The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing

 PC
User Score
8.1

Generally favorable reviews- based on 617 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 456 out of 617
  2. Mixed: 113 out of 617
  3. Negative: 48 out of 617

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  1. Nick7000
    Mar 7, 2023
    6
    Весьма и весьма проходной диаблойд. Сказать, что это было прям плохо не могу, но возвращаться к тайтлу точно не стану. Посредственно.
  2. Kotofon
    Jun 6, 2020
    6
    Широкополую шляпу на голову, оружие в руки и вперед - в готический нуар Борговии, где безумная наука угрожает шаткому миру между чудовищами и смертными. Примерьте на себя роль Ван Хельсинга, непревзойденного охотника за чудищами, - и спасите мир в компании очаровательной красотки леди Катарины (женщины-призрака, между прочим). Пройдите через дикие безлюдные горы и через покрытые копотьюШирокополую шляпу на голову, оружие в руки и вперед - в готический нуар Борговии, где безумная наука угрожает шаткому миру между чудовищами и смертными. Примерьте на себя роль Ван Хельсинга, непревзойденного охотника за чудищами, - и спасите мир в компании очаровательной красотки леди Катарины (женщины-призрака, между прочим). Пройдите через дикие безлюдные горы и через покрытые копотью каменные джунгли большого города, где правит бал безумная наука, и не забывайте об одном: никогда не знаешь, кто же настоящее чудовище!… Expand
  3. PanMrkvicka
    May 23, 2020
    8
    amazing fun game that I love a lot its better than diablo 3 and other similiar games.
  4. Aeryx
    Jun 27, 2017
    9
    When I first bought this game, it was out of curiosity. I was still reeling from being burned by Diablo 3 (and its abysmal quality as a whole) so i was pleasantly surprised when a $15 game gave me all the fun I could have hoped from Diablo 3 and so much more. The fast-paced gameplay, combined with the loot, steampunk world, witty dialogue, especially by Lady Katarina, was insane in a greatWhen I first bought this game, it was out of curiosity. I was still reeling from being burned by Diablo 3 (and its abysmal quality as a whole) so i was pleasantly surprised when a $15 game gave me all the fun I could have hoped from Diablo 3 and so much more. The fast-paced gameplay, combined with the loot, steampunk world, witty dialogue, especially by Lady Katarina, was insane in a great way. It was such a refreshing experience and all for the asking price of $15. Did it once, twice and thrice. No regrets.… Expand
  5. GolovA
    Apr 8, 2017
    6
    Hmmm. Tough one.
    This game feels like it was made by a teenager - it has descent action-oriented combat, full of BANG! But the amazing level of disrespect to the slavic folklore and mythology this game shows – is unbelievable. Kikimora is a spider! Vodyanoy (an underwater entity) and Lesovik (a forest spirit over-watch) are the same model in the game – a satyr. Rusalka (a mermaid) is    Hmmm. Tough one.
    This game feels like it was made by a teenager - it has descent action-oriented combat, full of BANG! But the amazing level of disrespect to the slavic folklore and mythology this game shows – is unbelievable. Kikimora is a spider! Vodyanoy (an underwater entity) and Lesovik (a forest spirit over-watch) are the same model in the game – a satyr. Rusalka (a mermaid) is now a land creature.
    There is no manual. Tutorial is ok, but not enough. Voice overs are mediocre, but okeish. Maps are large - nice. GI with a GamePad is a disaster. Font too small. Story – acceptable.
    So, overall – a mindless slasher.
    But for disrespecting Slavic tradition, culture, history, lore, mythology and folklore – thumbs down - unacceptable. We are so well-equipped to produce video-game masterpieces at the least effort, yet we continue to get these mindless, ignorant, pathetic dollar-suckers.    … Expand
  6. SuperkenGaming
    Mar 8, 2017
    7
    The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing
    A Great games who’s flaws come out the longer you play
    You’re a monster hunters, you start the game choosing your character and entering the van helsing world to you want monster hunters do... hunt monsters.. And you do so with your ghost companion Katarina The game can be played solo or with up to 4 players online, but the online community is    The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing
    A Great games who’s flaws come out the longer you play
    You’re a monster hunters, you start the game choosing your character and entering the van helsing world to you want monster hunters do... hunt monsters.. And you do so with your ghost companion Katarina
    The game can be played solo or with up to 4 players online, but the online community is fairly empty... no one joined my game the entire time…
    The online is great and runs smoothly even with the worst connections…
    This is a top down hack and slash game with both close and long ranged weapons…
    for the first half of this 10-12 hour long campaign it’s a genuine joy running around doing missions and side quests.. Slicing through the different creatures... picking up their dropped loot…
    exploring the, at first interesting maps… finding its secrets and treasures... managing your inventory…
    selling your unwanted weapon and gear or dismantling and combining them to craft new weapons...
    leveling up and dumbing your points in the vast skill and perk trees…
    This is a very deep game full of combat customizations to make you character feel uniquely yours
    and your ghost companion feels uniquely yours... I had 0 complaints…
    and then the final stretch of this game...
    is just awful…
    The maps go from beautiful to generic and grey… and the way this game tries to challenge your ruins the gameplay…
    This game has all sorts of magic and special moves you can assign to commands for combat that at first feel like they have a decent cool down time.. And then you’re in the final chapter and all of the balance this game had for the past 8 hours disappears
    the games idea of challenge isn’t having you dodge attacks of larger enemies or using strategy to take them out...
    its throwing dozens on top of you to frustratingly kill you over and over, forcing you to have to use all of your gold to respawn anywhere but back in the lair or town…
    while you desperately try to take out 1 or 2 of the enemies per respawn…
    And your ghost companion is dying instantly.. Practically having no reason to even be there…
    getting no kills... just really being a distraction while you try to get some heavy ranged attacks in there because close combat weapons are useless at this stage of the game…
    She practically just follows you around for 12 hrs. and nags you about how nice it would be if you put some of your health potions in her inventory.
    Put water into a bucket with holes? No thanks.
    This spam attack of enemies got so bad that during one of the final missions that the frame rate dropped to 1 frame per second if not less.
    The final stretch is near unbearable…
    The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing is a great game for those that love diablo style gameplay…
    But be wary before you go in thinking you’re gonna be some sword swing tank…
    you’re gonna have a hard time getting to this games credits without a friend…
    I Give The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing
    a 7/10    … Expand
  7. Captain_Chaos
    Jun 22, 2016
    8
    I love ARPGs, specifically Diablolikes, and Van Helsing part 1 is no exception. This gore-spattered romp through an alternate Eastern Europe awash with mythical beasts and weird science features much more in the way of character interaction then most titles in the Diablolike genre, casting the player as an established monster hunter of fiction (or his son, anyway: a lot of NPCs make thisI love ARPGs, specifically Diablolikes, and Van Helsing part 1 is no exception. This gore-spattered romp through an alternate Eastern Europe awash with mythical beasts and weird science features much more in the way of character interaction then most titles in the Diablolike genre, casting the player as an established monster hunter of fiction (or his son, anyway: a lot of NPCs make this mistake) and giving him an amusing companion in the ghostly Lady Katerina. The two have no end of dripping sarcasm to share with each other and the denizens of the dark metropolis of Borgova. I only wish more games would explore gaslamp fantasy as this game does. Katerina acts like one of Torchlight's pets and can perform much the same functions, but with more complex behavioral options, the ability to use some of the same gear as Van Helsing and she even has her own attribute points and skill trees, allowing you to configure her to serve as the perfect foil to your build for Van Helsing himself. This game presents the player with very few skill slots, but vastly effective abilities to put in those slots, as well as a range of passives and powerful, game-changing "perks" acquired in much the same way as Torchlight's "fame" system.The game throws very large numbers of relatively weak enemies at you in comparison to either Diablo or Torchlight, something I always enjoy, but the difficulty is much more manageable then either game, clocking you in at far fewer stupid deaths overall. There are options for endgame characters to play random maps with monsters above the level cap to find better gear, and to replay the story with successively tougher monsters, but since you can't get higher then level 30 (a crippingly low level cap for a game of this type) your only chance of success is to git gud. I commend this title on its excellent mood music and voice acting, the latter of which makes up for any lack of quality with such hamminess as to be very enjoyable. I have a few complaints: the pathfinding is very iffy at times, especially when trying to move Van Helsing up a narrow stairwell, and the fights drag a bit towards the end of the story, though this is a common issue to most Diablolikes. I have only played the base Hunter class thus far, but I would be very willing to return to this title somewhere down the line to try either the Thaumaturge or Arcane Mechanic DLCs. I can personally recommend the Blue Blood DLC as well, as it vastly increase's Katerina's power and utility. I shall be moving on to the second and third parts of this trilogy before long and expect more of the same, which in this case is certainly a good thing. I have recently discovered another bonus: You can import your saves from this game into Van Helsing II, and begin at level 30 out of that game's cap of 60. All skills and items carry over, including Katerina's Blue Blood skills. An excellent feature, but be sure you have both games installed, as the second game requires that you have the first installed to detect character saves.… Expand
  8. NaotaChanel
    Apr 5, 2016
    10
    After Titan Quest, Sacred, Sacred 2, Torchlight, Torchlight 2, Diablo, etc., I was hesitant to pick this up, and that would have been a big mistake. This is the most fun I've had with a hack n slash in a long time.
    Besides being challenging in all the right ways, it has a fantastic atmosphere and a great sense of humor.
    Highly recommended.
  9. Iranon090
    Dec 30, 2015
    1
    I write this review too late, but do not buy this scam. This mess of a game.
    I guess many people fell into the trap of this game already and can't get a refund (since it was not possible before).
    Sequels of this title might be more "polished", but currently this game is still a patchwork of a defective product. I have not run through any crash yet but everything is so clunky.    I write this review too late, but do not buy this scam. This mess of a game.
    I guess many people fell into the trap of this game already and can't get a refund (since it was not possible before).
    Sequels of this title might be more "polished", but currently this game is still a patchwork of a defective product.

    I have not run through any crash yet but everything is so clunky.
    Everything begins quite well but ends VERY BAD.

    So let's start :

    - Levels !
    They are VERY short (excepted at the very beginning of the game). Therefore, to allow your character to level up, they are OVERFILLED. YES overfilled with packs of monsters that all come to you as a single one once triggered (I'll speak about this later).
    There is no random generation of these environments, which mean you'll play the same levels again, and again, again and again (thanks Comodus).
    It starts quite well with quite good levels at the very beginning, but it's clear that they ran out of time, money, that they realized that their game was a mess or whatever you prefer. Mid point through the game, only remain generic level with very little level design. They are juste big square of layout pack VERY tightly with monsters.

    - Levelling your hero
    You might think that 3 classes archetypes are good, but the way your leveling is handled is very poor.
    Dexterity : add distance damage (guns, rifles, ...)
    Intelligence : add magic damage
    Strenght : add melee damage AND Healh.
    I guess you have already realized what was the problem. If you want to damage your enemies as a ranger, you have to points in dexterity, meaning you'll have a very low health pool. On the other side, melee is so frustrating because you WILL AGGRO ALL the monsters on the tightly packed map (and remember IT IS OVERFILLED by enemies).
    Feats for each branch (melee, magic, guns, ...) could be good, but falls short when you realize that the only useful spell / feat) is the one which does AOE damage over damage to a single enemy.

    - Enemies :
    Levels are OVERFILLED with OVERPOWERED PACKS OF DOOM. Yes quite much. You can't realize that at the begining, because they have planned their work quite toroughfully.
    At the begining, maps are quite large, and there is space between packs. Later they are all tightly filled. Starting middle of the game, you are fighting against augmented enemys (like electrical-beating werewolves on steroids). They run at you very fast, are very tough, doing insane damage to your poor health pool (remember when you had to choice between a bit more damage and health).
    Further more, there are a lot of enemies in each pack (YES A LOT).
    At this point, if you are a ranged character is to try to do kitting through the little empty parts of the map to avoid being SHRED by the RAMPAGING PACKS OF DOOM, while using all the stockpile of potions available to survive.
    You rince and repeat until the end of this... GAME.

    - Bosses and FINAL BOSS :
    As well, first bosses are quite OK. No special problems about them (most of them are glorified enemies).
    HOWEVER. The last boss is a BAD JOKE. A VERY BAD JOKE. Look at those walkthroughs on youtube. You have to spend 20 min or 40 min to beat him, constantly followed by a RESPAWNING MURDERING MASS OF ELECTRICAL BADASS WERWOLVES that can almost ONE SHOT you if you let them hit you (you have to be on the run constantly).
    If you managed to survive these 40 minutes, CONGRATZ you have finised the game !

    BEWARE : do not buy ! Or if you have already purchased it, try to ask for a refund !
    I have asked STEAM to remove it from my game list since i was so disgusted of it, so you won't see how much hours I had wasted on ... this.    … Expand
  10. theNILE
    Dec 12, 2015
    0
    Stat system is simple, not necessarily bad. Skill balance is awful, and being able to buff a skill eternally doesn't help this. "powerup" skills and rage - what were they thinking. You can only use 2 skills with powerups, unless you want to bother tabbing. Managing rage is easy, but ultimately a pointless mechanic. Visually, the game is a pain, and this wouldn't be so bad if it's easy toStat system is simple, not necessarily bad. Skill balance is awful, and being able to buff a skill eternally doesn't help this. "powerup" skills and rage - what were they thinking. You can only use 2 skills with powerups, unless you want to bother tabbing. Managing rage is easy, but ultimately a pointless mechanic. Visually, the game is a pain, and this wouldn't be so bad if it's easy to read your hp and mana... seriously, i have good peripheral vision but for the **** life of me this game is such a **** chore just because it's horrible visually. Game isn't optimized... your gpu will get raped if you don't play thaumaterge. Certain mobs mana drain... wtf this isn't path of exile where you want to avoid certain content. Random loot forging is **** terrible. Throw 5 rares together, even though you choose the type, it can be an item FOR A DIFFERENT CLASS... such a **** waste of time. poe is better, it has better depth, better to chill and essentially mostly has the same skills with better effects, performance and gameplay.… Expand
  11. jelikey
    Sep 10, 2015
    9
    This game is absolutely golden; despite several poor voice actors (I'm looking at you, Mayor) and awkward typos, the experience is refreshing, unique, and extremely addicting. I've never been more surprised by a game- for $13, I didn't expect an experience rivaling (and surpassing!) top-dollar ARPG's.
  12. eelegendo
    Jul 23, 2015
    5
    If there would be no gaming sites, I would have returned this games after 30 mins of gameplay. The beginning is just stupid. It feels like a chore: kill monsters, monsters kill you, you back to town, buff/buy, travel back and start again. In short: dying, walking back, walking back, walking back, dying, walking back, walking back. REALLY boring. If I did not read on a site that later itIf there would be no gaming sites, I would have returned this games after 30 mins of gameplay. The beginning is just stupid. It feels like a chore: kill monsters, monsters kill you, you back to town, buff/buy, travel back and start again. In short: dying, walking back, walking back, walking back, dying, walking back, walking back. REALLY boring. If I did not read on a site that later it gets better, I would've left it screaming.
    The game itself is not bad after a while, it keeps you gaming for a while, the story isn't bad, the desing neither, still there are major problems with it. Most of them could have been avoided with a little care, a little attention to details. Let's see them.

    If there is a slapstick for games, then this is it... At least as the controls and wayfinding goes. The same button for going and fighting. Ridiculous. If you want to runaway from a crowd (50% of the game consists of this, like fkin Benny Hill), and you accidentally click on any enemy, it stops and stares and fights... And you die, most of the time. Whoever thought of this... Same goes for holding the LMB, that should mean constant going/running. Yes, just as long as your cursor is not above any enemy, because then Mr. V. H. stops and fights again. And you die. Again. God knows I don't like Diablo 3, but they could make it work. BTW if you have Second Chance, you have 4 seconds to run away as a ghost, sadly the mouse button holding running won't work here, hell knows why. It just stops and stays there. You can click only.
    You should use the arrow keys for walking, but for that you would need another hand. It feels like a bad port from a console.

    The wayfinding is maybe the most annoying thing in the game, and there are many other annoying things to count. You run away, again, and you suddenly blocked by the Mighty Huge Monster Streetlamp. And Mr. V. H. stops... Or be it the Humongous Blade of Grass Monster. Most of the time you run in tubes, be it in the forest or in the street. Still the devs couldn't make that tube flat. It has to have something to collide with you, and so you stop. Again.
    If you go up a stair and you hold the mouse over an area that is beyond the stair, the game thinks you want to come down and you come down. This should be an ACTION RPG, where you move/run constantly and fight (e.g. action), but in IVH the move is never continuous. Something always has to happen to break your impetus.

    Another wonder when an object in the foregroung hides the view behind it. Battle happens, you in it, but you see nothing of it. Slapstick, I tell you.

    IVH is filled with bugs. Not just the elevator problem, when Mr. V. H. flies up after the platform, or another when Miss Lady Katarina windles into a bush and freezes there, but more serious ones. Like a not working exit or when the exit won't even show up. And there is no help, nothing tells you that is it a bug or is it normal. Nothing is explained here. This is another miss on the part of the devs: they made a world, a universe as it is trendy to say nowadays, but they've forgot to explain it to us. There is no introduction to the game system, no manual, nothing. A few frases in pop-up windows and that is it... You left with trial and error or google.

    I played the french translation (no voices, of course), that is partly translated. The rest remained in english, item names, subs, etc. Sometimes even the coding variables show up instead of object/parameter names. BTW, is it Borgova or Borgovia?

    Ok, I understand the jokes, the quirky/teasing Lady, 42, Tesla, the imps, the Lugosi River and many other geeky reference and I liked them, but the game should work as a game nonetheless. Also the look of it is not on par with the specs needed. The 3d design is OK, but the 2d cutscenes are horrendous. They should have used the 3d for the cutscenes, too. It looks like a game from 2006, but runs on my rig from 2013 around 19-20 fps, far from maxed out...

    All in all this is not a bad game, but it feels like a beta version, something unfinished. Indy games should not be amateur games, but pro games on a lower budget. All the problems listed by me could have been fixed by paying attention, without extra expenses (except the dub, of course).    … Expand
  13. Hack
    Jul 5, 2015
    6
    Van Helsing is an aRPG set in the mythical land of Borgovia. If you've played Grim Dawn, Diablo or Torchlight you'll be familiar with the gameplay. The game does have a unique ability system though, as you fight you gain rage which can be spent to powerup your abilities. For example lets say you're using a lightning spell, powering it up may cause enemies to be shocked, or it may increaseVan Helsing is an aRPG set in the mythical land of Borgovia. If you've played Grim Dawn, Diablo or Torchlight you'll be familiar with the gameplay. The game does have a unique ability system though, as you fight you gain rage which can be spent to powerup your abilities. For example lets say you're using a lightning spell, powering it up may cause enemies to be shocked, or it may increase the number of enemies hit. A powered up spell only has one charge and can be activated with the spacebar, although this becomes tedious very fast and I'd wager 99.9% of people have this set to auto cast whenever available. The game allows you to set up powerup presets so you can very much set it and forget it and the game will automatically boost the chosen ability(s) whenever you have sufficient rage. Apart from that it's your usual aRPG fare, you have a standard talent tree with forks and paths, passive abilities and stat points which allow you to customise your character further.

    When you create your character you have the choice of three classes, the Arcane Mechanic who is an engineer archetype, the Thaumaturge who is a mage and finally the Hunter who is the iconic poster child for the series. All classes can have two different weapon sets which can be swapped on the fly, and the Hunter can also specialise in either melee or range attacks.

    Throughout the game you're accompanied by your ghostly companion, Katarina. She works very much like the Torchlight pet, she can pick up items, fight for you and even be sent back to town to sell and buy which saves you the bother! She also has her own stats and talent tree, you can either build her to become stronger herself, or build her as a complete buff bot which will give you lots of powerful auras. Usefulness aside she's actually a big part of the game, and the banter between you and her is often really enjoyable, the voice acting for both Van Helsing and Katarina is top notch (the same can't be said for all the characters though!).

    The story will take around 15 hours to complete which is decent, but beyond that there's not much reason to continuing playing at max level. You do unlock scenarios which are basically dungeons with over levelled mobs which makes for a stiffer challenge and supposed higher rewards (I didn't get anything of worth) but there's no real point as the loot is lacking, which is a pretty big deal in an aRPG and why I didn't score the game higher. During my playthrough I saw a total of three legendary items and barely upgraded my gear at all, plus the items are all very generic and frankly boring. There was no excitement when an item dropped. You're also able to gamble for items with gold, but once again I never got anything of worth. I will say that this has been improved in the second game, The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing II which I started after finishing the first game so I'm sure I wasn't the only one who noticed this massive flaw.

    Technically the game is fine, most quests have voice acting which isn't always a given for this genre, especially from the smaller studios, and while not perfect it is pretty funny at times and there are plenty of references to other games and TV shows which I enjoyed. Graphically the game is OK, it's a couple of years old and wouldn't have been anything to rave about back then, but it's fine, and it performs well, I was able to maintain 60fps on ultra without dips (as you'd expect from an older game on a GTX 970). The audio is decent and the voice acting is good for the main characters and acceptable for the supporting cast, the game doesn't take itself too seriously in this department and you will find yourself smiling throughout the game at the silly things that are said.

    Overall it's a decent aRPG with some major flaws that prevent it from being more than decent but if you can grab it at 75% off in a Steam sale I would say go ahead and buy it, you'll get your monies worth at that price and while it's not perfect, it is an enjoyable experience. The devs are also still supporting the game two years later, and plan to bring out a "Final Cut" of all three games with new features and a more streamlined experience, this will be free if you own all three games already. If you're interested in the series it may be smart to wait until September to play it as the Final Cut will be released then.    … Expand
  14. retkimuna
    Jun 12, 2015
    8
    i love this game it's addicting to kill all and play this weird story over and over and get all loot. it's fun and addicting and it's only 15 dollars.
  15. ave
    Feb 11, 2015
    7
    I decided to play The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing after viewing the trailer, and getting some exhaustion from Diablo III and Torchlight 2. This one seemed to be a decent Hack & Slash, with a nice twist regarding the setting of central Europa and possibly legions of blood-sucking foes.

    In this game, you play a single character, Van Helsing, who is followed by a ghostly teammate,    I decided to play The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing after viewing the trailer, and getting some exhaustion from Diablo III and Torchlight 2. This one seemed to be a decent Hack & Slash, with a nice twist regarding the setting of central Europa and possibly legions of blood-sucking foes.

    In this game, you play a single character, Van Helsing, who is followed by a ghostly teammate, Katarina. You don't have to choose a class before playing, and just develop your character along the way, using several skill trees.

    Basically, you can eradicate a significant amount of monsters by using either a sword or a gun. Each weapon has its specific skill tree with numerous styles of slashes and shots. Each one can be leveled up, or customized with additional powers, triggered by Rage. Also, you can wander in the side of magic by learning strikes blending physical and magical damage, even pure magical damage. If not enough, you can learn passive abilities and active spells, that can take advantage of some specific situations or simply save your butt - leaving you with a fair amount of combinations to craft.

    The amount of damage you do or can endure is proportional to basic weapon and armor stats, plus the different levels of your character stats and skills, combined with the multiple bonuses you can get from gear. Very similar to Diablo 3 or Torchlight 2. So don't fall in love with that particular weapon or gear if the next one is seamingly up a notch, the impact could be tremendous.

    On top of that, your translucent female sidekick is not only witty, but can be used either as a melee fighter, a ranged shooter or a decent support. She also can level up and has her own gear and skill tree to become a tactical partner or a stat multiplier.

    At this point, it's pretty clear that this game targets an audience that loves to analyse how hundred skills relate to each other, carefully crafting the most badass character possible, something like "hit once, obliterate many". It's a good thing to have a significant amount of depth that way (remember Titan Quest !) but for me it was just like "too much". So I decided to focus on a restricted number of skills, low enough to keep me focused on the actual map cleaning.

    The game is linear, with some quests on the side. The levels are not really beautiful but varied, and the enemies compensate lack of intelligence by sheer number. Luckily, the dialog between Van Helsing and Katarina are funny so you can have a good time playing them.

    Something that kinda puzzled me was the introduction of a micro-game of Tower Defense. Not that it wasn't interesting or refreshing, but it seemed that the developers decided to put everything remotely cool in the game, thus pushing it in the Land of Blended Genre where chances of survival are slim. Luckily, the Tower Defense micro-game is nicely done, but too much thin for consideration.

    Overall, The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing is a good Hack & Slash, that can satisfy seasoned players, but could be daunting to newcomers.    … Expand
  16. hellznrg
    Nov 4, 2014
    10
    An excellent game, much like Diablo 2 and Torchlight. Good story, great combat, superb skill tree, excellent companion mechanics, excellent voice acting, very good graphics (like dungeon siege). Highly recommended.
  17. owen445x
    Jun 7, 2014
    7
    This game is pretty good for the amount of money you have to pay.

    It really lives up to the hack and slash genre. The graphics are really nice and the scenery is awesome. The spirit companion is a nice touch also where you can customize her to your play style. The talent tree's are nicely done and the loot system is like diablo 2. Few things I wish they did better was adding more    This game is pretty good for the amount of money you have to pay.

    It really lives up to the hack and slash genre. The graphics are really nice and the scenery is awesome. The spirit companion is a nice touch also where you can customize her to your play style. The talent tree's are nicely done and the loot system is like diablo 2.

    Few things I wish they did better was adding more combat animations! I was really getting tired of seeing the same 3 or 4 swings over and over and over and over again. If they added a few critical hit animations, that would have been nice.

    The town could have been done better with more interaction or a reason to care for the villagers.

    But, as I stated earlier. The game is really good for $15.00.    … Expand
  18. Miklo1904
    Jun 2, 2014
    9
    The game play is amazing with the fighting to interchanging weapons and not to mention a ghost fighting along your side. I love it I give it a healthy 9 I would of gave it a ten but the maps kinda annoying. Other than that I cant get enough of it!!!!!!
  19. crashCourse
    May 27, 2014
    3
    I bought this game hoping to play with my friends but the game kept on crashing and the skills are bugged. I have be trying to get this game to work for a week and no luck.

    I had high hope for this game because it reminds me of Diablo, which I loved. Wait a few months for the developers to fix the game before you consider buying it. If it is not fixed, I suggest you spend your money    I bought this game hoping to play with my friends but the game kept on crashing and the skills are bugged. I have be trying to get this game to work for a week and no luck.

    I had high hope for this game because it reminds me of Diablo, which I loved.

    Wait a few months for the developers to fix the game before you consider buying it. If it is not fixed, I suggest you spend your money else where.

    Pro: The tutorial level worked find. Friends can spawn Lady Katarina like Star Craft's zergs (bugged)
    Con: Bugged and Crashes.    … Expand
  20. johnangel
    May 27, 2014
    9
    What I liked :
    - Design / Graphics from the setting to the background world to the monster and weapon design.
    - Characters especially Katarina she is awesome.
    - The Price.

    What I liked less :
    - Some spell and weapon skill effects.
    - Nothing else.
  21. Auriell
    May 27, 2014
    7
    It's a decent ARPG game with multiplayer elements and some interesting ideas added in it. I played through the whole story and, for my disappointment, 90% of the loot that dropped at the final boss only could be equipped for classes available at the DLC contents. It was worth a playthrough.
  22. UCA
    May 15, 2014
    2
    It's a diffcult game. But I think this game is too simple because you really only can be two skills, dodge an attack and attack with your weapon or magic.
  23. lelouchbankai
    Apr 25, 2014
    10
    Very good game. Very interesting. Very fun to play. Very good story-line. I recommend this game to people from 12 years to 25 years. i love this game so much
  24. Wolverinemetacr
    Apr 20, 2014
    9
    For all the bad games that came out this past year this is a winner, finally. Diablo like in gameplay but different and enjoyable. Pay the 20 bucks get the whole enchilada or wait for summer sale. This is a must buy for a fun good gaming experience. Its not going to blow you away by any means but everything is solid and not overwehelming to a gamer. Enjoy I have.
  25. DM7
    Mar 11, 2014
    2
    i bought this when it was on 75% off steam on 2013 (can't remember the exact date or month).

    Pros : 1. voice actor/actress is surprisingly above average. 2. graphics is good, but not awesome. cons : 1. Long loading time 2. DLCs doesn't work, until workaround is used. 3. Level cap is too low for an ARPG, the level cap is 30. 4. the speeches scripts is idiotic / lame.    i bought this when it was on 75% off steam on 2013 (can't remember the exact date or month).

    Pros :
    1. voice actor/actress is surprisingly above average.

    2. graphics is good, but not awesome.

    cons :
    1. Long loading time

    2. DLCs doesn't work, until workaround is used.

    3. Level cap is too low for an ARPG, the level cap is 30.

    4. the speeches scripts is idiotic / lame.

    5. game size is too big, i know its not max payne 3 big, but its big compared with other ARPG,

    6. Complete Pack is not complete, 3 DLCs are missing.

    7. The dev expected us to buy the game again, to get the rest of the DLCs, by naming it Support Package, the point is, by buying the complete pack on steam = the dev doesn't acknowledge it as supporting them, unless we buy the ridiculously expensive pack on their site.

    8. Game got too much bugs.

    9. Patches are still coming, at a snail rate, and when it comes there are chances that it might broke the game even more instead of fixing it for some.

    10. a lot of quest is kinda broken, so it depends on your luck, if a quest is broken or not. (broken = unable to be completed).

    11. i owned it since 2013, but even now the game still got too many bugs.

    12. the game got DLC screen, and i don't know why the dev feels the need to let us know that we doesn't have all the DLC, even thought on steam its sold as complete version, and the only way to get those DLCs, is what i described earlier, i felt that its some kinda fraud, because buying complete version while it doesn't give us all DLCs = a fraud.

    overall : 0/10

    but because the devs are still trying to patch the game, i gave them a 2/10.

    but if they stopped patching it, and the game is still broken, then score is gonna be back to 0/10

    ps : this is only from my point of view, so i don't care if you guys love it or not.    … Expand
  26. motocrtc
    Feb 5, 2014
    4
    Van Helsing is basically a Diablo 2 clone with clumsier controls, duller scenery and fewer options for character customization. The story is reasonably interesting and many of the boss encounters are remarkably well designed, but the frustrating controls taint the experience and the limited character customization options - you basically get to choose between "Van Helsing with a sword" andVan Helsing is basically a Diablo 2 clone with clumsier controls, duller scenery and fewer options for character customization. The story is reasonably interesting and many of the boss encounters are remarkably well designed, but the frustrating controls taint the experience and the limited character customization options - you basically get to choose between "Van Helsing with a sword" and "van Helsing with a gun" - ruin the replayability.… Expand
  27. Indrigis
    Feb 1, 2014
    3
    Even now after all the updates and patches (assuming there were any, of course) the game suffers from atrocious technical issues.

    Like the mouse cursor not showing if you have a gamepad connected. And I have one. And no, I do not feel like giving my PC a reacharound every time I want to play a particular game. So, assuming you decide to grin and bear it. The interface is optimized    Even now after all the updates and patches (assuming there were any, of course) the game suffers from atrocious technical issues.

    Like the mouse cursor not showing if you have a gamepad connected. And I have one. And no, I do not feel like giving my PC a reacharound every time I want to play a particular game.

    So, assuming you decide to grin and bear it. The interface is optimized for the mouse and optimized badly at that. The highlighting of menu items is nonexistent and managing inventory is quite hard due to no paperdoll being present and the actual inventory slots being switched with an ultra-precise tilt of a thumbstick. The top tier menu actually has many more items than are shown on screen. How many? Well, you'll just have to scroll through them and see, young man.

    Assuming you have managed to equip items and learn skills somehow... Moving with the thumbstick will also lock you in place for no reason occasionally. The character gets unstuck after 3-5 seconds on his own, though. Binding skills to buttons is done by going into the skill's menu and pressing Y. Press anything else - you've upgraded something. Pressed Y? Good, no way to exit the binding interface. B(ack) will replace your B binding, obviously.

    The loading times are three to four times that of any other game, too.

    As for the gameplay stuff such as mechanics, item variety and skills... This has nothing on Torchlight or Diablo. Those two are way more fun and way more player-friendly.

    The only reason to buy this would be the price tag and the latter levels which are rumored to be good. But suffering through the rest isn't worth much.    … Expand
  28. Frostphoenyx
    Jan 29, 2014
    10
    This may not be the most beautiful game ever but it really is an hidden gem. Great art design, fun gameplay, interesting story and a lot of references to movies... I just love the dialogue between Van Helsing and Katarina !
    It really deserves to be known !
  29. StaticSpine
    Jan 12, 2014
    8
    A pretty fun ARPG, which becomes pretty tedious by the end (and seems that the last part of the game was made less well than the beginning), the story is nothing special, the ending is poor. But you have an awesome female ghost with a sexy accent. The setting and atmosphere are rather interesting and unusual. Overall the game is pretty enjoyable and better than Diablo 3. I'll be lookingA pretty fun ARPG, which becomes pretty tedious by the end (and seems that the last part of the game was made less well than the beginning), the story is nothing special, the ending is poor. But you have an awesome female ghost with a sexy accent. The setting and atmosphere are rather interesting and unusual. Overall the game is pretty enjoyable and better than Diablo 3. I'll be looking forward to pt. 2.… Expand
  30. AerickTheRed
    Dec 31, 2013
    10
    For a $15 indie action RPG it doesn't get much better than this. The steampunk atmosphere and the Van Helsing lore are nicely done (not to mention the witty banter between you and your companion). The game play is solid and the few bugs I could find were quickly corrected in the first patch. The DLC is good (the second skill tree for your companion and two new playable classes). IFor a $15 indie action RPG it doesn't get much better than this. The steampunk atmosphere and the Van Helsing lore are nicely done (not to mention the witty banter between you and your companion). The game play is solid and the few bugs I could find were quickly corrected in the first patch. The DLC is good (the second skill tree for your companion and two new playable classes). I especially liked the ability to respect both you and your companion’s abilities points (both attributes and skills). The endless story mode that was added compliments the scenarios nicely once you've completed the story through in single player.

    I was a bit confused by some of the lower critics scores (the ones below 70 especially). This title stands pretty well against some of its larger competitors.

    I haven't played the multiplayer at all, so my opinions are bases solely on single player.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

56
#56 Most Discussed PC Game of 2013
30
#30 Most Shared PC Game of 2013

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
72

Mixed or average reviews - based on 52 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 28 out of 52
  2. Mixed: 23 out of 52
  3. Negative: 1 out of 52
  1. Level7.nu
    Sep 10, 2013
    60
    The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing does in no way tread new ground in the action genre. But it is still atmospheric and sucks you in with it’s combat and loot system. The online mode suffers from many bugs and the adventure does never reach the heights of games like Diablo 3 or Torchlight 2.
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  2. PC Gamer
    Aug 16, 2013
    68
    Van Helsing is long and unwieldy, but its schlocky tone prevents it becoming too frustrating of a grind. [Oct 2013, p.65]
  3. Gamers' Temple
    Aug 4, 2013
    80
    Overall, I had fun with Van Helsing and it provides a lot of gameplay for a title that can be had for under $20. If Diablo style games aren't your thing, you'll want to give it a pass, but otherwise it's worth adding to your game library.
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