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Developed by Interactive Magic
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Introduction
It's the end of the Millenium, and humankind has received the blessings of the Infinite Mind, including the secret of tunneling space to create passages to worlds beyond our galaxy. In the massive wave of exploration and exploitation of destinations unknown that follows, rapacious earthlings stumble upon the Cryspo, a kind of hive-dwelling species. Unfortunately for the Cryspo, we're hostile. Unfortunately for us, the Cryspo have superior technology and discover that humans make wonderful biomass for their larvae. War between man and Cryspo destroys the passage to Earth, stranding settlers among the Cryspo. The Infinite Mind gives the settlers access to a powerful weapon for biological warfare - genetic intrusion (GI). Human and Cryspo are merged, combined at a genetic level by the GI technology. The result: three species or "bios," which stabilize as tribes or clans of inbred creatures. One of these clans, known for its warriors, traders, explorers, and pirates, is Vangers. Thus begins Vangers, created by K-D Lab and Buka Entertainment, and published by Interactive Magic (I-Magic). This entry into the "Road Warrior" genre is self-described as "a molotov cocktail of armored racing, trading and combat…" It's a fair description, but there's more. Unlike another science fiction game I recently reviewed, Vangers contains an element I've come to believe is essential: a well-developed story fully integrated into the game.
I-Magic's packaging is the epitome of "slick." The game comes in a four-color offset box, complete with a printed manual that also contains "A Vanger's Diary," color map key, and CD case printed with the keyboard controls. The manual is simple and clearly written. Unfortunately, the production value doesn't extend beyond the manual's cover - the screenshots that illustrate the manual are muddy but readable. This is partly a function of the game's art, which is low-key and dark, but it's also a sign of cheap printing. (Until higher-quality coated stock, finer halftone screens, and duo-tone printing become commonly used, the production value will remain on a par with the manuals in most computer games - that is, abysmal.) Out of the box and into the computer consumed 15 minutes and 382 MB of drive space for a full installation, a trouble-free process that was completely wizard-controlled. Compact installation is also an option - the boxtop notes a minimum hard drive space of 195 MB, plus extra for saving games, which hardly seems compact. The program also checks the availability of DirectX 5.0 components and installs them if necessary.
Vangers begins underground in the escave Podish, where Counselor Leepky waits behind shoji-like screens. The Counselor's a worm, literally - a great green slug of a thing. Don't be put off. Leepky will recite some history and indicate what's to be done. Leepky's instruction is to buy some nymbos and transport the ugly yellow clots to the Incubator.
Off to the trade screen! The goods fall into three categories: "mechos," which are vehicles; weapons; and wares, which are items like "Phlegma" - a jar of mucus. All are shaded 3D objects rotating as if on a turntable, with text descriptions and price. It's an inviting display, but the available credit is only enough to purchase some nymbos and a simple weapon. Load up your mechos, exit the trade screen, and prepare to go "upstairs." You're on your own…
The world aboveground is the stage for the game's action, and it's evident this theatre received most of the programmers’ attention. The surface is a detailed, multi-level landscape of smooth and broken terrain, watercourses, and vegetation connected by bridges and punctuated with hideouts, repair stations, passages (to other worlds), escave entrances and other structures significant to the game, all visible from the scalable overhead point of view. This landscape is alive and dynamic! Mechos and "pedestrians" swarm over the surface, leaving tracings of tracks and craters, crushing and being crushed, shooting up the competition, and racing to oblivion. To paraphrase a current automobile ad, this is a place where drivers are wanted.
24 different mechos (and 32 different weapons) are available, but not right away. Most are quite expensive, and the player is going to be awhile amassing enough credit. The default mechos rather resembles a vintage Red Army BA-20 sans turret (This connection may have something to do with the East European sounding names of the design team). These vehicle designs and features are fine examples of a wit at work - they're funny to look at and funny to read about. You'll die laughing, but more about that later… Operating the mechos is quite simple: arrow keys control left or right direction, forward and reverse. Speed control, handbrake, rollover, and jump are also available, plus weapon and target selection controls. As the game progresses and the player accumulates sufficient credits, upgraded mechos and weapons can be obtained. The operative word is "obtain" - vangers amass credits by following any of a number of career paths, from honest work to dishonest labor, or any combination. Honest vangers perform honest trading tasks; others hijack cargoes and run over targets of opportunity (Beebs - the skins have value). There are tabutasks to be performed, and the Eleerection race from Incubator to Podish beckons. There's cirt to be collected, as well as strange artifacts hidden in hideouts. All these actions influence the luck and dominance parameters. Win a race and increase luck; kill a vanger and increase dominance. Upgrading mechos and weapons is an essential part of increasing dominance: Make yourself over as the biggest, baddest vanger and other vangers will tremble and flee; using the unique properties of select mechos models to burrow, or remain underwater, for example, will speed the completion of tasks and win races. The ethos throughout is aggressive, and rewards are received only for the most selfish and self-promoting of behaviors. The vangers life is race, explore, steal, bargain, fight, and, all too often, die…
The source of Vangers’ replay value is the extent to which these strategies and styles of play combine within its freewheeling and swashbuckling frame. Within its ten rough-and-tumble worlds, the ideological center could be characterized as laissez-faire capitalism inside a hive culture. It's an amusing premise, well-supported by the many texts embedded in the game, from conversations with the Counselor, to the descriptions on the trade screen, to the advice that appears when above ground. The rich storyline is also taken up in "A Vanger’s Diary," and the manual. The game offers a considerable number of narrative devices and hooks, but this is an action game, not a text adventure. Although the action is repetitive, ten different worlds and a non-linear plot line should keep ages 10 and up amused for hours on end in solitary play. Think of it as a distraction to have available for those bored, sullen teenagers dragged to your house for a holiday dinner - they'll enjoy it, and grown-ups can enjoy the pleasures of adult company. It won't be quiet play, but at least the soundtrack is acceptable pop music. And if the noise level does exceed your personal sonic threshold, ask the kids to use the sliders to turn it down or off. Vangers sports an RSAC Advisory label rating the game at "1: Violence - Damage to realistic objects," but the violence is fairly abstract - blood spatters, dismemberment, and other graphic scenes are not a part of this game. Vangers also includes an online multiplayer option, making the game suitable for play over a LAN or the Internet against individuals or teams. There are three games for multiplayer play: Van-War ("a king-of-the-hill type of game"), Mechsoma ("a trading game"), and Passembloss ("a racing style multiplayer game"). This feature was not tested for this review. Vangers seems appropriate for kids 10 and up; the storyline may have some resonance for adult fans of science-fiction writers like Rudy Drucker, K. W. Jeter, and David Drake. The skill level required is very slight, a plus for gamers more interested in exploring alien worlds than the limits of sensory-motor skills. The game brings to the screen a well-balanced combination of story, imagery and sound that may not be cutting-edge, but is entertaining nonetheless. The only difficulty experienced in the course of reviewing Vangers had to do with start-up: The game would not run without first invoking the dialer to make an ISP connection, even though the multiplayer option was not selected. I-Magic has since released version 1.3 which corrects this start-up problem. Interactive Magic’s Vangers download web site
Game screen captures presented in this review were made with HyperSnap-DX by Hyperionics.
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© 1998