Vindictus is Nexon’s newest addition to the gaming scene, an action MMO based on Valve’s Source engine. Nexon is well known for Mabinogi and Maple story as well as Dungeon Fighters Online, seeking to change things up a bit with their latest contribution. Vindictus plays like a lot of fighter-type RPGs, with dash moves to get into and out of combat and some pretty intense button mashing, it leads to exciting battles. Right now there are only two classes available for play, a sword and shield defensive fighter and a dual sword (BadA**) fighter, with more characters promised at release. (The character select screen has the two ready to play characters, the soon to be released magic user, and two other shadows that stand out and so I guess the character count at five) There is a decent character customization screen to give each hero a little personality, but nothing too extensive, and then you’re ready to jump in.

The introduction to the game is a little long, but entertaining enough to watch and works in some introductory fights to help teach the game mechanics so is well thought out overall. Screen prompts provide key functions and combat tips for an already easy-to-pick-up combat system which should make it accessible to any newcomer and allow more advanced gamers to assemble some cool combos early. The simplicity limits creativity though, with only a couple moves and throws one can come up with only so much. That being said, it is partially made up for by a fully-destructible environment and awesome looking throw combos. Watching pillars explode because they happened to be next to you and your adversary can make even a simple set of attacks seem like so much more, then using those pillar pieces to destroy the next combatant seals the deal.