Vampyr is a horrific vampire game where the player takes on the role of Jonathan, a new vampire. Jonathan runs around Victorian London, looking for the man who turned him and caused him to kill his sister. Jonathan isn’t a monster, he is a physician, and he wants to save the world, not drink it dry. Though he may be peaceful, it’s not easy living in a world where they shoot vampires on sight.
Jonathan wakes up in a delirious state after turning into a vampire. He has no idea yet that he’s turned but soon realizes he is thirsty. Jonathan slowly walks forward in a daze, and his sister runs up to him. He’s elated to see her, and she is so happy he’s alive. But then, it happens, he bites down on her neck, and he must run away from his past life; it happens so fast he’s stunned. Jonathan goes on the hunt for the man who turned him. He finds a weapon to defend himself because he is not used to his powers. Using his vampiric senses, he searches for his killer but ends up finding his future benefactor. This game has a lot going for it, and the detective-like vampire senses work well.
Jonathan begins by talking to the locals. The game is great because all of the characters have interesting things to say. The characters are all suffering, not only because of the murders but also because of the flu. Influenza is causing problems and is an epidemic in and of itself. The people know they only have each other to lean on, and people are working to keep close. By investigating locals and talking to everyone, Jonathan can increase his vampire strength. Learning more about people increases their blood level, which in turn will give more exp. It’s a strange idea, but it surprisingly works well. As Jonathan learns more about the person, he can understand who they are and why their blood will be the quality it is.
Investigating people builds the lore of the world. In a run where Jonathan kills everyone he can, it makes him more of a sociopath. Learning every detail about everyone to wipe them out is a brutal way to do things. Vampyr allows players to play Jonathan, however they like, and that leads to great personal storytelling. Combat in this game involves a stamina system and a blood system. Every regular attack lowers Jonathan’s stamina, but that fills up quickly. The blood level is important, it is used for his special skills. By feeding on people and rats, he gains blood. This blood is then spent with each blood skill use. Learning to balance these is the best way to master combat. Though: weapons will work just as well.
Jonathan eventually learns how to mesmerize people, just before he heads to the hospital to begin work. By mesmerizing people, he can lure them away and drain them at his leisure. He doesn’t have to do this at all, but it will help him. Players will need blood, but they can always feast on rats instead of humans. As Jonathan feasts on the blood, he gains experience. He also gains experience through combat though at a much slower pace. Using this experience, Jonathan can level up his skills. He can gain, for instance, the blood spear skill, which allows him to hurl a spear of blood. This game isn’t completely realistic, but it is realistic enough that the logic seems to be there.
Jonathan needs to sleep to upgrade his powers. Resting in his room or any number of safehouses allows him to access the trees. It’s a solid idea to locate the safehouses as soon as possible. Doing so will make it easy to remember where they are when the player does want to upgrade skills. This game is large, and players will want to get the lay of the land. There is a crafting system too. Players can craft weapons and tools, but they can also craft medicine. Jonathan will examine vampire blood and other toxins to find cures and other useful things. Jonathan is a famous medical man, so it’s a good idea to work on his skills. Jonathan will use the medicines to help his patients, and making the world healthy is a top priority for him.
The voice acting in this game is also fantastic. I’m always a fan of voice acting, and the English voice acting is good. The characters all have so much to say, so I’m glad they went with voice acting. It’s never something they have to do, but it always warms my heart when they choose to further the story along by giving the character’s voices.
Vampyr is a great game and is perfect for this spooky time of year. The characters are well crafted, and the story is intriguing. Players will enjoy running around Victorian London, skulking through alleys, and taking out unsuspecting people. Jonathan might be a man of science, but he’s now a monster, so do what you will. Jonathan wants to find out who turned him; will the player help him out?
This review was solely of the Switch version
A review key was given