Last month I gave the PC demo of Cions of Vega a go. For those wanting to know more about what this father searching for his daughter. For more about this journey, I’ll refer to the official description from the publisher’s website.

“Take the role of a man on a desperate hunt to find his missing daughter! In Cions of Vega, you will guide a father as he searches the countryside and a mysterious town in hopes of bringing his daughter home. You will also be accompanied by the man’s brother Logan, who sometimes offers insight or commentary. Together, you’ll need to search for notes, drawings, keys and other clues along the way. Other mysteries await your discovery, from local cult activity to a town where children seem to have forgotten their parents“.

Cions of Vega is an adventure game played in the first person. So similar to games like Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture or The Vanishing of Ethan Carter. The game features minor puzzles to help you work your way through the story. The features listed are as follows

Journey across a vast countryside in first-person perspective!
Explore lakeside forests, towns, and caves to find your missing daughter.
Solve puzzles, locate keys and hunt for clues to advance a cinematic story!
Get clues and commentary from your brother Logan.
Experience atmospheric music and sound design!

Cions of Vega – What The Game Is Offering

Although it isn’t stated, the game’s features are accurate and it is a fairly brief game. However, it is extremely affordable to buy. For about an hour of gameplay, the price I paid for the game—under £2/$2—during a sale is not too bad. There are multiple endings as well.

Graphics

The graphics are nice but when you enter buildings or see some rocks or broken wall edges the textures let the rest of the presentation down. Character models are very basic as well. Outside though it looks impressive with some lovely lighting effects. The mist on water in the distance is really well done. For the size of the project, it’s an impressive effort. I just feel that a bit more polish could have been provided. The game is using Unreal Engine 4 though it would have been nice to see if it was a project doable in the newer Unreal Engine 5

Gameplay

It’s basically a walking simulator and I had the game locked at 60 fps though at times I felt it was slightly under that. Some collision detection is hit-and-miss. For example, on stairs and ladders, you can sometimes get stuck. Even on a PC, it feels very clunky at times. The puzzles are basic and easily done without much thought.

Audio

The music when it plays really portrays the atmosphere and the sound effects are basic. Not that it’s a bad thing but like the visuals, it’s a missed opportunity. Some of this could be time and budget related. Though the end result works, it’s not going to be the game’s strength.

Story

The story is basically you with your brother’s help looking for your missing teenage daughter who has seemingly run away. We don’t know why she’s run away just the area we’re searching for seems strange and playing the game shows us more. It’s not going to win awards like say the Skyrim mod turned game, The Forgotten City. However, it is an interesting story though with multiple endings means it’s the only way you’ll want to replay.

Overall it was a good game to play for the short period of time it lasted. Given time, support and a bigger budget the studio has the potential to grow and really give us a game that based on this could rival entries like What Remains of Edith Finch .