Vapor World: Over The Mind is a hauntingly beautiful soulslike whose heavy combat rewards patience, even if the entire game could feel a little snappier
Vapor World: Over The Mind makes a striking first impression. It drops you into the damaged mind of a boy trapped in a dream world shaped by sorrow, guilt, and buried memories. The story is delivered in fragments, but the tone is immediately clear. This is a bleak place full of broken people, ruined streets, and creatures formed from trauma.
The art direction is easily the biggest reason to play it. Decrepit buildings lean into the fog, dilapidated interiors disappear into shadow, and every new area looks like a nightmare someone painstakingly drew by hand. Even when the game is at its ugliest in terms of subject matter, it remains absolutely stunning to look at.
Enemy designs are just as strong. Twisted figures emerge from the darkness with silhouettes that fit the world, while bosses feel grotesque without becoming visually noisy. Vapor World understands that atmosphere is not simply a dark color palette. Lighting, environmental depth, sound, and animation all work together to create a coherent mood that rarely breaks.
Underneath that gorgeous presentation is a 2.5D soulslike with a little Metroidvania structure. Paths are blocked until you find the right ability, alternate routes reward exploration, and new powers slowly give you more options. The current Early Access build is not the full adventure, but the foundation is already easy to understand.
Combat revolves around the huge club-like Crevice and a demonic gauntlet called the Reaper. Basic combos let you apply pressure, but deflection is the real heart of each encounter. Parrying attacks exposes an enemy's Ember, allowing you to rip it out with the gauntlet and finish the fight. It is a cool system, and its brutal finishers suit the oppressive world perfectly.
The problem is that almost every action feels heavier than it needs to. Walking is slow, attacks take time to complete, and several animations keep you committed for a little too long. The weight makes the club feel powerful, but it also makes traversal and quick reactions less satisfying. Playing on the ROG Xbox Ally X, I constantly wished movement and combat were just a little faster and more responsive.
Boss fights expose both sides of this design. These encounters are hard as hell, but they are also where Vapor World is at its most rewarding. Charging in and trying to steal several hits usually ends in a quick death. Slow down, learn the attack pattern, land the parry, and chip away at the enemy's defenses instead. The game wants patience and discipline rather than aggression.
That approach works, although delayed attacks and long animations can make failure feel frustrating before the rhythm clicks. You cannot always cancel a greedy attack and escape, so every button press matters. I enjoyed that pressure, but I would still welcome tighter transitions and a slightly quicker baseline pace. Snappier controls would not need to make the game easier. They would simply make the protagonist feel more connected to my inputs.
Vapor World has also attracted controversy over its use of generative AI. The launch build included two AI-generated cutscenes, and the voice-over uses text-to-speech tools. The cutscenes have since been removed and replaced with the team's original in-game versions, although the generated voices remain at the time of writing.
Personally, I do not mind AI being used as a tool if the final result is good. What matters to me is whether the pieces come together into a game that feels coherent, and that is difficult regardless of the tools involved. Here, the environments, characters, and monsters share a clear visual language. The controversy is worth knowing about, but it does not erase how fantastic the world looks in motion.
As an Early Access release, there is still plenty to improve. The current version contains around five hours of content, with more areas, enemies, and bosses planned. Movement needs further refinement, and the incomplete state means some players will be better served waiting for the finished game. Still, what is here already has a distinctive identity and enough challenging combat to leave me wanting more.
Vapor World: Over The Mind is easy to recommend if you enjoy punishing 2D action and can accept a slower, heavier style of play. Its combat is not quite as polished as its presentation, but its haunting atmosphere and incredible hand-drawn world carry it a long way. Take boss fights slowly, resist the temptation to rush, and there is a memorable adventure here. If you have PC Game Pass or Game Pass Ultimate, trying it becomes an even easier recommendation. Thanks for reading!
