It's not very easy to explain the complex and bizarre world K-D Labs created in Vangers. Reading the manual and the storyline is necessary and you have to play the game for a very long time to understand what's going on. If you think you've seen it all in video games, think again.
The four-page storyline packs quite a bit into a small space. It's not easy to understand and you find yourself reading it over several times, scratching your head in puzzlement. Even so, reading the manual is the best thing you can do to try and get an understanding as to how the game is played. Vangers is not one of those games you pop in, play and figure out as you go along. The "How to play" section in the manual is mandatory reading. Having a complex story is not necessarily bad, though, as it's very entertaining and makes the game last longer.
To complement the story, Vangers has some very odd weaponry and devices. Would you understand what a Beebbanoza Blockade is at first glance, or a Mecho? I doubt it. The weapons of Vangers all have very odd names (it is an alien planet after all) and range from an Amputator to Ghorb Gear. Fortunately, there are pictures to help you figure out what t0he weapons do. What we refer to as automobiles on Earth, Vangers calls Mechos. They are very odd looking vehicles you drive throughout the game and each one can be equipped with weapons and items. Although you start out with only the basics, the game options allow you to choose how much money you have at the beginning. This lets you to buy more weapons or possibly a different Mecho.
As if the weaponry and vehicles aren't odd enough, the items of Vangers are very difficult to describe. For example, a beeboorat is a rude beeboorattish monkey; a cirtainer is a hermetic container that allows the transport of cirt without significant loss of its qualities; leepuringa is painted ugliness -- a toy for a greedy Eleepod. In order to understand these terms, a Vangers Diary is provided on the flip side of the game's manual that acts as a dictionary of sorts. Again, the game is not easy to understand so prepare for substantial reading!
The purpose of the Vanger and the goal of playing the game are not very clear. It is stated that your purpose is to work hard, make a lot of beebs and hone your driving and shooting skills. It's either that or move on to the next world as soon as possible and destroy everyone in your path. Basically, there seems to be no major objective.
Although the story of Vangers is complex, it really doesn't add up to much, especially with the limitation of simply driving around, aimlessly shooting and collecting items. Frankly, for a "shoot-em-up" game it's not very much fun. Vangers provides a new and original game with an interesting storyline and good graphics but the entertainment aspect is heavily lacking.
Graphics: The Mecho can flip over and the graphics show all of this smoothly. Although the theme of the game is supported by the graphics, staring into the "all green" world for very long becomes annoying.
Sound: The music is very good and the sounds are great. The lasers, Mechos and alien noises are all nicely done.
Enjoyment: It's difficult to grab onto anything in Vangers. It's not instantly fun to play and by the time you finally figure things out, you're sick of staring at the colors in the game.
Replay Value: If you manage to play the game to its conclusion, you'll find something out about the game you didn't know in the beginning. Chances are that if you beat it once, you'll play again due to all the different Mechos and weapons from which to choose.
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