Vindictus: Defying Fate's Overly Sexualized But Hollow Gameplay Worries Players

During the Summer Game Fest weekend, there were a lot of updates, new games, and old faces coming back. The First Descendant and Vindictus: Defying Fate were two of the more flashy games that have strong roots in character design and action combat. But the community's reaction has been, at best, mixed. Old worries have come to the surface: pretty graphics hiding a lack of depth in the gameplay.

First, let's look at The First Descendant, Nexon's co-op looter shooter that got a lot of attention (and criticism) when it came out last October. Many people disliked the game due to what they called "Goargate," a controversy surrounding overly sexualized character designs, skimpy outfits, and unnecessary dances. Even though the show was interesting, players eventually stopped going because there wasn't much going on.

When it came out, the game had over a quarter of a million players, largely due to its fast-paced gameplay and visually appealing characters. But excitement died down quickly. There are more than 100,000 reviews on Steam, but only 56% of them are positive. Even worse, fewer than 5,000 people are playing the game right now. That's a long way from its early high points.

The First Descendant hasn't been able to retain its community despite updates and seasonal content, such as the recently launched Season 3 pre-registration, which comes with special rewards like a "Descendant Selection Box." Players say that the game looks fun, but the story isn't very interesting, the progression isn't very clear, and the voice acting isn't very good. "Style over substance" has been the norm here.

Now, it looks like Vindictus: Defying Fate is going in the same direction.

When Defying Fate was first released, it was billed as a spiritual follow-up to the classic MMORPG Vindictus. Long-time fans were excited to see familiar characters like Fiona and hear that the action combat would be updated. The pre-alpha test showed a game that could be a strong contender. It had great graphics, smooth character animations, and an interesting dungeon-crawler style. But now that the game's first public alpha is live, my first thoughts are not very good.

Some fans like how the combat works and how it brings back memories, but others are very worried. The complaints are similar to those about The First Descendant: the game doesn't run smoothly, the graphics are old (like motion blur and film grain that you can't turn off), boss fights are boring, and the story isn't very deep.

Vindictus: Defying Fate doesn't seem to know what it wants to be, even though its characters are interesting and have cool skills. It's kind of like Souls game, but the combat isn't as hard or complicated as you'd expect from a game in that genre. The boss fights are more like "battles of attrition," which means they do a lot of damage and take a long time. They're not really tests of skill.

During the first 24 hours, the game had just over 41,000 players, which isn't very many considering how well-known the name was and how much excitement there was about it. About 54% of reviews are positive, but a lot of people are complaining about technical issues, weak skill trees, environments that don't respond, and a "clunky" feel in general.

A lot of Vindictus fans say that Defying Fate doesn't get the point at all. The first game was great because it had tight co-op gameplay, brutal action, and a skill system that changed over time. On the other hand, Defying Fate feels like a shell—a game that tries to be more modern without understanding what made the original so great.

It gets worse: Defying Fate won't be free to play like the first Vindictus. Early signs indicate that the initial cost will be between $40 and $50, with additional purchases, such as battle passes, added on top of that. It's hard for a game that's still trying to figure out who it is to take that in.

The theme that runs through both games? A lot of focus is on character appeal because developers think that people in the West want to please their fans. But looks aren't everything. Without good gameplay, a good story, or the right optimization, these games are just pretty to look at. You'll finish them quickly and forget about them right away.

Developers like Nexon know that people want more stylized action games with strong characters. But both The First Descendant and Vindictus: Defying Fate teach us that pretty graphics aren't enough to keep people interested in a game. We might remember these games more for what they could have been than for what they are until the core experience lives up to the flashiness on the outside.