Product test

digitec plays: We become bloodsuckers in "Vampyr"

7.6.2018

Translation: machine translated

Vampires, werewolves and moral decisions do not describe a new "Twilight Saga" instalment, but the atmospheric new action RPG from the "Life is Strange" developers. We will start our Let's Play at around 1 pm.

Who hasn't had this happen to them? You wake up, have a heavy head and realise that you've become a vampire overnight. That's what happened to Dr Acula, no nonsense, Dr Jonathan Reid in Dontnod's new game "Vampyr".

The French developer studio recently made a name for itself with the teen drama "Life is Strange". Now they are turning the clock back about a hundred years. In 1918, you roam through a London plagued by the Spanish plague in search of your creator.

"Vampyr" is a role-playing game in which you can fulfil various side quests in addition to your main quest. Much of it is dialogue-driven. The numerous characters, most of whom have excellent voices (there is no German voice acting), have interesting stories to tell, such as a patient who believes she is a vampire. Once you have learnt enough about a person, you can confront them with the information you have gained to unlock new tasks and increase their blood level.

As a doctor, you can help sick people with the right medicine. If you ignore the needs and suffering of your fellow human beings or drain too many people, the health level in the area concerned will drop. This not only reduces the number of experience points you receive from your blood refuelling stations, but also increasingly plunges the area into chaos. Anyone who has played "Dishonored" will recognise this. This is also where the moral component comes into play. You can decide whether and who you want to attack. More experience points are tempting, but due to the adaptive difficulty level, you will also have to bear the consequences.

Without the appropriate upgrades, you don't stand a chance against werewolves and other threats.

Motivating upgrade system

You can invest the experience you gain in new vampire abilities or give your character more health points or blood reserves. This is urgently needed if you encounter other vampires and monsters on your missions. The combat system is relatively simple, but thanks to various weapons and abilities, it is still fun to beat up your opponents. However, the checkpoints are not always set fairly, so you sometimes have to fight your way through the same sections several times. At least everything you have already completed is saved.

Dontnod plays to its strengths in the level design. The areas and especially the buildings are believably furnished and the foggy streets, together with the string instrument-heavy sound, create an eerily beautiful atmosphere. The graphics, on the other hand, are weak despite the Unreal Engine. Washy textures, a lack of detail and somewhat stiff movements spoil the otherwise good overall impression.

The graphics are not top-notch, but still manage to paint an atmospheric picture.

"Vampyr" makes a somewhat bumpy impression on me in the few hours I've played it. But if you don't mind the minor quirks, then you can expect an atmospheric vampire role-playing game with lots of exciting approaches, great dialogue and a lively world - despite the many undead.

"Vampyr" is available for PC, PS4 and Xbox One. We played the PC version provided to us by Koch Media.