Vapor World early access: AI-generated art triggers backlash despite 100,000 wishlists

GG Brief Editorial Desk · AI-assisted, source attributed

Vapor World: Over The Mind, a Soulslike Metroidvania from five-person Korean studio Alive Inc, launched early access on August 19 after a demo released in January 2025 and entered Steam with about 100,000 wishlists. Player attention shifted from the game's painterly visuals and parry-heavy combat to obvious generative-AI use in cutscenes and inconsistent character models, driving the game to a 'mostly negative' rating with 64 Steam reviews. The reaction matters because it cost a small indie significant launch goodwill and underscores how visible AI content can provoke strong community backlash even in markets with relatively low AI skepticism.

• Vapor World is a Soulslike Metroidvania with painterly, Playdead- and Lies of P–like visuals and parry-focused combat; its demo was available from January 2025.
• Alive Inc is a Korean studio of about five people that amassed roughly 100,000 Steam wishlists before the game's August 19 early access launch.
• Player criticism centered on obvious generative-AI use in cutscenes and inconsistent main-character models, leaving the game with 64 'mostly negative' Steam reviews.
• A Pew Research Center survey shows South Korea as the least AI-skeptical of 25 countries, with only 16% saying they are more concerned than excited about AI, highlighting the surprising intensity of the backlash.