Vellum
" Innovative action-adventure roguelike with unique tome mechanics but occasional visual clarity issues "
Vellum Review
Vellum is a highly praised roguelike action game that combines unique gameplay mechanics with a charming storybook aesthetic. Players enjoy the depth of build variety, allowing customization of attacks, movement, and signature inks, which create diverse and viable playstyles. The game features multiple levels (Tomes) with distinct rulesets, adding freshness and replayability. Raids offer challenging boss fights that work well solo or in co-op, and the game supports smooth multiplayer experiences. The progression system includes permanent upgrades and cosmetics, enhancing long-term engagement. While the game is lauded for its polish and creativity, some players note issues with visual clarity, occasional bugs, and a somewhat short main content duration. The developers are active in updating the game, promising more content and improvements. Overall, Vellum is considered a great value for its $20 price, especially for fans of roguelikes and cooperative gameplay, with a strong community recommendation and ongoing support from its indie studio.
Highlights
Players praise Vellum’s rich build customization, offering meaningful choices across attacks, movement, and signature inks that impact gameplay significantly. The distinct mechanics of each Tome and the engaging raids with well-designed bosses stand out. The art style and thematic writing create an immersive storybook atmosphere. Multiplayer co-op is highlighted as a key strength, with smooth online play and enjoyable team dynamics. The game’s progression system, including permanent upgrades and cosmetics, adds depth and replay value. Many reviewers appreciate the developers’ responsiveness and continuous content updates, making Vellum a fresh and compelling entry in the roguelike genre.
Criticisms
Common criticisms include occasional visual clarity issues, making it hard to distinguish enemies or understand death causes, which can feel frustrating. Some players find the difficulty spikes rely on reduced screen contrast rather than engaging mechanics. Build and playstyle variety, while generally praised, are viewed by some as limited or unbalanced, with certain inks or abilities dominating. The endgame content can feel repetitive or short, with progression systems like Prestiges offering mainly cosmetic rewards without significant gameplay incentives. Performance issues such as lag and bugs appear in late-game or endless modes, impacting smoothness. Additionally, matchmaking and rejoin features are requested to improve multiplayer experience.
Pros
- • Highly customizable builds with viable attack, movement, and signature ink options.
- • Unique Tome mechanics add fresh challenges and diverse gameplay experiences.
- • Engaging and well-designed raids with challenging boss encounters.
- • Charming storybook art style and immersive thematic writing.
- • Smooth and enjoyable multiplayer co-op supporting up to four players.
- • Meaningful progression system with permanent upgrades and cosmetic rewards.
- • Frequent developer updates and responsiveness to player feedback.
Cons
- • Visual clarity issues make it difficult to identify enemies and understand deaths.
- • Difficulty spikes sometimes rely on reduced screen contrast rather than skill.
- • Certain inks and abilities feel overpowered, limiting build variety.
- • Endgame content can feel repetitive with limited gameplay rewards for grinding.
- • Performance issues such as lag and frame drops in late or endless modes.
- • Lack of matchmaking improvements and no rejoin feature frustrate multiplayer.
- • Platforming mechanics occasionally feel clunky and unintuitive.
Rating Criteria
About This Game
THE WRITE IDEA
Vellum is a co-op, literary roguelike; harness the class-defining colors, master an inspired spellbook, and influence the growth of your enemy - your imagination is key to saving the books!
Team up with pen-pals or dive solo into each mechanically-unique Tome where every page is another step toward rule-breaking power!
Dip your quills in quick, dynamic adventures full of synergy, discovery, and the ultimate power fantasy!
IMPROVE YOUR SPELL-ING... WITH COLOR!
Wield colorful, class-defining Signature Inks - feed your health with vampiric Red, blot out enemies with endless waves of Blue, command your Inkling pet with Green, and discover the strengths of Pink, Yellow, Teal, and Orange!
Author your own playstyle by mixing together a wide roster of ink-fueled Spells; warp in Planets to control an area, lunge forward with sharp Swords, clobber distant foes with Dice, toss splash-heavy Potions, summon inky Flowers, Lanterns, Shields, Anvils, Ravens, and many more heavy-handed metaphors!
Color infuses each Spell from the start - in these books, your creative builds and revolutionary ideas will reach untold heights; Pages of Power constantly offer fresh ways to discover, combine, and master the world-making mysteries of ink. Imagination is your superpower.
SAVE THE TOMES FROM THE TEAR-ABLE TORN
Dive deep into the myriad Tomes: echoes of familiar tales and fables with unique, run-altering mechanics. Band together with your fellow players to harness thematic, team-wide boons in your fight to preserve these pages.
Plot twist - The Torn hunger for pages of their own! Play to your strengths by choosing how your foes evolve. Save more books from this dynamic foe, apply higher Binding Challenges to each journey, and overcome even the toughest obstacles to protect the Illuminated Library.
HOME: FREE TO BE YOUR SHELF
Home, sweet home! Rest and regroup in The Illuminated Library between adventures. Refine your strengths by researching and enhancing the power of your Ink! There's always a cozy place to read - especially when you can make one yourself! Explore the Library's secrets, then relax in your personal Customizable Reading Nook!
RAID BETWEEN THE LINES
Deeper evil lies in store,
Beyond the page and secret door,
A broken realm where magic fades
Beware the dreaded Torn Lord Raids...
Table of Contents:
Swift Tales: Approachable, under 30-minute roguelike runs crafted for quick gameplay sessions for 1-4 players.
Signature Inks: Infuse your spells with one of 6 colorful classes, complete with their own unique upgrades and rewarding challenges!
Scrolls of Power: Tear through enemies with over 300 powers for you and your team. All powers can be build-makers, no filler.
Shaping Your Spellbook: Wield and combine an imaginative roster of over 20 spells - conjure Sewing Needles, hurl Anchors, sling Playing Cards - then enhance them with limit-breaking augments!
Torn Pages: With over 100 enemy upgrades and effects to choose from, only you will decide how your foes evolve throughout the course of battle.
Personal Reading Nooks: Show off your style with hundreds of decorations in your customizable corner of the Library!
The Font: Invoke unique Tome-themed powers as a team in combination with your individual builds.
Talented Research: Enhance the magic of ink between runs to improve your Scribe with customizable talents!
Brutal Bindings: Increase your challenge by affixing bindings to your runs. Greater danger brings greater rewards!
Rotating Book Club: Join other Scribes in tackling fresh, global challenges!
Two Raid Realms: Face the Splice Lord in The Forgery and confront the Raving Lord in The Grey Area!
Reference Section: All the high quality literature puns you could ever desire.
Endless Appendices: Reached the end? Found the perfect build? Face the Appendices and continue the fight!
Write on! Defend the books in Vellum, a co-op, literary roguelike! Harness class-defining colors, master an inspired spellbook, and influence the growth of your enemy! As a group or solo, you'll craft plot-twisting builds to rewrite the rules in Ink!