Vigil: The Longest Night

 Switch
User Score
6.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 27 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 27
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 27
  3. Negative: 9 out of 27

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  1. Mpakalis
    Oct 19, 2020
    3
    The game is broken . Too many crushes,lost save files data .
    Also I try to change the buttons ,and he save the confirm choice and the back choise at the same button (A) so now I can’t even load my file ! He take only the back choice and the confirm choice Disappear !
  2. Spoontastic
    Oct 22, 2020
    1
    The game has crashed several times while doing the most mundane thing like changing weapons. the problem is, it reverts to the last save when you closed the game, not your last save. So if you havent closed the software in 10 hours...well there goes that 10 hours. it blows my mind that they would not have the saves go directly to the system immediately instead of when you close theThe game has crashed several times while doing the most mundane thing like changing weapons. the problem is, it reverts to the last save when you closed the game, not your last save. So if you havent closed the software in 10 hours...well there goes that 10 hours. it blows my mind that they would not have the saves go directly to the system immediately instead of when you close the game....and obviously it'd be nice for the game to not crash constantly, but I wouldn't mind that so much if I could ACTUALLY LOAD MY SAVE AFTERWARD!!! (I just lost about 8 hours and I'm never playing this stupid game again. And it's a shame because when it's working, its a great game.… Expand
  3. Ughhh
    Oct 16, 2020
    1
    This could really have been a great game, but its so bugged that it ruins the entire experience. I've had many crashes where multiple saves were somehow deleted, and i've seen many similar stories online. Also, the loading times are insane, and there appear to be several quest breaking bugs. If this stuff is adressed, the game can be salvaged, but for me the game is ruined
  4. Tyler40k
    Oct 16, 2020
    5
    The game itself is excellent. It does a great job of combining Salt and Sanctuary with Castlevania like so many others have said. What they didn't say is that the switch port provides a terrible user experience and is in desperate need of a patch. The game consistently crashes, costing the user many hours in loss of data, even after saving. The initial load time is over a minute, withThe game itself is excellent. It does a great job of combining Salt and Sanctuary with Castlevania like so many others have said. What they didn't say is that the switch port provides a terrible user experience and is in desperate need of a patch. The game consistently crashes, costing the user many hours in loss of data, even after saving. The initial load time is over a minute, with entering houses and small areas around 5-10 seconds. Larger area changes can be from 15-30 seconds. There is also noticeable lag between button input and character action. Frame rate seems to drop to below 30fps often and changing gear can freeze up the game for 5-15 seconds. I often found the game to crash shortly after switching gear or using a "save item", which never worked even once. It's really a shame, because otherwise I love this game, and it tickles that Salt and Sanctuary scratch.… Expand
  5. michemai
    Oct 17, 2020
    1
    Can't recommend as is. This game is broken on switch and never should have been released. The opening load to start the game is over a minute. Every time you equip a new piece of equipment the game freezes and you wonder if it's going to crash. If it doesn't beware changing areas because again it might crash. Even as I tried to go back to the title screen the game crashed.

    inexcusable    Can't recommend as is. This game is broken on switch and never should have been released. The opening load to start the game is over a minute. Every time you equip a new piece of equipment the game freezes and you wonder if it's going to crash. If it doesn't beware changing areas because again it might crash. Even as I tried to go back to the title screen the game crashed.

    inexcusable that they released it in this state. Don't be a paid beta tester for them. Stay away until the poor suckers who already paid for it tell you it's been fixed from this current disaster.    … Expand
  6. Shinobic
    Oct 18, 2020
    1
    Game totally broken on switch. Crashes multiple times, and when it happens, it can erase part of your last saves (had to re-do dungeons and re-kill bosses I had already passed whereas I had saved multipled times in the process. Tow times already!). And the loadings are frustrating as hell.
  7. Blahblubb
    Oct 18, 2020
    6
    I had- in still have- high hopes for this game. I love the design and overall atmosphere of it and the story is also interesting and intriguing so far. But i have a major issue with the performance. I am currently at around 5 hours play time and the game crashed already 6 times. This in itself would not be such an issue but the Problem is that the saving points aren't always working. WhenI had- in still have- high hopes for this game. I love the design and overall atmosphere of it and the story is also interesting and intriguing so far. But i have a major issue with the performance. I am currently at around 5 hours play time and the game crashed already 6 times. This in itself would not be such an issue but the Problem is that the saving points aren't always working. When i want to load the point where l last saved, the game data is just not there anymore. Instead there is the data from like 10 times before that last saving point. That resulted in multiple Boss fights i needed to repeat because the game just didn't save my data from after the fight. And now i even lost more than an entire hour of game play! I saved at least 5 times in time period. This is beyond frustrating, and i'm thinking about leaving the game until there are a couple of patches. (Sry about grammar and such, english isnt my first language)… Expand
  8. KimoiActual
    Oct 21, 2020
    5
    As much as I would love to praise this game for it’s Salt and Sanctuary feel and the overall setting, the technical issues are through the roof for the Switch version of the game.
    - Extremely long load times
    - Spells becoming permanently unusable even upon game reset - Random crashes - Music cuts out either during an area transition or randomly - Mistranslations though I’m not particularly    As much as I would love to praise this game for it’s Salt and Sanctuary feel and the overall setting, the technical issues are through the roof for the Switch version of the game.
    - Extremely long load times
    - Spells becoming permanently unusable even upon game reset
    - Random crashes
    - Music cuts out either during an area transition or randomly
    - Mistranslations though I’m not particularly upset with it compared to the other issues

    I’m going to have to give it a low score until a patch is issued. Until then, I’m going to have to put this game on hold.    … Expand
  9. WWWW223
    Nov 6, 2020
    3
    Lots of bugs. It takes super long time to change weapons and the game might crash. Also, the loading is too slow. I cannot play the game under the language, Chinese(Simplified). It will skip all dialogues and CGs. It seems the game developers didn't finish this part.
  10. Subject98
    Oct 20, 2020
    7
    I had high hopes for this game but I could smell that something was up. For the first several hours of playing I was really impressed and got hooked on it. Everything from the atmosphere and environments to the music and sound design, the sheer variety of gruesome enemies, the massive world size, it all definitely appeals to the Salt and Sanctuary fan in me in almost every way. It's veryI had high hopes for this game but I could smell that something was up. For the first several hours of playing I was really impressed and got hooked on it. Everything from the atmosphere and environments to the music and sound design, the sheer variety of gruesome enemies, the massive world size, it all definitely appeals to the Salt and Sanctuary fan in me in almost every way. It's very clear that this developer poured in tons of effort here and we could easily have a solid 9/10 game on our hands.

    Unfortunately, I wont be the first to say that the game has some blemishes in it's current state. While I don't think there is anything wrong with the level design itself (it's pretty dang good), the map is the worst thing in the game by far. With such a huge labyrinthine world full of secrets and npcs and a book full of fail-able sidequests to keep track of, you need a reliable map that clearly shows you where points of interest are, and rooms you haven't gone into yet. The problem is that the only clear borders shown are for the ground. Walls and ceilings are left open so that if you leave a section of the map unexplored to do something else, it will often be impossible to tell where the place even was if you even remember it at all. I know Salt and Sanctuary didn't have any map but the difference with that game is that it's locations were more numerous but smaller sized so it's easier to remember generally where things were. Plus there weren't really any sidequests in that game, it was just you and the world for the most part.

    Bottom line, this game definitely needs a better map, just adding clear borders so the player can see what's a dead end and what isn't would improve it tremendously. As it currently exists I've decided to stop playing for now as I do want to explore as much of this world as I can but just trying to find anything late in the game is too overwhelming to be worth it.

    Much of the other stuff holding this game back may only apply to the switch version. It doesn't seem like anyone is having too many issues on PC, but on Switch, on top of bad load times it crashes once in a while and sometimes deletes some of your most recent saves from the save point you're currently at, and reverts to when you last saved at the previous save point, almost like the game went back in time.

    There are also some item glitches as well, changing equipment causes the game to freeze anywhere between 1 and 10 seconds. The worst however is that spells can break forever on you. There was a spell I really liked that I was using often but suddenly it stopped responding to the A button for no reason at all. I literally can't use it anymore even after resetting the game.

    While problems like these don't ruin the whole experience, it's still unacceptable to release a game that has issues like these. To the dev's defense though, this is not nearly the only switch version of an indie game that's come with all sorts of jank. They almost always provide inferior experiences than when they release on other consoles so I kinda wish this idea that the switch is the best place for indie games would die already.

    In conclusion, I think this is a really great game with a rough launch, so I hope there are some patches in the pipeline. Considering how much care went into making this game, it would be a shame for it to fail over some surface level scratches. I would recommend waiting for a patch to fix some of the issues or just get it on PC or wait for other console releases, if they happen.    … Expand
  11. JBReds32
    Oct 15, 2020
    9
    This is a very detailed, haunting 2D Action RPG with heavy influence from the likes of Salt and Sanctuary, Dark Souls, and Bloodborne. The atmosphere and world building is done well. The music and audio is fantastic. The combat feels smooth, and the upgrades/skill perks stay interesting enough throughout the campaign. The exploration is top notch - you will feel compelled to search everyThis is a very detailed, haunting 2D Action RPG with heavy influence from the likes of Salt and Sanctuary, Dark Souls, and Bloodborne. The atmosphere and world building is done well. The music and audio is fantastic. The combat feels smooth, and the upgrades/skill perks stay interesting enough throughout the campaign. The exploration is top notch - you will feel compelled to search every nook and cranny for hidden items, weapons, armor, etc. Also, the boss fights are great! Great enemy design and location placement. As several people have mentioned, the story is muddled down and confusing and the map is not a strong point. It is easy to become lost or frustrated while you gather your bearings. However, if you want to jump into a brand new world and explore to your heart's desire, and you appreciate games like the ones mentioned above, this game is for you!… Expand
  12. Cavalcante
    Oct 23, 2020
    8
    Good game. Remind me Salt n sanctuary. Should have more build options and more skiils with each weapon because u can Full upgrade every weapon
  13. doczellstoff
    Feb 18, 2021
    10
    I dont know why this game is getting so much hate. I have been having a blast playing it. if you like metroidvania games you will like this one. Always finding something new, atmosphere is on point, combat is fun and challenging. you can customize your character to you hearts content, even a no armor run can be fun. There is so much content here to be explored and you are always rewardedI dont know why this game is getting so much hate. I have been having a blast playing it. if you like metroidvania games you will like this one. Always finding something new, atmosphere is on point, combat is fun and challenging. you can customize your character to you hearts content, even a no armor run can be fun. There is so much content here to be explored and you are always rewarded for being curious and taking your time. I am hard pressed to find anything negative to say about it. Therefore i am giving it this score.… Expand
  14. ralphpugsley
    Feb 4, 2022
    10
    Underrated and atmospheric. Vigil is an excellent, artistic title that rewards patience and persistence. All wrapped up in a macabre and melancholy art style with haunting music and creature designs.
  15. Coastal2009
    May 12, 2022
    9
    This game was so much fun. For fans of metroidvania and souls-like. I’m playing through salt and sacrifice now, and while that game is good, it made me long for the days I was playing this game for the first time.
  16. Loonlamb007
    May 21, 2023
    10
    I heard the game had a lot of trouble during release time... What a pity... I played the whole game about two years after release and I tell you guys... If you loved Salt and Sanctuary you will love this one too. It is surely not that hard to beat but it does have some really good and troubling Boss fights, a almost perfect Metroidvania Map, really nice and usecful Items an weapons, smoothI heard the game had a lot of trouble during release time... What a pity... I played the whole game about two years after release and I tell you guys... If you loved Salt and Sanctuary you will love this one too. It is surely not that hard to beat but it does have some really good and troubling Boss fights, a almost perfect Metroidvania Map, really nice and usecful Items an weapons, smooth animations, a damn good atmosphere.. Well... It was just damn fun to play. For everyone who is stil looking for a decent Metroidvania give this one a shot now. I not even had one crash on switch, which is almost unbelievable. Love it. Hopefully there will be a Virgil 2 some day!… Expand
  17. loltoke
    Jan 14, 2021
    2
    It pains me to write this because I love metroidvania games - I have played almost all of them across PC, Xbox and Switch over the past 15 years. There are definitely some positive aspects to this game. The combat can be fun, the story is decent, and the atmosphere is good. However, some major negatives severely hold it back and in some cases make it almost unplayable. As others haveIt pains me to write this because I love metroidvania games - I have played almost all of them across PC, Xbox and Switch over the past 15 years. There are definitely some positive aspects to this game. The combat can be fun, the story is decent, and the atmosphere is good. However, some major negatives severely hold it back and in some cases make it almost unplayable. As others have mentioned, the crashing is pretty horrendous. The game almost never crashes when you are just running along or fighting (although it did once crash IMMEDIATELY after I beat a difficult boss). But it's actually worse than that - the game tends to crash while you are trying to save it or enter a new area. This is problematic because save points can be very far apart, and the game does not autosave after you defeat a boss. Defeat Boss->enter new area->save is a very common sequence. I lost countless hours of progress and had to refight bosses several times because after defeating a boss and then either entering the next area or saving, the game just crashes.

    There are also poor design choices in the game that make it fairly unrewarding. It's not metroidvania in the classic sense that you need a new ability to enter a new area. In fact, most of the map is explorable immediately without new abilities - it's really just your character level that determines whether you will be able to fight the enemies in the new area. Several times I found that I had accidentally completed areas out of sequence without knowing.

    The armor and weapons are also poorly designed and unrewarding. I went through 80% of the game with the sword that i started with. I went through 100% of the game with the armor, boots, and gloves that I started with. I picked up other weapons and armor along the way but the stats were so minimally increased that my "forged"(upgraded) original items were consistently stronger than any new items I picked up. There was a cool set of "golden armor" and weapons in the shop but they were 80,000 gold EACH. At no point in the game did I ever possess more than 40,000 gold. How is a player supposed to ever afford those items?? I guess it doesn't matter since you can finish the game without ever even changing your armor or weapon lol.

    Finally, this game suffers from what about 50% of metroidvanias have suffered in the past 5 years - a VERY uneven and sudden ramping up of difficulty right at the end. The first 15% of the game was very tough as I leveled up my character. The middle 70% of the game was a breeze. All I had to do was keep doing my sword spin move, which also serves a dodge, to easily defeat about half of the bosses. Then, the last 15% or so of the game suddenly becomes crazy difficult. There are a couple of new normal enemies introduced that can kill you in two hits even if you are fully maxed out on your skills and abilities. The final two bosses have a couple of moves each that can kill you in one or two hits (the second to last boss is especially cheap because he has moves that can knock you in a hole for instadeath). I have to admit that I never *quite* killed the final boss, but I found out I had missed some kind of clothing from my sister waayyyyy earlier in the game that I could not go back and retrieve (another poor design choice), so I just watched the ending on youtube. All the different endings were barely different from each other and they all kind of sucked - like just an afterthought.

    In summary, this game could have spent a lot more time in development to at least get it to the point where it didn't constantly crash at critical moments, up the stats on some of the items to make it worthwhile to ever change your weapon or armor, and balance the difficulty better so the middle of the game isn't easy and the end isn't ridiculously cheaply hard for no reason. I'd place this in the bottom 20% of metroidvanias out of the 40 or so that I have played.    … Expand
  18. JFaraday
    Aug 16, 2021
    7
    Engaging story, plenty of weapons to choose from and playstyles to go for, spooky lore, and some fun boss fights. However, the loading times dampen the momentum quite a bit, as you have to wait several seconds between doors or sections of areas. Yes, a few seconds might seem like not much, but it stacks up when sometimes you spend less time in an area than a loading screen. But if you haveEngaging story, plenty of weapons to choose from and playstyles to go for, spooky lore, and some fun boss fights. However, the loading times dampen the momentum quite a bit, as you have to wait several seconds between doors or sections of areas. Yes, a few seconds might seem like not much, but it stacks up when sometimes you spend less time in an area than a loading screen. But if you have the patience for it, Vigil can be a fun game to sink a few hours into here and there. Somewhat buggy at times though, true.… Expand
  19. CHAUVICTOIRE
    Sep 15, 2021
    0
    Almost as broken as metacritic's mobile site.

    Controls lag, the menus lag, weapons suck, playing the game felt like the biggest chore. I'm going to call nintendo for a refund.
  20. Ginger_Avenger
    Nov 16, 2022
    6
    Switch version - I actually had no problems, although I played it in early 2022. This was a very good game I learned about from Iron Pineapple's channel. Exploration was really fun in this Metroidvania, and I thought the equipment and combat challenges were pretty well balanced. It is the kind of experience that is fun in the offing, but it doesn't reverberate in the memory all that much.

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
75

Generally favorable reviews - based on 6 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 6
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 6
  3. Negative: 0 out of 6
  1. Universo Nintendo
    Dec 19, 2020
    70
    Vigil: The Longest Night has incredible art and a fantastic set. The common enemies and the scenarios are a bit repetitive, but the bosses make up for it in visuals, creativity and immersion, in addition to bringing great combat. Some gameplay and level design flaws can discourage exploration in search of unknown places of the map, but the thought-provoking story and well-crafted side quests make the game worthwhile in spite of everything.
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  2. NintendoWorldReport
    Dec 17, 2020
    85
    Vigil: The Longest Night absolutely holds its own, both in 2D adventure games, as well as in the glut of Souls-alikes that have emerged in recent years. It’s fast, fun and rewarding to players who manage to overcome the initial similarities to FROM Software’s series, and manages to carve its own unique take on the formula, with strong narrative and combat hooks to support it. If only those load times could let us get to the action sooner.
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  3. Starbit
    Nov 4, 2020
    70
    Vigil: The Longest Night is an interesting metroidvania-type with a gorgeous-looking visual world and some intense combat moments. It's also unfortunately affected by long loading times and some technical issues which could really use an update to correct. All in all, a good work but which needs some tweaking on its technical aspects in order to stand out among its peers in the Nintendo Switch catalogue.
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