Vambrace: Cold Soul
A roguelike dungeon crawler set in the frozen city of Icenaire.
Vambrace: Cold Soul is a roguelike dungeon crawler RPG from 2019, created by the South Korean developer Devespresso Games. It launched on Linux, macOS, Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. The story takes place in a dark fantasy world where the player controls Evelia Lyric, who undertakes repeated expeditions into the frozen, haunted lost city of Icenaire. Her goal is to uncover the secrets behind the magical vambrace she carries.
The game shares many features with Darkest Dungeon, released in 2016. Both combine real-time movement with turn-based combat, require managing a group of procedurally generated adventurers who accompany Lyric, and include mechanics that track the physical and mental toll exploration and fighting take on party members. The art style was created by Devespresso CEO Minho Kim and resembles the visual look of The Coma, an earlier game from the same team.
Critical reception for Vambrace was mixed. Reviewers often praised the artwork and the engaging setting, but criticized the game’s design choices and uneven difficulty.
**Gameplay**
Players take the role of Evelia Lyric, who is determined to explore the frozen city of Icenaire to find answers about a mystery in her own life. The starting area is Dalearch, a safe district within the city where undead hordes do not reach. This hub lets players manage their roster of heroes and inventory of items. They can walk through Dalearch’s districts and talk to its residents in a style similar to a visual novel. The story is split into seven chapters, each containing a self-contained expedition into a different region of Icenaire.
The main gameplay loop involves launching expeditions from Dalearch into other parts of the city with a band of procedurally generated heroes. Each region is divided into sectors, which the player navigates using a map. Every room in a sector holds a single procedurally generated encounter: it might be a fight with enemies, a treasure room, or a camp where the party can rest. Each sector has eight to ten rooms, though the path to the exit is usually only five rooms long. Players must complete five sectors to reach the region’s boss. They can take direct routes or wander to find more loot.
A key mechanic is the Health and Vigor system. If either resource runs out, a party member can die.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Vambrace: Cold Soul
- Developer
- Devespresso Games
- Publisher
- Headup, WhisperGames / (PC) · Headup / (NS, PS4) · Chorus Worldwide / (XBO)
- Engine
- Unity
- Platforms
- Linux · macOS · Windows · Xbox One · Nintendo Switch · PlayStation 4
- Released
- Linux, macOS, Windows · May 28, 2019 · Xbox One · August 28, 2019 · Switch, PlayStation 4 · August 29, 2019
- Genre
- Roguelike, role-playing
- Modes
- Single-player
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The game begins with Evelia Lyric inheriting a magical vambrace and an encrypted journal from her late father, which claims the vambrace is instrumental for entry into the cursed city of Icenaire in the Dwarven realm of Dokkheim. Lyric travels to Icenaire, where she discovers the vambrace can bypass a thick icy barrier surrounding the city. She is rescued by a scavenging party and taken to Dalearch, an underground settlement and the only safe space in Icenaire, which is home to competing factions: the Guardians, the Sylvani, and the North Venture Company. Lyric learns that the barrier was created by a malevolent entity known as the Shade King, who commands undead wraiths, and that her vambrace can dispel the undead and break down ice barriers.
Reader's Guide
Vambrace: Cold Soul bears many similarities to the 2016 video game Darkest Dungeon, particularly with its mix of real-time movement and turn-based combat, management of procedurally-generated characters, and gameplay mechanics representing the toll exploration and combat take on party members. The game's art style, developed by Devespresso CEO Minho Kim, is similar in visual aesthetic to The Coma, a previous project by his team. Vambrace drew mixed reviews from video game publications following its release. Reviewers generally praised the game's artwork and engaging setting, while criticism focused on its design decisions and unbalanced difficulty. The development team consisted of four members led by Kim, who also functioned as lead artist. The basic concept originated in the team's shared passion for tabletop role-playing games. Kim aimed for a more polished look compared to The Coma: Cutting Class, with the Castlevania series and Darkest Dungeon serving as important inspirations for the gothic horror aesthetic.
Did You Know?
- The game's story spans seven chapters, each containing a self-contained expedition within a region of Icenaire.
- Party members do not level up; only the protagonist Evelia Lyric gradually improves over the course of the game.
- The Geistometer meter counts upward in Terror until full, at which point the party is constantly beset by hostile undead Shades.
- The game's art style was inspired by illustrated tale books and the Castlevania series.
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