I think it´s safe to say that 3rd Wall Studios action/rpg/hack n slash multiplayer game “Vanity” (for Windows) is “something” else. And I´m not “just” talking about all the ecchi girls/females in the game. I´m talking about the fact that “Vanity” looks and feels like a mix of Fire Emblem, Diablo, LOL, Bastion, Pokémon and Animal Crossing. And not only that, the world (which is anime-inspired) of “Vanity” is absolutely beautiful as well (top-notch hand-drawn pixel art!). A world that will offer everything from exploration, intense combat situations, boss fights to tons of customization abilities (you can customize your character’s outfit, hairstyle and eye color, for example). “Vanity” is also said to please both hardcore players and average gamers (none RPG/hack n slash pros, or simply Gamers who can´t spend a lot of hours on one single game). As the game offers a lot of depth, but at the same time “Vanity” is simple enough for anyone to just jump in and enjoy the game.
That sure sounds very promising in my ears at least. And It´s just about to get better. I mean, just check out some of the features which “Vanity” will include in the final edition!
– Over 200 weapons, armor, outfits, furniture, and other items to hoard!
– Your very own base to decorate and hang out in!
– 7+ procedurally generated open worlds to explore!
– Buy, sell, and trade items with other players at the world marketplace!
– Multiplayer story mode and Arena mode
– Fast-paced PvP arena!
– Full controller support!
– Crafting system!
– Extensive character customization!
– Interact with players from all around the world and help shape the economy!
– A large pool of balanced, skill-based playstyles for you to tailor to your liking!
– You can choose from 7 base character classes (scout, archer, mage, engineer, medic, tank, and knight)
– The original soundtrack for Vanity is composed by Sebastien Skaf, the same composer who did the music for the well-known visual novel Katawa Shoujo!
I love all of this, I really do. However, I´m quite sure that the mature (ecchi) related content won´t be everyone´s cup of tea. In fact, I would be very surprised if “Vanity” doesn´t show up on a “certain” groups radar in the near future. If so, then we can expect a lot of rants on social media for sure. As for me, I´m not offended by “Vanity” in any kind of way (beautiful and sexy females and monster girls don’t trigger me. ). Besides, there´s plenty of male eye candy as well (like the playable male character Vincent Borya for example). So I’m quite sure that both female and male players will be able to enjoy “Vanity” (no matter their sexual orientation).
I should also point out that there´s quite a few females on the development team (3rd Wall Studios). So before you start to scream out”sexism” and “sexist game design”, keep that in mind. Me, I sure hope that “Vanity” will be able to reach it´s $25,000 Kickstarter goal on time. I have no doubt that 3rd Wall Studios will be successful though. As “Vanity” has already collected about $4,000 in a very short period of time (there´s also 28 days left on the Kickstarter campaign). So I wouldn´t be all that surprised to hear that “Vanity” will be fully funded in a week or so (maybe less). If so, then I’m really curious to find out how many of the stretch goals that 3rd Wall Studios will be able to nail down, hopefully all of them.
Anyhow, if you belive in “Vanity”, then show the game some love on Kickstarter =)
Stretch goals:
27K = Port to MAC and Linux
30K = Beatrix Acinaces as a playable character
32.5K = Covenants
35K = Extended OST
40K = International servers
50K = Open Vanity to run 3rd party mods
75K = Extra programmer
100K = Extra world
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Robin “V-Act” Ek
The Gaming Ground
Twitter: @TheGamingGround
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Tags: 3rd Wall Studios, Action RPG, Indie Action RPG, Kickstarter, Monster girls, Vanity