Vangers is an odd and surreal driving game about vehicular combat, racing, and exploring a deeply alien world. Famous (or infamous) for its obtuseness, the game features its own bizarre lingo, which the player must learn.

In Vangers, the player drives vehicles, known as Mechos, about and through the realms, fulfilling quests essentially in the name of curiosity; the more successful you are the more you discover about the world in which you live. Specifically, you play a Lostie struggling within the World Chain to gain Dominance and knowledge under the concerned cynical eyes of your paternal wardens, the Eleepods. And so out you go racing in a Mecho, a Vanger warrior shuttling precious Phlegma, Nymbos, and Cirt from one forsaken corner of the realm to the next while gunning down the competition.

Played from an overhead perspective, the game features destructible environments and physics simulation; the player's Mechos can flip, get knocked upside down, and drive underwater and through underground tunnels. The game also features competitive multiplayer for up to 32 players, both free-for-all and team-based.

Vangers shares the universe and storyline of K-D Lab's later Perimeter and Maelstrom game series, which function as its prequels.

Originally released in 1998, the game has since been updated for modern systems and re-released on Steam and GOG, and updates have continued into April 2021. The game now is moddable, and, though LAN and Internet multiplayer support was originally disabled on the re-release, it has since been restored.

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Screenshots

Vangers Windows A not-so-friendly encounter

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Promo Images

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Alternate Titles

"Вангеры" -- Russian spelling
"Vangers: One for the Road" -- German title

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Critic Reviews

Game Over Online	Windows	Jun 23, 1998	91 out of 100	91
GamePro (US)	Windows	Jan 01, 2000	4.5 out of 5	90
Gameplay (Benelux)	Windows	Sep 01, 1998	79 out of 100	79
Gambler	Windows	Sep, 1998	79 out of 100	79
PC Joker	Windows	Aug, 1998	74 out of 100	74
Adrenaline Vault, The (AVault)	Windows	Jul 13, 1998		60
Reset	Windows	Sep, 1998	6 out of 10	60
Gamezilla	Windows	Oct 08, 1998	57 out of 100	57
PC Action (Germany)	Windows	Aug 19, 1998	55 out of 100	55
Computer Games Magazine	Windows	Aug 26, 1998		50

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Trivia

Extras

The box contains the CD-ROM, the Vangers Manual/Reference (within it 'A Vangers Diary'), and a map of the first world 'Fostral'. This map is very long; the width/height ratio is 1/7.5. One can clearly see the horizontal tiling of the playing area.