Vessel (2012)

Flawless indie platformer is extremely catchy for its visuals, smart puzzles and perfectly balanced difficulty. Vessel is the reason why you should watch the independent scene more carefully. [Apr 2012]

Usually the indie scene pays more attention to gameplay rather than look, but Vessel owns an amazing share of both and gets a wild card for the run to the best indie game of 2012.

Just like Portal 2, Vessel is about a universally recommended game as can exist. It's charming, entertaining, stimulating, and a hell of an experience for the price point.

Frustrating moments aside, Vessel is another shining example of how the independent games scene is flourishing with creativity and originality. At just $14.99, Vessel is around a quarter of the price of a AAA game, but it contains more flair and ingenuity than most blockbuster games can muster. Do yourself a favor and invest in this indie gem, because Vessel is a rich, fulfilling and splash-tastic journey.

Vessel is a brilliant tale about human beings, life and technology, told through fresh puzzles and game mechanics.

Physics based experiments and a charming steampunk atmosphere: Vessel transports you into a fascinating puzzle world.

A quality title that mixes platforming and puzzle elements while injecting new life into both with its liquid physics and Fluros. It's not quite Braid or Limbo, but it's good nonetheless. [Sept 2012]

Vessel is an amazing puzzle game based on an accurate physic simulation of any type of liquids. Highly original puzzle based on successful cooperation with the key element of the game, the Fluro, creatures made of different types of liquids, that have different properties. A must have for everyone.

Vessel is an amazing puzzle game with varied gameplay and ingenious challenges.

Great puzzles and lovely visuals make this easy to recommend, despite dodgy controls. [May 2012, p.94]

It's independent, and the journey isn't always smooth. But cookie-cutter it is not, nor is it garish or sexist or silly or mindless. If you are a patient person who appreciates grey matter workouts and "Eureka" moments, and if you are willing to forgive imperfections, check it out. Gaming needs titles and developers like this.

Vessel's creative puzzles and almost perfectly balanced difficulty level ensure great fun that lasts around 10 hours. [May 2012, p.59]

In Vessel, a puzzle platform game, you solve puzzles by keeping certain liquids in motion - a wet dream for any puzzle-lover.

Whilst technically not as polished as recent 2D successes like Trine 2, Rayman Origins and Super Meat Boy, it has a strong enough USP with its Fluros to stand out from an increasingly-crowded yet creative genre that shows no signs of losing momentum.

I think Strange Loop Games had a lot of nice and genuinely cool ideas that were decently executed. For the most part Vessel is fun, creative, and deals very well with fluid dynamics (congratulations to the programmer[s] responsible). It's a shame that such a crucial component of the game is executed so poorly. However, as the new studio's first product, Vessel succeeds more than it fails and shows that the studio has the potential to make a truly fantastic game in the future.

It´s Limbo on Prozac. More colors and much more happiness.

Vessel brings art, music, and some great puzzles to the table. Though messy and not always perfect, anyone who loves playing around with water will want to get their hands dirty with this title.

Some players may be put off by the patience Vessel can require, but it offers massive rewards for your time. Solving its puzzles feels like a 1,000 watt light bulb flicking on in your brain.

Vessel is a classique puzzler/platformer using fluids physics, but it's overall a very solid, even mastered one. The world is nice, the Fluros are fun, the puzzles almost perfectly balanced to challenge, without frustrating, and the story's interesting too.

I like Vessel, but sometimes frustration sat side by side with amusement. The liquid physics on display are impressive, but when they get in the way of otherwise enjoyable gameplay, I'd prefer simplicity over a strict physics simulation. Nonetheless, Vessel has a remarkable style all its own, and your patience is rewarded with a delightful and lengthy adventure.

My final score will be a compromise between what the game meant to me and what I believe it will mean to a hardcore puzzle gamer. If you feel like testing yourself, you'll enjoy Vessel. But if you're in the mood for adventure and relaxation, avoid it or you'll be disappointed.

Vessel annoyed me at first with the more sub-optimal control, but the more I've played, the more fun but I had it.

A novel use of fluids, but sometimes scuppered by cumbersome platforming and the annoyingly happenstance physics. [May 2012, p.104]

A charming platformer with award winning physics that will keep you good company for some hours.