Vernon's Legacy

Vernon's Legacy is another representative of the wave of first-person indie horror-adventure games using the amazing Unreal Engine 4 from 2016. Unfortunately I can't say that it stands out from the crowd, as the initially promising atmosphere and story quickly dwindles into (below) mediocrity. While some people dared to compare this game to Amnesia: The Dark Descent, mainly because of the note/memo-based storytelling formula (or the way our protagonist carries his lantern which sways by the way as if there were no gravity), I think any comparison would be a disgrace to that amazing game.

In Germany, shortly after World War I, a young man named Robert returns to the mansion of his recently deceased uncle, the titular Vernon's. With the servants gone, the building is now completely abandoned. While exploring the old manor he finds various letters and notes written either by the late owner or by the attendants which mention strange events taking place in the estate originating from the vault/catacomb system down under. As it turns out, there is a 'great evil' dwelling down there, which has to be stopped or else...

First of all, I think it would be important to mention that the game can be divided into 2 parts: the first half functions as an adventure game (or 'walking simulator' if you will) where we search for keys, unlock doors, collect a few items and solve puzzles to advance; meanwhile the second half consists mostly of hectic running from the mentioned evil entity, degrading gameplay into a second-rate Slenderman-clone (well, not exactly, since the monster in this case floats or rather flows following a pattern, but if it notices us, it will give chase).
So, is this a horror game then? Well, to a certain extent, it is. Surprisingly, the first half of the game somewhat succeeds to create the required atmosphere within the old, abandoned mansion and the sounds of the raging thunderstorm outside. The latter half however, despite the excessively loud sound effects of the nearing monstrosity with screen shaking, quickly ruins the fun and becomes more of a frustrating chore rather than a horrendous experience we all love in horror game and the reason why we play them. This evil entity (which is basically a huge, flowing, etheral skull) is rather clumsy looking itself, but given the nature of the underground maze, it can corner us with no places to hide (we can slam the occasional door in its face - if there is one) and can sometimes grab us by seemingly effortlessly passing through corners too, so we are going to die a lot. The autosave points are frequently placed and there's no punishment for dying, but it will still cause a considerable amount of frustration (unless the thing gets stuck in something - which can be the source of further annoyance since at the end of the game we HAVE TO provoke it to follow us).
In case anyone wonders how the monster looks like, here, so you don't have to buy the game just for this:

steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1923912644

Unfortunately the first half of the game isn't without problems either, since there are only a handful of puzzles and some of them don't really make much sense such as the segment where we have to pour alcohol over the map or the rather trial & error method of safe opening part.
The other really problematic part which bothered me was related to the notes: I managed to find all of them in the first half, but when we first encounter the being, collecting them will be nearly impossible. It'll be hard enough to run away from it, without paying attention to such luxuries as picking up randomly paced sheets of papers while fleeing. Despite this I still managed to obtain about 2/3 of the notes in the second half, sometimes even going back from safety and searching for more, risking my progress, but still couldn't find more. I dare to say that not all diary excerpts/entries exist (maybe in some unexplorable corners far in the lower catacombs, that requires the monster to be stuck), which is a shame since I enjoyed reading them (after all these are the only elements in the game which provide the plot itself). Fortunately the ones which tell us what to do are usually in plain sight.

The game takes advantage of Unreal Engine 4, the mansion's interior is wonderful to look at: the picturesque rooms and hallways are probably the game's only strength. My only grief regarding this was the washed-out, greenish colour palette the game uses :/

steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1923696508

This changes too as we reach the second half, where the similar looking corridors of the cellar and the catacombs won't offer much variety as opposed to what we've seen before (the pitch black darkness doesn't help either).

Sound effects are quite loud, which isn't uncommon in horror games, but it's problematic if these provide the main source of tension. There's only 1 short sinister-sounding track which only plays whenever we read said notes.

Vernon's Legacy is a big disappointment, as it can't really do anything right despite the given resources: the great enviroment and graphics engine. If the game stays at the formula of the first half, it could have been better altogether, but still a bit boring, run-of-the-mill horror adventure. The second half however makes the end result undisputablely worse and turns it into a primitive version of cat-and-mouse game, something I wouldn't even recommend at a serious discount.

PROS
+ proper use of Unreal Engine 4, nice graphics
+ first half of the game is kind of all right mainly because of the atmosphere

CONS
- primitive gameplay in the second half
- several notes are impossible to be found
- some of the puzzles are based on trial & error
- unsatisfying ending
- no music basically
- very short

RATING
2.5/10

Honestly was hoping this game wasn't just copy and paste maze levels with shitty ai and some halfway decent puzzles. but alas. also had many issues starting up with direct x, fullscreen and v sync, wouldn't refund for that and the constant crashing.

Steam really has to figure out a better way to quality control. I feel really bad for everyone who stuck around since Early Access...a great idea tossed out the window and ruined.

Play a project that the developers actually care about instead and skip this one.

Let me start off by saying that I have no issue with any negative review presented about this game and totally see their points, I just see this game a little differently and some positive aspects presented in other reviews I can only echo. I spent more time in this game than most and this could be because I am not a very skillful player but I do tend to take my time in a game if given the choice.
The mansion level itself was cool and had puzzles that were not too simple but I felt were well thought out. I guess the paintings were stock that were imported to the game but they were really nice to view and I found myself getting lost in some of them as you would if you were viewing them in a museum and I also found myself wishing the designer had either a written or verbal commentary on the artwork from their perspective. Just a thought. I don't believe there was any sound track except for the thundering storm outside which did a great deal to sell a heavy sense of foreboding.
After the mansion you are in the tunnels proper. Of course they will either be some sort of large cavernous design like a cellar or garage, or you will have some sort of maze-like tunnels. Very little in the way of puzzles just object hunts to progress. When you get down there you will find you are not alone. You can engage with either running for your life or sleuthing for an undetected escape. The lower level maps which are on the tunnel walls in various locations are very helpful. The story is told through notes left throughout the game and I did not find all of them but enough to know what to do.
I purchased this game on sale but I see no problem with the asking price. You may not agree. I can say that I wish there was a little more in the game, not much just a little. I didn't get the feeling the game was rushed but a little bit of fleshing out would have anchored the feel for this game.
The ending. Yes, I see that it can be jarring but this is a first person type of game? If the details recounted in the paper are accurate, you don't survive this. Put yourself the the mind of the protagonist, which is what we do when we play these games, and you see that your future is not certain. Could there have been some sort of narrative or exposition? I say no. This would have broke with the style presented throughout the game. No one knows you were there. Your fate was sealed, sadly so, the minute you entered the manor.
Unlike other games I have talked about after playing, I can only say that I immensely enjoyed this game but have no idea if you will. I do recommend you take the chance.

Game Play - 0 Play Time - 0
Engaging - 0 Stability - 1
Sound - 0 Innovation - 0
Story - 0 Replay - 0
Graphics - 0 Price - 0

Total Score - 1/10

Notes: NO!NO!NO!NO! Forget you even saw this thing. Stay far far away! The only redemeing if you really want to call it that. Is it does not crash just prolonging your agony!

Oh my god, where to even begin with this steaming mound of unpolished, overpriced fodder. Vernon's Legacy is the first, and only, game by publisher/developer TripleBrick. It's your standard walking, key and note finding, simulator. Worse than that, however, is just how poorly this title runs, and just how much of the developer's laziness shines through.

First of all, no matter what I do I cannot get this game to run in any type of full screen, 1080p mode. Why is there no resolution option in-game? Is that seriously too much to ask for? Hitting ALT+Enter just cycles through a bunch of preset options, and none of which are even remotely ideal for any PC built in the last 10 years. On top of that, TripleBrick couldn't be bothered to untick that one Unreal Engine checkbox that makes their game want to launch in freaking VR, so I have to put up with that running in the background on top of the resolution problems. There's also no VSync, so have fun listening to your HDD grind while the game is pulling 800+ FPS.

The game itself is just running around, collecting notes, getting keys, and figuring out illogical puzzles. Get a bottle of "strange liquid"? Well you're supposed to know to pour that on some random map! Go through the entire first half of the game without any monsters or scares, only to run into a giant floating skull that will chase you to the ends of the earth until it kills you? Check! Crappy ending that's only a still shot of a newspaper? Yes! If I had a dollar for everytime that's happened to me, I'd be rich.

Some people in other reviews have talked up the story aspect of this release, but in reality it's not that special. Not special enough to go through all the hassle of playing Vernon's Legacy, anyway. It's awful, clearly the developer had no pride in putting this garbage onto Steam. Selling this broken junkpile for $12.99 CAD should be considered a sin, and that's not even taking into account the hour playtime; hour-and-a-half at the absolute most. It should also come as no surprise that TripleBrick are MIA from their own forums as well, while multiple players are asking for help with glitches. In the words of Simon Cowell, "It's a no from me".

Rating: 0.5/5.0 - Abysmal, avoid it like the plague.

It's just a clone of Amnesia only worse in every single possible way. The notes scattered throughout the game were semi-interesting to read, so I thought it could all wrap up to a decent ending. Alas, it fell flat on its face. I was severely disappointed at the extremely boring and lackluster ending. By the time it came I was so relieved that it was finally over.

I suppose if you want to play a semi-fun, mediocre horror game it might be worth playing if you:

A) Have nothing better to do
B) Can get it for $3 or less. It's not worth a penny more.

Don't buy it, not even on sale. The game starts out ok, the story is kinda interesting and develops as you find notes. At first that is alright but as you "progress" it becomes a chore to go on. The game isn't scary, the entity that "chases" you makes it so damn boring and frustrating to navigate the basement levels. The graphics are not bad at all, probably one of the best features of this game and what convinced me to buy it in the first place but the rest is just not worth it.

I was as close to recommending a game as I might ever get, but ultimately, the game doesn't keep its promises.

The first chapter really was charming, as I am a sucker for old mansions, and I thought the development team really did a great job of creating it. It wasn't hard by any means, but it worked for me. When I reached chapter 2 and finally got the chance to see what's in the cellar, I welcomed the change of pacing. Now, it wasn't as much about taking your time and looking around, but about finding the perfect way so to not fall into the hands of the dark presence down there. The next level was quite the same, and the next level was quite the same, too, and the last level was, again, the same. Not once did I have a feeling of some sort of progression. It just went on and on. Go in there, find this and that, come back, proceed. And it's not that hard, either. Sure, you will get caught by the presence, but I never had the feeling that I outsmarted it by planning my way. I was just running around and, with one level, didn't see it at all.

So while the game starts interesting and builds a decent mytery as to what is going on in the vaults, it does not deliver story- or gameplay-wise.

I recommend this game with mixed feelings.

I bought this on sale, and I think that is when it should be bought. Lets get the good stuff out of the way, because there is a good bit. The game is gorgeous. The mansion looks creepy and has a definite sense of foreboding. As you explore the mansion, the only soundtrack you get is the thunderstorm happening outside. I loved it. Sadly, the only music soundtrack you get is when you are reading notes, and it is highly repetitive. I feel that it breaks the rhythm of the game. I loved walking through a beautiful mansion at night with no musical accompaniment. I loved finding and reading all over the place to get the story. There were some light puzzles, but backtracking wasn't a big hindrance. Hindrances came in part 2 of the game but we'll get to that. Part 1 of the game took place in the mansion: reading notes and solving light puzzles until you get to Part 2, which changes locations and feel......and not all for the better.
The bowels of the mansion look great. There are still periodic notes to find and light light puzzles to solve to go deeper underground toward the resolution of the game, but now there is an evil entity chasing us, and the underground cellars are a maze. This is when the game changed for me. What started as a light adventure/creepy walking simulator turns into a very tense cat and mouse maze scramble as you try to flee the evil chasing you. It's not fun. It's taxing. There were notes I know I missed in the cellars but I didn't have the will to go after them all because I didn't feel like dying....again. I died a lot. Fear and anxiety turned it frustration. When I beat the game, I was rewarded with a newspaper front page...and thats it. If this had been a straight walking sim, or light puzzle game in a creepy beautiful mansion, I would have been satisfied. But after 5 underground levels of mazes and evil chasing me....sorry I want a better resolution than that. The ending felt like a cop out.
Now you are probably wondering why I am still recommending this game! I liked the look of the entire mansion, the first half, and the story. I felt those were strong enough to carry the rest. The second half would probably be more fun with a friend or a group and then you can tense together and laugh at your inability to run away well. I'm glad I played it, but I'm REALLY glad I bought it on sale.

The first chapter is great. The game looks nice and has a good sound design, despite obviously low budget. The creepy mansion is fun to explore, with a decent story and clever puzzles providing solid gameplay.
And then the game throws everything out of the window and replaces it with generic dark tunnels and an unimaginative monster chasing you, insta-killing you on touch. Because that's something we've never seen in a horror game, right? Oh wait...
Puzzles are still there but they're mostly the same - you're always looking for missing pieces of a mechanism. The monster is just a nuisance, forcing you to replay the segment over again. Thankfully you don't lose items on death so you don't have to go and pick them up again; this prevents a lot of frustration.
Vernon's Legacy is still a decent game, with fluent gameplay and cool atmosphere. But it's a shame they couldn't resist using all the horror tropes. Had they stayed in puzzle adventure genre like in the first chapter, this could have been a much better game.

b-class horror game.
-gather notes to learn story
-some puzzles
-the monster is kinda meh.
-ending is just front page of newspaper

I sampled this game's early stages, and despite some questionable inventory design and illogical puzzles the atmosphere and plot (the story is told entirely through notes) was really rather engaging.

The beauty of the Unreal Engine 4 shone through, if not exactly the best use of it I'd ever seen, and overall it was looking like a really enjoyable and spooky horror story.

Having played 81 minutes now I've had it refunded - what looked truly like a great little indie game was an ultimate failure, let down by a game design choice which absolutely destroyed it from around 40 minutes of gameplay onwards.

Initially we had a spooky mansion setting, and quite a gripping one at that - foreboding atmosphere and some nice ambience as well as the gothic look of the place made this compelling enough to want to go on. And unfortunately that was where it unravelled - that initial setting was by far the best area, as once you end up deeper in the game and are introduced to the entity which pursues you, it loses every ounce of fun and atmosphere and just becomes a horrible chore.

It has an entire four sections in a row which are basically complete copies of each other, all of whom where you get stalked by literally the most boring, unconvincing enemy you'll ever see and will die time and time again.

What promised so much just turns into a vile grind, and isn't worth your time.

To add insult, there are no configuration options in the menu (forget choosing resolution, folks), and as soon as this game went into retail, the dev simply stopped responding to the forum and presumably took the money and ran.

It's as if they got bored and wanted to wrap it up and gave no real thought to how the game would develop, which is a huge shame because it promised so much and delivered, ultimately, a borefest.

Extremely disappointing and absolutely not recommended.

The story is good, it looks good and it plays good.

The overall game time is short but I enjoyed the experience, the feel of play was rewarding. The letters found during the search for keys, cogs or levers provide an interesting back story which are well written and short so reading is no chore. Graphically its stunning although a few problems with clipping through doors and unfinished textured faces, it doesnt distract from the beauty! For the price its worth a go I personally found the puzzles very simple which provided me with a fluid play through, give it a go? see what you think.

Do you like walking through the same mapped maze over and over and over and over and over? If you like repetetive goals, you will absolutely fall in love with this game as well as yourself over and over and over again. This game reeks of novice warfare.

The developers added 30 minutes more worth of content, and called it finished. This game had so much promise when I played it when it first came into early access. The first 3/4 of the game is really really good, with very clever and logical puzzles. Then once you enter the vault its all downhill from there, you'll spend most of the remaining minutes of the game running from a really generic looking and rather annoying "ghost". Get it cheap or don't get it at all, they really dropped the ball on this one.

The full game is finally out, and it's a pretty enjojyable trip. The story is intriguing, graphics are beautiful, and somewhat reminiscent of Amneisa. The story is told almost exclusively through the notes you find around the manor, and even though I'm usually not a huge fan of that, this game somehow makes it work. However, the biggest downfall of the game is really the "enemy" that starts chasing you. It is rather forgetful, and were it not for the great atmoshpere, it really wouldn't be nerveracking at all. And after encounetering it a few time, it becomes more of a chore to avoid it, instead of fear. The game ends up being more of just a scarry story, than actively trying to get away from something. If you want to take a look at the game before buying, consider checking out my walkthrough!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ycbv_9uaqo&index=1&list=PLKMxTuqznyPM86bguxKr5xFbzPhtljbW1

Promising start, but most of it feels like a rush job, only get this on a deal.

I played just few minutes but I really like it. I like the style, the sounds, the lights. Pretty much everything. Too bad my old pc cant really make it work well ahahahah. It's a shame, but I have no doubt I will play it when I will have a PC that will meet the requirements. Maybe the game will be out completely by then. Or maybe there will be a zombies invasion and I will never have the pleasure...

This is one of the better horror games that I have played for under $10 on Steam, and I've played a lot of them.

The graphics take advantage of the Unreal4 engine and show off what it can do well, and the game also delivers great sound effects that echo realistically as you explore your uncle Vernon's mansion trying to figure out what exactly happened and why his butler and cook left before you arrive there.

The first part of the game deliver the back story to you via your uncles journal notes and notes written by both his butler and his cook and they are all dated. This game has a few puzzles and keys that help deliver everything you read in a particular order, but nothing is terribly difficult or should take you more then a few minutes to solve.

Where this game delivers is once some of the back story has been established and you come face to face with what haunts this home of your deceased uncle. As you try and piece together the whole story, you'll need quick wits and calm nerves keep you from looking like a big scardey cat to anyone who might be watching you play the game in your home.

It's not complete at the time of its launch in early access, but the developer has made that well known and been up front that the rest of the story is coming in the months to come. If you don't mind waiting to see the resolution of this game, then I highly recommend that all horror game fans not pass this one up. For the price, it delivers and promises to deliver even more as is completed. While there are a few random glitches and oddities in the game, the fact that it's in early access excuses these minor set-backs and I'm confident they will be ironed out before this game is released as a final product.

7 out of 10 on early access launch day, much likely a higher score once it see's completely and delivers a full game and more value.