all we are super excited for the big day and can't wait to see what people think. Got any more questions, keep 'em coming!
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Thanks for dropping in.Good luck with the release,I'm looking forward to seeing what it's all about.Not gonna ask any questions because it seems like a game where going in blind will be better.
 
PolishQ

PolishQ

Member
Oct 27, 2017
735
Rochester, NY
ivars said:
Hey guys! Ivar from Friend & Foe here. Thanks a million for putting together this nice thread, and thanks a lot for the interest everyone!

We are happy to try and jump in here and answer questions as they bunch up. Right now the main one seems to be about a day 1 patch. Rest assured, there is a day 1 patch that addresses some last-minute issues that we've been burning the midnight oil to fix.

This being the case (and us being hopelessly understaffed perfectionists), that has also meant that getting a final version out to reviewers in good time hasn't happened to the degree that we would have liked. We think it sucks too, but it is what it is. Our goal is to have the best possible experience ready for everyone on launch day, and reviews should keep coming in post-launch.

All in all we are super excited for the big day and can't wait to see what people think. Got any more questions, keep 'em coming!
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Pre-ordered (after seeing another recent thread here) and looking forward to it! One question for now, does the game support HDR?
 
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