Review: Vampyr (2018)

★

From the developers of "Life is Strange," DONTNOD Entertainment, with the publishing company Focus Entertainment, "Vampyr" was born. Much like "Life is Strange," this game focuses on a good story, choices that effect the gameplay and story. But what this game adds that differs itself from "Life is Strange" is the RPG mechanic. Which is fine, and a great idea, because DONTNOD are very good when it comes to those gameplay mechanics and writing good stories.

In the eerie, atmospheric action role-playing game Vampyr (2018), you take on the role of Dr. Jonathan Reid (Anthony Howell), a doctor who has recently become a vampire and must reconcile his desire to consume blood with his obligation to save lives. The game is set in 1918 London. As Reid delves into the secrets behind his vampiric state and a string of murders afflicting the city, the game delves into themes of survival and morality. Your decisions impact the plot and the destiny of the city's residents as you make your way through the misty streets and engage with a diverse cast of people. The game combines role-playing, fighting, and investigation aspects while placing a major focus on story and player choice.

Although the game has many serious problems, the setting, graphics, and voice acting are all excellent and make it worth playing. Apart from the problems with corrupted saves and crashes, the game's fundamental combat is unsatisfactory, the finale is bad, and choice is taken away from the player when it matters most. I find it quite hard to understand why DONTNOD would devote so much time and energy to producing something with such immense potential, only to saddle it with repetitive action sequences reminiscent of third-tier souls and the most uninteresting boss battles ever included in a game. This game would be far more enjoyable as a stealth or perhaps turn-based game. This game is only worth purchasing it on sale, and the best experience is to play it on easy, as a story game.