Despite only offering a bare-bones slice of the game, the pre-alpha playtest for Vindictus: Defying Fate offered a wonderful peek at the promising potential the game has in the realms of the action and souls-like genre. There is nothing special about the game, but it was certainly a stupidly fun experience as you evade and slash towering adversaries.

For the uninitiated, Vindictus: Defying Fate is an upcoming title set in the world of Vindictus, also known as Mabinogi Heroes in South Korea, a long-running MMORPG by Nexon that features high-octane freeflow hack and slash combat.

Combat be Raw 

However, this time for the pre-alpha playtest, the game is single-player with a concoction mix of committal-heavy Souls-like gameplay and combo strings from stylish action games. There are only two available characters, both of which are heroes already playable in the MMORPG itself, Fiona and Lann.

Each hero has 4 additional skills to cast, essentially acting as an extension to combos, as well as the usual movement options such as jump, dodge, dash, and guard. Attack options include light and heavy as well as a short list of combo strings. As mentioned previously, this game ventures into the souls-like territory where attacks are all highly committed with enemies placed strategically throughout the map while a big bad boss awaits in an arena.

Hits feel impactful and satisfying with a good amount of hit stops to sell the impact, while the skills and combos options open up some level of strategy to be had. There is definitely some challenge especially when it comes to boss battles, typical of a souls-like, pushing you to learn from mistakes, adapt, and anticipate patterns to counterattack. Similarly, dealing enough damage to enemies does put them in a dazed state, allowing you to interact with them for a devastating attack akin to Riposte from the Dark Souls series or Visceral Attack from Bloodborne. Interestingly, the game has no stamina to manage, but that does not mean the challenge is diminished.

The souls-like influence does not only stick to combat as even the potions take inspiration from the likes of Elden Ring and Dark Souls, where you only have limited potions that only be replenished upon resting at checkpoints. Speaking of checkpoints, they also act very much like the Bonfire of Dark Souls, restoring your potion, recovering your health and recovering your health.

Have a Dance with Fiona 

As mentioned, we got to play two heroes in this playtest, Fiona and Lann. The beautiful lady with the broadsword and shield is Fiona, and she is more of the balance hero in the playtest, able to guard herself as she fights. Sadly, there is no parry in this game, but Fiona’s skill does stagger enemies without failure.

Meanwhile, the other hero, Lann is the offensive and agile strider, dual-wielding swords for an impressive array of swift slashes and maneuvers. Being agile is his thing as he could double evade and be swift with his attacks.

While it is not confirmed to be an MMORPG, Defying Fate does have elements of it sprinkled in, with outfits and emotes available for players to play around with. Fiona, the swordswoman gets some rather risqué outfits that accentuate her proportions, certainly something that would attract many players.

Of course, what sells her is how visually visually-pleasing the game’s graphics are already, even as a pre-alpha build. Developed using Unreal Engine 5, expect some hefty PC requirements, but also crazily detailed visuals, from the reflection of the water to the scenic mountain backdrop. Zooming in, you see the details of the characters’ faces with Fiona’s hair reacting to wind and so on. There are some hiccups here and there in terms of performances, but for such an early build of the game, it runs pretty decent.

Mabinogi Heroes All-Stars 

Even though the pre-alpha playtest only offers a very short portion of an early concept of Vindictus: Defying Fate, its solid foundation proves that with time, this game will surely attract action game fans, especially on how impactful every hit feels.

Not that the game is treading new grounds here, but it does have a rather solid foundation to expand upon, especially when you consider the history of the MMORPG and how much they could draw from it. If you watch clips of Vindictus the MMORPG online, you would see why the game is such a popular title, boasting incredibly insane boss fights such as Aes Sidhe with its soundtrack oscillating with orchestra strings, choirs, and hitting crescendos.

Fiona and Lann are also just two heroes out of many other equally cool and stylistic characters, such as Dan-Ah, Kael, Lethor, and so on. That said, Nexon has not confirmed if the game is going to be a single-player title or multiplayer, as well as any other details. Regardless, if you love action games, Vindictus: Defying Fate should be on your radar.