Review: Vigor (Xbox One)

Rating: 8
Author: Jim Smale

by Jim Smale · August 28, 2019

Vigor

Vigor is a free-to-play shoot ‘n’ loot game where you build the Shelter in post-war Norway. The nuclear war is over. Europe is devastated, Norway has become the last stand.

Pros:

Decent graphics.
10.9gb download size.
1000 Gamerscore.
Opening tutorial area.
Survival loot shooter gameplay.
Game-go into an area, loot, shoot or avoid other players and escape to renovate and upgrade your home and gear.
Daily missions.
12 player online.
Solo and duo playlists.
Six locations. From factories to fishing villages to farms.
3rd person view.
Crown’s-premium currency.
The base building uses real-life timers.
Base-build and upgrade your base to generate food, scrap, materials and even Crown currency!
Customisation-generic presets, clothing, gestures and weapon skins.
Crafting-get plans for weapon/items/health/ammo.
If you die you lose everything!
Rewarding gameplay.
Powerful sound mechanic with footsteps and door opening a huge deal.
Stay out in PVP as much as you want, a gas does spread but what I’m saying is stay or go when you want.
Crates-5 tiers of loot rarity and these are mostly rewards and are the games version of loot boxes.
Playable Rubik’s cube in your base.
Can go full ADS complete with hold breath.
Your house has a shooting range with gun challenges and infinite ammo.
Play how you want.
Weather randomize in each location.
Players can pay crowns to increase loot amount, crate rarity and this applies to everyone.
Insurance-pay crowns to keep everything g upon death.
Airdrops-show up on the map and hold top tier loot.
Each map has points of interest like a safe that takes time to open (informs everyone) code breaking boxes, a tower to show everyone’s position (tells everyone).
Getting shot shows direction of shots.
Loot cars, boxes, safes, trucks, closets, wardrobes and more.
Really cool concept.
Store updates daily with items and skins (uses crowns).
Your house is a big place with grounds to explore and collect resources.
Food-share food with others(pretty sure it’s all BS) and has a leaderboard.
Familiar controls.

Vigor

Cons:

Connectivity issues.
The slowdown in places.
Long load times.
Frequently disconnects.
Can waste/lose crowns when you get disconnected after buying boosts or insurance.
Slow to divulge mechanics.
The uneventful plain end of the run screen.
Gunplay feels really floaty and struggles with crazy recoil and bad aiming.
Frustrating.
Gunplay is just not fun.
Hard to get specific resources especially early on.
Interact prompt is a mission in itself with it not always showing up.
Loot feels scarce.

Vigor

8/10

Graphics - 8/10
8/10

Sound - 8/10
8/10

Accessibility - 8/10
8/10

Length - 8/10
8/10

Fun Factor - 8/10

8/10

Summary

Vigor is a game that takes the Day Z formula and attempts to give it a remix and more of an end project. You are a survivor and must enter into a PVP arena and loot resources and shoot other people in order to build your base. This concept is a refreshing and rewarding twist and well deserves attention. But like Day Z it still has a lot of flaws going on like connectivity, how easy it is to lose crowns (real money) and slow progress. But despite all this you will still see yourself coming back time after time, watching your base grow and expand is so rewarding not to mention grants resources constantly churning out. With no end goal in mind, the game gives you an overall purpose, going into a town and looting and shooting is as tense as you would think, but again really rewarding if you manage to get what you need. Go in shooting or go in stealthy it’s completely up to you and you can leave whenever you want. The map locations are all varied and have randomized spawn locations and weather. Loot is clearly shown by a dot, you can mark the map and use a compass to navigate. For me, Vigor is a very ambitious title and is rough in places but the core gameplay is U seen and must be played. I personally loved just wandering a map, crouched and watching events unfold or looting a house then hugging the shoreline to get a boat out. I hope we get more content especially as what do you do once your house is finished? Can you interact with others in your house? Either way, the signs of a great game are there and it’s down to the devs to bring it home.