Vanquish
A fast-paced third-person shooter with a sliding-boost mechanic.
Vanquish is a third-person shooter released in 2010, developed by PlatinumGames and published by Sega for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Development began in 2007, and the game launched worldwide in October of that year. A Windows port followed on May 25, 2017, and a compilation called *Bayonetta & Vanquish 10th Anniversary Bundle*, featuring remastered versions of both titles, arrived on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on February 18, 2020.
The game brought several new ideas to the 3D shooter genre, combining fast-paced action similar to 2D bullet hell shooters with beat 'em up elements and a unique sliding-boost mechanic. Critics responded positively, praising the speed, genre innovations, boss fights, and visual style, though they noted weaknesses in the writing, voice acting, and the campaign's brevity. It is estimated to have sold over one million units worldwide.
Players control Sam Gideon, a DARPA agent wearing the Augmented Reaction Suit. Taking heavy damage triggers an automatic Augmented Reaction (AR) mode, which slows time to let Sam evade attacks. The player can also activate AR manually by holding the aim button while evading, sliding, or vaulting over cover, making it easier to target enemies and their weak spots. Boosters on the suit allow Sam to slide quickly across the ground. Overusing AR mode or the boosters causes the suit to overheat, requiring a cooldown period during which Sam is less mobile and cannot use those abilities. Melee attacks near enemies can also trigger overheating.
Sam’s weapons come from the BLADE system, which stores up to three weapons at a time from eight standard types (plus three added in a DLC pack). Swapping a weapon for a new type is done by holding the reload button, replacing the active slot. Weapons and grenades can be upgraded by collecting upgrade chips. Picking up a weapon already in the inventory refills its ammunition; doing so when ammunition is full grants one-third of an upgrade, improving stats like ammo capacity, firepower, and blast radius. Injured allies can be helped to earn weapons, and weapons also appear in crates and lockers. On Normal and Hard difficulties, dying downgrades the active weapon by one level, while the God Hard difficulty disables upgrades entirely.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Vanquish
- Developer
- PlatinumGamesAdditional work for Windows by Little Stone Software and by Armature Studio for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One
- Publisher
- Sega
- Director
- Shinji Mikami
- Producer
- Atsushi Inaba · Jun Yoshino · Atsushi Kurooka (PC)
- Designer
- Masaaki Yamada · Shigenori Nishikawa · Junichi Oka · Hiroki Kato
- Programmer
- Kiyohiko Sakata · Shuichiro Chiboshi
- Artist
- Naoki Katakai · Yusuke Kan
- Writer
- Hiroki Kato · Jean Pierre Kellams
- Composer
- Erina Niwa · Masafumi Takada · Masakazu Sugimori
- Platforms
- PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
- Genre
- Third-person shooter
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Vanquish is set in the near future, where Earth's human population has grown to the point that nations fight for scarce resources. The United States launches the SC-01 Providence, an O'Neil Cylinder space colony using a solar energy microwave transmitter to provide an alternative energy source. The government of the Russian Federation of Eurasia is overthrown in a coup by the Order of the Russian Star, who capture Providence and use the microwave transmitter to devastate San Francisco. Agent Victor Zaitsev demands the American government surrender or face an attack on New York City. President Elizabeth Winters sends Lieutenant Colonel Robert Burns to infiltrate the station with Bravo Company, recruiting DARPA soldier Sam Gideon, equipped with the prototype Augmented Reaction Suit (ARS) and the Battlefield Logic Adaptable Electronic Weapon System (BLADE). Sam is assisted by Elena Ivanova aboard the SBC2 command ship. The mission involves rescuing scientist Dr. Francois Candide, whom Zaitsev kidnapped. As Sam infiltrates Providence, Candide reveals that Burns and Winters have betrayed the United States before being killed by Burns. Burns explains that Winters ordered him to change the microwave's target to Moscow as an 'economic stimulus package.' Sam defeats Burns, who kills himself with a bomb in his bionic arm. Zaitsev reveals that Winters secretly supported the Order of the Russian Star but betrayed them to declare war on Russia. Sam defeats two slave units, and Zaitsev activates a tactical nuke inside a remaining suit to destroy Providence. Sam escapes in an escape pod and reunites with Elena. Zaitsev escapes and is congratulated by his superiors. Winters commits suicide after being charged with treason.
Reader's Guide
Vanquish is significant for its innovations to the cover-based shooter genre, particularly its sliding-boost mechanic that allows players to slide into and out of cover at high speeds, acting as both a defensive escape and an offensive setup. This mechanic, combined with the Augmented Reaction (AR) mode that slows down time, increases the pace of gameplay significantly and opens up new possibilities for cover-based shooters. The game also features a unique end credits rail shooting sequence depicting faces of staff members on asteroids. Development began in 2007, with Shinji Mikami stating that the game's graphics and design were partially inspired by the 1970s anime series Casshern. Mikami originally wanted to create a game like Casshern but with guns, maintaining a 'feeling of speed' that led to the sliding-boost mechanic. The game uses the Havok physics engine and was developed with the PlayStation 3 as its lead platform to avoid port issues, a decision Mikami called a 'great success.' Vanquish is Mikami's only game under the PlatinumGames brand. The game's cover system was credited for taking the mechanic 'to the next level,' with bullets and missiles coming from all directions reminiscent of bullet hell shooters, destructible cover, and a penalty for time spent in cover. The game sold over 1 million units worldwide and was later ported to Windows in 2017 and included in a 10th Anniversary Bundle with Bayonetta for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in 2020.
Did You Know?
- The game's sliding-boost mechanic was inspired by the 1970s anime series Casshern, with Shinji Mikami wanting to maintain a 'feeling of speed.'
- Vanquish was developed with the PlayStation 3 as its lead platform to avoid the port issues that affected PlatinumGames' earlier title Bayonetta.
- A compilation titled Bayonetta & Vanquish 10th Anniversary Bundle was released for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on February 18, 2020.
More in Third-Person Shooters 1-24
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced