I’ve typically described Vanquish as Gears of War on LSD. It is certainly not inaccurate, as Vanquish is technically a cover-based shooter that simply moves at a faster pace with a lot more enemies buzzing around. At a glance, one can assume it’s the same sort of game, only much more hectic.

“It’s, like, totally what Gears of War would have been if it were made in Japan, man.”

The mechanics do bare numerous similarities. Yet Vanquish proves there is much more to design than simply coming up with a series of actions tied to the click of a button. Gears of War tethers the player to the cover system. Any attempt to play the game without using the cover system will be met with failure. It is designed around this idea.

Vanquish may include a cover mechanic, but it is really only provided as back-up to the game’s primary feature, the Augmented Reality (or AR) Mode. This is basically the latest iteration of the “bullet time” mechanic, slowing everything down for a limited amount of time. If the player gets close to death, the game will automatically drop them into AR Mode, allowing time to slow and give them a minute to catch their breath.

It also reminds the player that they really ought to be using AR Mode more wisely. While it isn’t a necessity, it is very easy for the player to get bogged down and defeated without it. Projectiles fly everywhere, many of which can be shot down more easily in AR Mode. It grants the player more time to take aim at the weak points of monstrous foes, unloading a steady stream of bullets for maximum potential damage.

However, the game will also punish the player for irresponsible use of the AR Mode, and even for taking too much damage to begin with. When the AR Mode “supply” is exhausted, the system “overheats”, taking at least twice as long to replenish. During this time, the player cannot make use of AR Mode at all, leaving the player vulnerable. This also means after a player has taken enough damage, the game automatically triggers AR Mode until the supply has been depleted. This allows the player an automatic opportunity to keep themselves from dying, but simultaneously punishes them for being that careless.

The game never forces the player to learn how to “play properly”, but it is certainly hinted that the idea is to use AR Mode in short enough bursts to nail some pin-point accurate shots, then dive into cover.

The exception to this general rule is melee. It’s definitely treated as a last resort, and as long as you strike true, it instantly defeats any smaller foe while dealing a lot of damage to larger ones. However, it is clear that this ability is clearly intended as a last resort, such as a foe leaping behind your cover to shotgun your face away or as a finishing move against a larger enemy. These attacks will overheat the player’s suit, disabling any further use of melee or AR Mode.

Vanquish wants to force the player to think before they leap, but it doesn’t want to give a lot of time to do so. The player is on the precipice, trying to figure out whether they should jump or not, and if they should how they should go about doing it. Meanwhile, there’s a hundred salivating polar bears on motorcycles equipped with crossbows and Gatling guns behind them, hungry for fresh gamer meat.

A player’s enjoyment will depend on how well they are at handling these sorts of chaotic situations. To reference Gears of War again, most of the battlefields are arranged with players on one side and enemies on the other. Sometimes things become a bit more hectic, but on the whole you generally know where the enemy will emerge from. This is not always the case in Vanquish. Even if foes are generally collected on one side of the field, they are mobile. They don’t stay behind the same cover for long and are not afraid to go directly for the player by any means available. This constantly puts the player at risk of being flanked, especially if they tether themselves to the same piece of cover for too long.

At the same time, jumping from cover to cover isn’t always effective, either. Sometimes cover is no good at all, as it can be blown away! The strategy is not only to keep moving, but to know where to move to. Complete knowledge of the battlefield is required, and the radar in the corner of the HUD becomes a most necessary tool. Highlighting enemy, ally and weapon locations, it becomes a shortcut for figuring out where on the battlefield the player needs to be.

It is easy to recommend Vanquish to any fan of shooter games. It isn’t the longest of games, and very few set pieces really stand out amongst the crowd (though there are some wonderfully creative fire fights, I can assure you), but the game’s combat is strong enough as to make it fun to return to repetitively. It’s even possible to see why a player may want to visit the more difficult modes after mastering the game’s campaign. It’s tough as it is, yes, and you’ll likely die more often than most other modern shooters on the market (especially once you reach the two one-hit-kill monsters). Yet you just jump right back into the game and keep on fighting, because that’s what it is really about.

Any real complaints I have with the game might be the story, which is nothing new. It at least tries to be something more interesting than a lot of games today, but there’s really nothing worthwhile except for a protagonist that sounds a lot like Steve Blum but isn’t, and Steve Blum trying his hardest to sound like a grizzled five-hundred pound war veteran with additionally heavy cyborg implants.

Oh, and the Quick Time Events. Those suck, too, but I suppose the industry is just way too in love with that abusive spouse to just kick them out the door.

While Vanquish isn’t good enough to be warranting any major awards, it definitely feels unique amongst the crowded shooter genre with a lot of fun to offer. The game ends with a cliffhanging teaser of sorts, keeping the possibility for a sequel open. I must confess, I wouldn’t object to another one of these.