Genre: First-Person Shooter
Developer: Fatshark
Publisher: Fatshark

Like a 19th century London set under the large, pale moon from "The Nightmare Before Christmas", Vermintide's sea port setting is shadowy and mysterious, filled with ancient crypts and dank, root-filled tunnels. As interesting as the setting is, the technical implementation is muddy and looks low resolution, even in 4k. There are a number of special enemies, but they aren't as distinctive from their rat-like hordes as they could be.

The game's sound track would be passable if it stuck to the morose violin stringing heard in the game's hub area, which is almost reminiscent of some of Matt Uelman's "Diablo" work. Instead, it tries to ratchet up the tension with pounding drums and orchestral work, which quickly grows tiresome. The characters banter with each other, but the chatter is forgettable. At least the enemy and weapon noises sound lively.

Vermintide is Valve's "Left 4 Dead", but set in the fantasy "Warhammer" universe, and married to very simple class and loot systems. There are the standard archtypes-- a tank dwarf, a DPS rogue, a mage, and so on-- but compared to traditional RPGs, they feel shallow. There are a wealth of stages which gradually unlock as the player progresses. The character physics are excellent, and the combat moves along briskly.

For those that voraciously consumed "Left 4 Dead" whole and want the experience again but with a new set of paint, Vermintide is an excellent choice-- it is polished, has an interesting atmosphere, and the "roll the dice for new loot" at the end of each mission is addicting. Where Valve's master piece was brimming with character however, Vermintide by contrast feels soulless; there are no "grabbin' pills" memes to be had here.