A work of brilliance through and through…
Some key points that this game offers:
- Choices Matter
- Multiple Endings
- Massive Open World
- An Arsenal of Melee and Ranged Weapons
- Unique Skill System
- Brilliant Story Line
Gameplay & Controls:
The controls for the game are rather simple and straightforward. This goes both for keyboard and mouse or controller use. Under the settings panel we have the option to customize and rebind our buttons.
The game handles and plays rather brilliantly, the only issue here is that your character movement itself feels rather clunky at times. Don’t get me wrong, it isn’t game breaking or anything. However, as an open world game where your exploring London, it can be cumbersome.
It’s 1918, London, the Spanish Flu has made a comeback and London is falling apart. You recently returned home from the war…
You start the game delirious and unsure of what is going on around you. Little by little you start noticing that things are not what they seem, and that you have been turned into a Vampire. It is here where your new life starts. As a Dr you are trying to explain and make sense of what has happened.
As a Vampire you have that never-ending thirst for blood. Your character can either resist it and play the role of the good Dr helping and healing people. Or slowly cast away what is left of your humanity by feeding on people. The game features different endings, these endings depend on what you do throughout the game, with the main factor being how many people you have killed.
This mechanic may seem simple, but there is more to it. The XP system that the game has, rewards you for completing missions and killing enemies, the usual stuff. However, this is not enough! The XP gained from these actions are rather low yields. The real levelling up is by feeding on citizens. The XP received from feeding on people is the highest yield that the game has to offer.
Through another clever mechanic you can heal sick people. However, healing them makes them worth more. Every citizen has a story and ‘blood value’; As you interact with the people throughout the city you will learn more intimate details about them and others through the Hint mechanic. As you learn these details or complete favours for them their value increases. So, at the end of the day it will come down to, Who will you feed on!
You have some impressive skills and abilities to use. Use a Blood Spear to impale your enemies, or unleash your Rage upon them raining destruction down on all who would oppose you. The skill system is rather unique. There is a variety of skills that you can obtain. These skills all have two different path choices for you to choose from, giving you complete freedom to build the ultimate Vampire! Combat isn’t that impressive; it plays as a hack and slash to be honest. With all the fancy abilities and impressive arsenal of Melee and ranged weapons I expected the combat to be more controlling and directed than just running around casting abilities and slashing your way through enemies.
Exploring London is a real treat, the city is massive and there is a lot to see, do and find. London is divided into different districts, and as you progress through the main campaign you unlock these districts. Its brilliantly done and divided up. However, the lack of a Fast traveling system here does make it boring and repetitive to have to run up and down throughout this massive game world.
Graphics:
London is looking fantastic, all things considered. The developers managed to capture the perfect atmosphere and setting for the time period and disaster that has taken over London. The architecture is done beautifully. The structures are full of detail with their own colours and designs.
Even though you explore London at night in the state of disaster, there is incredible beauty and detail to appreciate. The sewers, streets, alleys, and interior of buildings are all beautifully crafted and very visually appealing. One could say that the lighting and shadows make the game feel and look old, however, it adds to the atmosphere of what the game is creating, especially in the year that it is taking place. It fits and renders the atmosphere more realistic.
Character models were done superbly. There are a number of NPC’s present in the game, and no two are the same. Rather impressive considering you can interact with all of them in one way or the other.
Under the settings menu, we have a variety of settings to fully customize how the game can run on our system.
Sounds:
A very enjoyable soundtrack. Exploring the streets of London is an adventure, albeit a dark and Gothic one, but an adventure nonetheless. The sound brings every location to life with the power of music and sounds.
The sounds shape London and all its inhabitants, bringing life to this dying city. Voice over artists did a rather impeccable job giving each character a personality through the use of words.
Under the settings menu, we have full volume control as well.
Replayability:
Vampyr has four different endings so you have four reasons to play it. However, there are a number of collectables for you to find throughout the game along with numerous weapons for you to collect.
Unfortunately, there is no new game plus here, but you do get to go load a previous save and continue exploring all that London has to offer.
MGR Gaming’s Conclusions:
Spoilers Ahead:
Vampyr off the bat is more than impressive. It offers a fresh take on morality choices and a whole bunch of new and exhilarating gameplay mechanics.
You have the option to be the monster or the saint. The choice is yours and there are consequences to these choices. The deeper impact that they serve throughout the game instead makes the experience memorable and more interesting.
The lack of a save feature makes the game more difficult for sure, but also requires the player to be sure of the actions they take. This tied with the XP system really makes for one challenging game, especially if you chose the path of saint.
The story line is brilliantly told and fascinating to experience. It is filled with fantasy and adventure. The real gem here is how the entire game fits all into one big engine in one way or the other. One would say that all games play like that, however, you are given the choice to ignore a lot when you usually play. Here tracking down missing people or completing investigations yield valuable resources to aid in your quest.
Now it is time for you to venture forth and find your maker…
The Official trailer for Vampyr:
Additional Info:
Platforms: PC: Xbox One: PlayStation 4: Nintendo Switch
Genre: Action: Adventure: Atmospheric: Choices Matter: Dark: Dark Fantasy: Gore: Horror: Nudity: Open World: RPG: Sexual Content: Singleplayer: Souls-Like: Stealth: Story Rich: Vampire
Censor Rating: Mature: Violence: Strong Language
Age Rating: 18
Developer: DONTNOD Entertainment
Publisher: Focus Home Interactive
Release Date: 5 June 2018
MGR Gaming Steam Curator:
https://store.steampowered.com/curator/32364038/
