Vanquish is a third-person shooter with a focus on cover tactics, similar to Gears of War, but it is also the first game with those mechanics by a Japanese development team. The player controls Sam Gideon, a member of DARPA, who fights with the new ARS (Augmented Reaction Suit) system battle-suit, which grants him incredibly fast reflexes and maneuverability, inspired by the 1970s anime television series Casshern. The story takes place in the future.