Vane is a hard game to put into words, which is appropriate since it doesn’t have any in it. Initially, it plays like the descendant of The Last Guardian and other works from acclaimed director Fumito Ueda, but it slowly takes on a more sinister vibe. There’s a synth-heavy soundtrack with an industrial edge and unsettling, unexplained scenes that are reminiscent of Playdead’s macabre side-scroller Inside. Over the five-or-so hours the game lasts, it gets stranger and darker, but one thing remains consistent throughout: Vane will frustrate and confuse you, and it has no interest in telling you what to do. Patience is required to get the most out of this gorgeous, atmospheric experience.
Things open with a terrible storm amid a ruined...