Little Triangle
Little Triangle
Game
Game2012
Vessel
Developer Strange Loop Games
Vessel is a physics-based, steampunk, puzzle-platform game developed by Strange Loop Games and published by indiePub. It was released March 1, 2012 for Microsoft Windows, for Linux on December 11, 2012 and for PlayStation 3's PlayStation Network in March 2014. An OS X version was released on January 7, 2013. From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
225 reactions from 4 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Mastodon, Lemmy) · newest Oct 31, 2026 · last updated Nov 4, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
82
LovedLoved
154 positive · 34 negative
95% range 76–87%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 154 | 34 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 6 | 2 | 26 |
| Mastodon * | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Lemmy * | 0 | 0 | 1 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
497 of 568 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
82% recommend · 155 yes, 33 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 188 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Very Positive (736 of 837 positive).
Players praise the inventive liquid physics puzzles and steampunk atmosphere. [1][2][3] Some find the puzzles frustrating due to trial-and-error and unclear solutions. [4][5][6] The game is considered a solid puzzle-platformer that holds up well over time. [7][8][9]
Liked
Representative posts
- [4]
Vessel is an indie-2D-sidescrolling-puzzler. This is almost a genre of its own with games like Braid, Waking Mars, & The Swapper. It has all the familiar fingerprints: low-key synth background music, cartoonish sprites, a spooky atmosphere, and a story pieced together through journal entries. These games live or die based on how good their puzzles are. This is always a tricky tightrope to walk. Too easy and it's …
- [1]
I’ve come to consider physics puzzle games as very high risk, high reward propositions. The high reward comes from the emergent gameplay that… emerges from being able to fling blocks around or flood sections of levels or inflict other kinds of chaos on the game. But the risk is that your free-form simulation might not always agree with the solutions players, or even developers, come up with. Video game physics can …
- [8]
Vessel in 2024. So here we are Vessel a game from 2012 now around 12 years old at this point. A game forgotten by most and beloved by the few that remember... So I'm sure you're wondering, how does this old classic hold up to modern day games and is it still worth your time and money? Personally I believe so, I have completed Vessel 4 times, 2 of which were 100% runs. And somehow i have still managed to have fun …
- [9]
Quite possibly the best puzzle-platformer ever made, and it holds up as well as I write this in 2025 as it did 13 years ago when i first played it on 360. Using cores and combining them with liquid to build atomatons and effectively generate Rube Goldberg devices leads to some of the most satisfying puzzle-solving I've ever experienced. This game is dirt cheap and worth every penny, I cannot recommend it enough.
- [2]
Still one of the best examples of a 2.5D physics puzzler after all these years. PROS/CONS + Great Steampunk-ish 2.5D graphics and environments + Inventive puzzles that make you feel smart + Great pacing and introducing of mechanics most of the time + No fall damage - Upgrading inventions is not clearly explained at first - Environmental hitboxes not always obvious - Fluros are destroyed if you cross paths with them …
Summarised from 34 of the 215 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 13, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
82% of the 188 Steam reviewers we collected recommend Vessel. The complaint that keeps coming up: some puzzles require too much trial and error. Deal-breaker or nitpick?
Critics, per Wikipedia
The PC and PlayStation 3 versions received "favorable" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 225 · most liked firstCheck out this Pure Vessel costume my wife MADE for my son this Halloween (it’s from the Hollow Knight video game franchise)!! She can do pert near anything. Happy Spooky Season yall.
positive · AI labelView post →"Warframe 1999 : The Hex" short film by Venla Linna ("Heavenly Vessel") & The Line studio for the game by Digital Extremes. Full video >> www.catsuka.com/news/2024-12...
neutral · AI labelView post →Earlier this week, an new starship design went live in Star Trek Online. This is the Horizon-class Science vessel, a remaster of one of the launch-era Research Science Vessel variants. It was designed by @scorpiondesign.bsky.social, modeled by Tobias Richter, with in-game work by @pundus.art 🧵
neutral · AI labelView post →This track is called "Dark Vessel"! Crypt Custodian is an awesome game! The exploration in the game was a ton of fun, and the vibes were on point! The boss fights were super intense and incorporated bullet hell elements into them, and this track helped with that felt intensity during those battles!
positive · AI labelView post →After wrapping up the Vessel of Hatred campaign I decided to go back to Dragon Age Inquisition and man this is still a great-looking game
positive · AI labelView post →The Vessel (And hornet) #hollowknight #indiegame #fanart #digitalart
neutral · AI labelView post →Vessel is an indie-2D-sidescrolling-puzzler. This is almost a genre of its own with games like Braid, Waking Mars, & The Swapper. It has all the familiar fingerprints: low-key synth background music, cartoonish sprites, a spooky atmosphere, and a story pieced together through journal entries. These games live or die based on how good their puzzles are. This is always a tricky tightrope to walk. Too easy and it's boring. Too hard and you just quit in frustration. In Vessel's case, you control…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The Silksong news got me nostalgic on the old "Failed Vessel" designs I had done for myself and a bunch of people... Wanted to imagine how mine would be post-game. And of course it would be as a Mycophant! 😁 Any other people who made a failed vessel OCs? 👀 #zweiart #silksong #hollowknight
neutral · AI labelView post →check out this logo I designed for a new video game artist mentorship organization Vessel Forge <3
neutral · AI labelView post →not just any video game. Our video game. Diablo IV (2023) with award-winning expansions Vessel of Hatred (2024) and Lord of Hatred (2026) out now on storefronts near you 🫵
neutral · AI labelView post →Also people hate Vessel of Hatred and yes, it is a detour from the Base game + Lord of Hatred, but it's a detour with your baby girl Neyrelle and also it's the shortest of all the campaigns. It has really cool moments and Eru is a pretty cool character. It doesn't even drag, like at all 😭
neutral · AI labelView post →Drawlloween Day 17: Queen of Scream Fanart from the based epic vore game Vessel Tactics -u- The strategy of having Schrodinger throw a random vial at Lamia Queen until getting the teleport effect never fails! Link: meshisoftworks.itch.io/vessel-tactics #drawlloween #halloween #VesselTactics #vore
neutral · AI labelView post →alright everyone, quite important #TheHouseholdWithNoBounds lore HidoX aging / Evolution: 1 - Young HidoX (The Sonic Vessel from the game "Sonic Th' Horror") 2 - "Teen" HidoX (Not just a old design anymore but will have his updated version) 3 - Current / Older HidoX
neutral · AI labelView post →hi helo yes this is VESSEL AS WITNESS.....my game for the most toxic of #toxicyurivnjam jams.......
neutral · AI labelView post →Drawing my guesses for who The Knight is in Deltarune, 5 of 5 The Vessel The body we made at the start of the game. It will come back. The Thrash Machine did. Twice. The Vessel will be back. #deltarune #theknight #vessel
neutral · AI labelView post →MY ECHO HARPOON THAT IS SUPPOSED TO WORK AS EVERY TYPE OF FISHING APPARATUS IS NOT A KARAMBWAN VESSEL ! ! !SCAM GAME
negative · AI labelView post →Camila Cabello recorded a cover of 'Behind Blue Eyes' by "The Who" for the game Diablo IV Vessel Of Hatred.
neutral · AI labelView post →Diablo 4 is on sale, both the base game alone and Lord of Hatred + Vessel of Hatred (the DLCs) if you ever wanted to give it a try 🥰
neutral · AI labelView post →I know the D4 base game is kino and Vessel of Hatred is also very fun, but I can't wait for people to play Lord of Hatred, like the story is cinema and everything is banger after banger, I couldn't even predict how this will unravel and end when I was playing the game for the first time 😭
positive · AI labelView post →With the latest update to Fathom's End on Steam, not only can you hear me as the captain of the Icebound, but also as one of the new ships- the Heavy Lift Vessel Leviathan! And there's a demo so folks can check the game out! youtu.be/jC5asdZxkrU?...
neutral · AI labelView post →vess doesn't smile in the demo for VESSEL, but maybe in the full game...? whimsival.itch.io/vessel #visualnovel #gamedev #indiedev
neutral · AI labelView post →Diablo 4's Vessel of Hatred expansion has been nominated for Online Game of the Year at the 28th Annual DICE Awards, competing with major titles for the award. #DiabloIV #Diablo #VesselOfHatred #DICEAwards www.wowhead.com/diablo-4/new...
neutral · AI labelView post →I was planning on making a standalone post with slightly more commentary, and I still might (let me know if there is interest in that), but I could give some short cliff notes here I suppose. * [Curse of Resthaven](https://store.steampowered.com/app/3796150/Curse_of_Resthaven/) - Pentiment meets Euro-style board game, with a time loop setup and Lovecraftian setting. Fully voiced, beautiful hand-drawn art, feature complete, very promising and unique merge of narrative investigation and…
neutral · AI labelView post →[WARFRAME: "Vessel"] The more I play this game, the less able I become to answer the question "What is WARFRAME about?"
neutral · AI labelView post →I’ve come to consider physics puzzle games as very high risk, high reward propositions. The high reward comes from the emergent gameplay that… emerges from being able to fling blocks around or flood sections of levels or inflict other kinds of chaos on the game. But the risk is that your free-form simulation might not always agree with the solutions players, or even developers, come up with. Video game physics can be incredibly fiddly, especially when fiddling with liquids, so it’s kind of a…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If Cosmi ever appeared in a game accepting her offer of becoming a Vessel would lead to a Nonstandard Game Over. Not because you'd die but because she'd hijack your control of the PC and the plot and she'd have her own priorities/interests so you wouldn't get to participate anymore. #Cosmisona
neutral · AI labelView post →aged well, recommended
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's hard to find an enjoyable puzzle game these days. + Fun mechanics; + Constantly having new stuff to mess with; + Nice art and music; + Good puzzle, last chapter is kinda hard but manageable; + WHAT ELSE WOULD YOU EXPECT FROM A GOOD PUZZLE GAME??? - Controller recommended is a lie. Using mouse and keyboard and you would be much happier. - Alas no Steam cloud
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →You play as Arkwright, an inventor who manipulates his recent invention-a free labor/energy source. These so-called Fluros begin to evolve and affect the environment. It is fascinating to discover the different physical traits that emerge and their interaction with other elements within the game. This is a good 10-hour long puzzle-platforming game (Although I took more time). You get to explore above-ground through a mountainous region and below-ground through caves and Arkwright's lab (where…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Vessel is curled up in my lap while I’m playing my game it’s so cute I might die
neutral · AI labelView post →Cool indie 2D liquid puzzle game. Vessel 7/10 Heisen
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I’ve owned for Vessel for a number of years and I keep coming back for a playthrough every now and then, and for the current price I’d say buy it, this game is a fun experience, especially on Steam Deck (proton experimental recommend for full screen res)
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Cool game for Steam deck, i wouldn't guess this game is 12 years old :0
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It doesn't really stand out that much nowadays but for 2012 this game was amazing, the fluros are cool, the game design is fun, exploring and solving all the little puzzles to solve the big puzzle was rewarding and overall it's just a cool and cute and fun game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I like it although it is (for me at least) no game that I can or want to play in one go. A bit patience and reading the journal to get what the different fluros do is key. If I got stuck it was mostly because I didn't really look at the puzzle at hand and did't understand what I had to do. Watch some videos of the gameplay if you're still unsure. It's a nice game but it's easy to forget how exactly things work if the breaks between playing are too big. Played with a XBox controller and the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's one of those puzzle/platform games that were very, very popular during the 2010's. You know what Im talking about, you have a gimmick and build a game around it. In this case the gimmick is water manipulation that allows you to create small water beings called Fluros that help you. Game is ok I guess, puzzles are fun until they become increasingly difficult to a point I just gave up because I dont have time to spend on games I'm not enjoying 100%. Art is a bit bland, but it's never an…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Vessel in 2024. So here we are Vessel a game from 2012 now around 12 years old at this point. A game forgotten by most and beloved by the few that remember... So I'm sure you're wondering, how does this old classic hold up to modern day games and is it still worth your time and money? Personally I believe so, I have completed Vessel 4 times, 2 of which were 100% runs. And somehow i have still managed to have fun every single play through. Not because Vessel has some sort of "infinite…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A 2D puzzle platformer that looked like it would be fun, but wasn't in reality. Instead it became infuriating. Nice graphics, early puzzles were fun, then the factory levels hit. You get to simultaneously struggle with solving complex puzzles where sometimes you have no idea what you're supposed to be doing, so you must try random stuff to see what happens, while fighting random physics, so sometimes stuff works, sometimes it doesn't, while trying not to be burned alive by lava. After…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Clearly not full controller support as it states. 360 Controlller is not recognised. Not recommended till I figure out how to play the freaking game.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Vessel is a solid puzzle platformer which focuses more on the puzzle side than the platforming side. Your character is an inventor who creates a type of liquid life form called Fluros for the purpose of helping people. Eventually they break free and begin running amok, causing all sorts of problems. You spend the game attempting to capture them again, fixing the problems they've caused, and getting your new invention up and running. The game slowly introduces you to its' mechanics so you…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Getting 100% enjoyable in this fluid and pipes puzzle game. approximate amount of time to 100%: 7-15hours Estimated achievement difficulty: 4/10 Minimum number of playthroughs needed: 1 (stage select available) Multiplayer achievements: No. Missable achievements: Yes ! (2 at the beginning of the game, see guide) Grinding Achievements: No. DLC-Only achievements: No. Time-gated achievements: No. Speed-run achievements: No. RNG-achievements: No. Does difficulty affect achievements: No choice.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Quite possibly the best puzzle-platformer ever made, and it holds up as well as I write this in 2025 as it did 13 years ago when i first played it on 360. Using cores and combining them with liquid to build atomatons and effectively generate Rube Goldberg devices leads to some of the most satisfying puzzle-solving I've ever experienced. This game is dirt cheap and worth every penny, I cannot recommend it enough.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Charming little game. Nice art style with fun puzzles that can get quite challenging but never too difficult.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Who up playing they fluids
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Good game. Some very neat ideas and physics based puzzles. Let down in parts by a bit of pointless backtracking, a bunch of upgrades that don't really help much and a final puzzle that when you solve as the game seems to intend doesn't work. Still worth the money though and I hope to see more from these devs.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Played this game long ago, leaving a review because I realized it has <500. Fun little nonviolent puzzle platformer with some interesting liquid physics.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Still one of the best examples of a 2.5D physics puzzler after all these years. PROS/CONS + Great Steampunk-ish 2.5D graphics and environments + Inventive puzzles that make you feel smart + Great pacing and introducing of mechanics most of the time + No fall damage - Upgrading inventions is not clearly explained at first - Environmental hitboxes not always obvious - Fluros are destroyed if you cross paths with them - Not a game you can come back to after being away for a time - He climbs the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Many of the puzzles were counter-intuitive and required too much trial and error and wasted time. Not for me.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →No custom controls. unplayable for me. ffs.....
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Game 6 of the WNBA Finals on a large screen behind The Vessel in Hudson Yards, New York City.
neutral · AI labelView post →Like under either reading, Kris HAS to be aware of what they are, whether it's an AU version of someone else or a Vessel, either due to their seeming familiarity with Nowhere/ManCountry/The original game or the one text about not being able to wash the grey away
neutral · AI labelView post →Top puzzle game even in 2026, puzzles are based on a variety of fluid materials and minions.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →An Interesting Puzzle Platformer Slightly-dated, but still fun. Pros • Fun with fluid physics • No need to manage a health gauge • Most puzzles in a zone can be solved out of order once visited Cons • Nozzle upgrades do help, but most aren't particularly necessary to advance through the game • Ladder jumping is a little weird • Some achievements are a little fidgety • No cloud saving Vessel is a pretty decent action-puzzle platformer that revolves around utilizing fluid physics and different…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Literally the best game ever i wish there was something as good as it the soundtrack is awsome too
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Its... so peak. everyone needs to experience this game (except the ladders, no one likes the ladders)
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I have a soft spot for this game. One of the few where even years later, I think back on it fondly.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is probably my favourite small indie game. The sprite-work and soundscape are appealing and great at keeping the player engaged. I found the narrative to be engaging and the short journal entries paced well enough that I was excited to read them every time they popped up. There have been next to no bugs throughout my three playthroughs so the game feels well crafted. The platforming does feel a little janky but not to the point where it ever seriously messed up my gameplay. Finally,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is really awesome. The concept of a liquid based platformer/puzzler is so much fun, and the gameplay pulls it off so well. What really sells it is the artwork, atmosphere, and theme. If you like steampunk, cool gadgets, and even a touch sci-fi this game is for you. You play as a genius inventor who created a liquid creature to push buttons! The industrial world now runs on these critters. After exploring various locales which have run into issues, you see that your creation has…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →super nostalgic and super fun
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Relaxing, challenging and different. The puzzles around the levels are good and solving them is what keeps you engaged
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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