Vex 3 is a platform game where the player controls a stickman through obstacle courses filled with traps and moving mechanisms. Each stage, called an Act, requires reaching the exit while avoiding spikes, spinning saws, collapsing platforms, and other hazards. There is no traditional story with characters or dialogue. Progress is based entirely on completing increasingly difficult Acts, reaching checkpoints, and learning how to move through each section without being killed by the obstacles.

Acts and Level Progression

The game contains 10 regular Acts followed by 9 additional Challenge Acts. Each Act is a separate obstacle course with its own layout, and later stages combine traps in more complicated ways. Checkpoint flags are placed throughout the levels. Touching a checkpoint saves the current position, so after dying the player can restart from that point instead of repeating the entire Act.

Movement and Obstacles

The main gameplay is based on precise movement and timing. Actions and hazards include:

·         running and jumping between platforms;

·         sliding under low obstacles;

·         climbing walls with repeated jumps;

·         avoiding spikes and rotating saw blades;

·         crossing moving and collapsing platforms;

·         activating checkpoint flags;

·         reaching the exit at the end of each Act;

·         completing harder Challenge Acts.

Movement uses the arrow keys or WASD. The player can jump, crouch, slide while moving, and use walls to reach higher platforms. Some sections require waiting for moving traps to reach a safe position, while others are built around quickly chaining jumps and slides together.

Challenges and Extra Goals

Simply reaching the end of an Act is not the only objective. Levels can contain hidden stars, and completing stages under specific time limits provides additional targets for players who want to improve their runs. Trophies are also connected to accomplishments such as completing difficult content and meeting additional conditions.

Vex 3 requires the player to learn the layout of each Act through repeated attempts. When a trap kills the stickman, the nearest activated checkpoint allows another attempt at the difficult section. Later levels require more accurate jumps, faster reactions, and better use of wall climbing and sliding. Completing the main Acts opens the way to Challenge Acts, which use tighter layouts and more demanding obstacle combinations.