Set in 1900s London where the Spanish Flu runs rampant and WWI is in full swing, a vampire walks among the living that are still left. From the creators of Life is Strange, DONTNOD Entertainment put together an interesting twist on typical vampire mythology. You are now a creature of the night, a monster. You are a Vampyr.
You wake as Dr. Johnathan Reid, confused and among a pit of those who have died from sickness. The first thought, feed. Back from the front lines of war as a high ranking doctor, Johnathan has come across someone or something, and has been turned. Now it is his chance to determine what to do and who to feed on in this RPG.
Everyone in the district can be mercilessly killed or saved. Players can also interact with virtually anyone in the game. All of these people however, will need careful consideration. As the need to feed arises, you must calculate who is useful to you and who can be let go. With every feed, Dr. Reid can obtain supernatural abilities and become more powerful. This begs the question, is the power worth destroying everything around you? Strategy will become important the further in to the game you get. With all of this said, Vampyr begs you to push the limits of what can be done.
Vampyr has most of what I had hoped for in terms of an RPG. Melee weapons are available, a crafting system and a simple stamina bar. Attacks became a bit simplistic the further I went. I realized soon on that even with different weapon combos and attacks, the upgrades didn’t seem to do much to help me. Supernaturally, Dr. Reid can make massive jumps, mesmerize potential victims, make their blood better quality and more. Most of this revolves around studying the victims and getting to know them better. Side quests are spread out throughout the game so if you like to explore like I do, there are many people to meet and very nice scenery to enjoy. DONTNOD really nailed the atmosphere of 20th Century London in its misery.
Not everything can be gold however. The first thing that was noticeable was the graphics. Some of the character models seemed like they hadn’t been fully developed. Vampyr became very reminiscent of PS3 and Xbox 360 games. Next to looking old school, were the issues with the frame rate. When running, the frame rate would often drop down to 30 frames per second. Random load screens seemed to appear as well and slowed down the flow. All of this might be irritating but doesn’t damage the game as a whole, as it can be fixed.
Even though the fight mechanics slowed down a bit and stalled eventually, the game is simple to play but diverse in the story. The music as well is captivating. A cello played often in the background which enhanced the overall vibe of a wet destroyed gloomy atmosphere. Anyone in to the mythology of vampires can see how this fits in to making this story work. While the graphics are not top notch, walking and feeding in the streets of London is worth a look.
7/10
Now available on: Xbox, PC, PS4
