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A story of bonds and revenge

"Arris....live."

Vindictive Drive is a Mecha thriller/action game with Cyberpunk elements and real-time Action/stealth mechanics. It was released in May 2017 by Balthasar02.

22-year old Arris Fern is a cold and apathetic young woman who wants nothing but Revenge against her father, Charles Mourne, the president of the most powerful nation at the center of a Government Conspiracy to Take Over the World, for abusing her and the assassination of her mother, Genevieve Fern. Consumed by hatred, Arris will use the most cruel methods at her disposal to achieve her goal. In the process, she ropes a gang of teen robbers into serving as her allies.

But Luna, a kind waitress who constantly tries to reach out to her, as well as some people from her past, might change her motivation. Depending on your decisions, Arris can become closer to others and come to consider them her friends, changing how she feels about her mission... or she can go deeper into her vengeance, regardless if it destroys her and everyone she loves.

A 'Definitive Edition' update was released in May 2018, featuring (among other things) improved art, a Spanish language option and an additional Eureka scenario that takes place 10 years before the events of the main game. A sequel Vindictive Drive 2 was released to Steam Early Access in October 30, 2023.

You can get the English-translated version of the game on Steam here.


Vindictive Drive contains examples of:

  • A Mech by Any Other Name: The game has the Galick
  • And Now for Someone Completely Different: You can play as Liz Barrett and the robot girls, Ophelia and Amaranth later in story.
  • Arc Words: "Arris....live.", which were Genevieve's last words to Arris. It's also the codename to unlock the robot mecha. Becomes an Ironic Echo after Arris says this to Eureka in order to find a reason to live after having been turned into a hybrid machine. Saying this will get you Eureka as a Guest-Star Party Member and a step that you're close on the True Ending.
  • Bank Robbery: The second mission concerns a robbery of Atera Bank by Cyree's gang, while Arris hijacks it to steal info on Freija's bonds and force the gang to work with her.
  • Bittersweet Ending: The "I Want to Live" Ending. Arris’s friends can finally live normal lives and Eureka can live like a human and is not treated like a weapon anymore. Unfortunately Arris was captured and is now confined in a mental facility. Fortunately she has accomplished her revenge and she’s satisfied that her loved people are living normal lives away from her influence. But Hex pulled a Karma Houdini and Arris is still still a target of Biokernel.
  • But Now I Must Go: Cyree and America in the "I Want to Live" Ending.
  • Breaking the Fourth Wall: Arris will address the player directly depending on their choices, especially if the player makes stupid ones.
  • Downer Ending: Most endings end up with Arris killing herself or dying for the sake of her revenge.
  • Earn Your Happy Ending: In a way, the "I Want to Live" Ending, despite its bittersweet tone. The bar is at better hands thanks to Luna, Eureka can finally live like a normal human, Emma is reunited with her family and friends, America gets to be with Cyree like she always wanted, Cyree was able to meet Emma again and is away from Arris’s toxic influence; and Eris is adopted by a loving family. And even though Arris was imprisoned, she avenged her mother and she’s satisfied that the people she loves are living normal lives away from her.
  • Foreshadowing:
    • Even though Arris states that Mourne was an abusive father and husband, he acts very doting towards his new family. Also, after Emma is reunited with her mother, Arris laments that if Mourne were "different", Genevieve would be alive, implying that Mourne was not being himself when he killed her. It's a sign that he was drugged by Amy so he would become abusive.
    • For most of the game, America does nothing that antagonizing Arris and acting like a Clingy Jealous Girl towards Cyree. But she seems to be oddly knowledgeable about the Tryonate drug. This is because she and her father worked in Freija producing said drug.
  • Final Boss: Depending on your decisions, it will be either Amy in her helicopter or Gustav.
  • Idiosyncratic Menu Labels: The game's Start Screen has the usual "Start", but also "Fix" for loading and "RQ" for quitting.
  • Lightning Bruiser: Liz Barrett has high power and speed.
  • Kaizo Trap: Hex Reader's robot maid mooks will, as a last ditch effort against you, blow themselves up, potentially killing both you and your partner.
  • Morality Pet: Arris's childhood friends, Emma and Cyree. To the point that if they die because of her revenge-driven plot and actions, she'll immediately take her own life. Unless she has high bad karma, when she won't hesitate to kill them for the sake of her revenge, resulting in one of the worst endings.
  • More Dakka: The robot maid Amaranth makes up for its lack of stealth with more than enough gunfire to rip giant mechas to shreds.
  • Multiple Endings: Five in total, depending on Arris's karma and decisions.
    • The Problem Was There: If Arris choses not to help Luna with her car, she'll run into Liz. Liz corners Arris, forcing her to use the Galick mecha to kill her. Just when she's about to die, Liz reveals herself to be Emma. And then the robot kills her. Arris falls into despair and kills herself.
    • Nothing (Good) To Feel: If Arris insists that it's not her fault that Cyree got cornered by Gustav's forces. Arris realizes that she has endagered one of the few who was kind towards her and that she’s too far gone with her revenge plot. She then kills herself.
    • Lacking the Will to Survive: If Arris has neutral karma. A drugged Mourne kills Eris and mortally wounds Arris. Amy reveals herself to have been Evil All Along and kills Mourne. Emma fights againsts Gustav and defeats him, but Arris, America, Eris and Mourne are dead. Cyree and Eureka are gone (because you didn't gain Eureka's trust and killed America, effectively ending Cyree's trust in Arris). And Amy gets away with everything and Biokernel takes over the world.
    • Everyone Pays the Price: If Arris has high bad karma. When Arris corners Mourne, she lets Amy escape and kills Eris and America. Cyree and Emma call Arris off, saying that she has crossed the Moral Event Horizon. She ignores them and kills herself, satisfied with her revenge. Then a Biokernel helicopter (implied to be piloted by Amy) destroy the building, killing Mourne, Cyree, Emma and everyone in it.
    • I Want to Live: If Arris has high good karma. Gustav, Mourne and Amy are dead, Luna becomes the new owner of Hex’s bar, Alicia becomes the president and leader of Freija and also adopts Eris, who’s revealed to have survived, Cyree and America live together with other identities, Eureka can finally have a normal life, Emma becomes leader of the security force. Unfortunately Hex has gotten away with everything and Arris was captured and is now confined in a mental facility, but has come to terms with it. Along with a Sequel Hook mentioning that Biokernel still targets Arris.
  • No Kill like Overkill: If you're using Amaranth or Eureka as party members.
  • Only Known By Her Nickname: Hex is only known as Hex Reader. The game files reveal that her real name is Gene Kratena.
  • Pay Evil unto Evil: The plot of the game is a cruel deconstruction of this trope. The protagonist's life has been really depressing, and all her friends are worse off than before she met them. She decides to avenge her mother's death by ruining the life of her abusive father and decides to involve the people she knows in said revenge, but they each end up making things worse for them and/or herself. If Arris has high good karma, she accepts that Vengeance Feels Empty and that the people she knows really are better off without her. So after accomplishing her revenge, she decides that the only way to make them all happy is to remove her presence from their lives entirely....by turning herself in.
  • Relationship Values: Arris has relationship points that will affect the ending you will receive. Especially if you were kind to Luna.
  • The Reveal:
    • Liz Barrett is Emma Fields under a different identity.
    • Cyree is Emma's childhood friend just like Arris. And he was aware all along that Arris and the abused girl who hanged with Emma were the same person.
    • America and her father worked for Freija years ago and her father helped produce the Tryonate drug. And she’s a Stalker with a Crush towards Cyree.
    • And Amy is the one responsible for Eureka’s release, Mourne’s Abusive Parents tendencies (since she constantly drugged him on Tryonate) and is the woman behind Biokernel. In other words, she's The Woman Behind the Man and the true Big Bad of the story.
  • Roaring Rampage of Revenge: The main plot of the story.
  • Ship Tease: Between Cyree and America. Arris is not too happy about that, though.
  • Shoo Out the Clowns: Rektman and Cyree’s friend, Ross are easily dispatched at the beginning of the story.
    • He's Back!: Ross does return in Chapter 9 as an ally, but he quickly turns on Arris, Cyree and America; having been bought by Gustav after his capture in Chapter 1.
  • Sliding Scale of Idealism vs. Cynicism: Despite a lot of dark themes and critique of anime cliches and aversion of Single-Issue Psychology, the True Ending ends in a largely idealistic manner.
  • Stuff Blowing Up: Eureka has plenty of firepower, but poor aim. As a result, any fights against faster, more evasive enemies tend to transform the battleground into a war-zone, especially once she brings out the bombs.
  • Toxic Friend Influence: Pretty much every friendship Arris can develop is destructive in some fashion. Post-Character Development, she realizes that any long-term relationship with her is dangerous, and purposely separates herself from all of them after making sure to help rebuild their lives to the best of her ability.
  • Video Game Cruelty Potential
  • "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue: The "I Want to Live" Ending.

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