Vampyr

Dontnod surprised us for a third time (after the beloved Life is Strange and the charming Remember Me) by delivering a game full of superb atmosphere and a unique take on the “vampire genre”. Vampyr is a game with great design and originality, something that we sorely miss from most modern games.

With great combat, compelling characters, and a mission structure that ensures the players sees the direct effects of their actions, Vampyr is one of the best action-RPGs I’ve ever played. While it may not offer the sheer size of a Witcher or Fallout, it tells a resonant and consequential story that’s married it to some of the best open-world quest design around. This is one that’s absolutely not to be missed.

Vampyr sets a new standard for Dontnod's already excellent narrative. Combined with a fine action RPG mechanic, it offers an immersive and difficult-to-forget experience.

In a market saturated by AAA titles, Vampyr is an excellent example of why we need more AA games. It's not the prettiest or the smoothest experience, but then again, it's really not trying to be. What Vampyr wants to do is tell the story of a newborn vampire who holds the fate of post WWI-London in his hands; the focus is on story, atmosphere, and making hard decisions that have hard consequences.

Even with its noticeable flaws, Vampyr has the potential to be the new cult gem among vampire lovers. If you can see beyond technical limitations, the story and characters will trap you within their arms and suck until the very last drop of... your time.

Witnessing a studio succeed beyond what their audience expects of them is always a pleasure, and DONTNOD Entertainment has done just that with Vampyr. Whether you're intrigued by the idea of stalking London as a bloodthirsty vampire or expressly fancy a rock-solid ARPG, consider sinking your teeth into this gem.

Vampyr is unique. It’s not beautiful, its combat leaves much to be desired and its limited budget shows, but if you choose to turn a blind eye to these flaws, it will captivate you with its mature, morally ambiguous story and a series of dilemmas that usually lack a “right” answer. [07/2018, p.60]

It has an interesting story and well written characters that kept me playing through. Even with some less than stellar battles. The setting is fantastic and is quick to draw you in with great atmosphere.

Vampyr is a captivating title with a fluid mix of narrative and game mechanics that, although not always successful, impresses with its boldness and dedication. With a fun combat system, simple but effective role mechanics and a difficulty system that enters into direct symbiosis with the temptation for blood of the vampire myth.

Dontnod is back with a brand new franchise. Vampyr is an Action RPG with rich narrative and interesting gameplay design.

Sluggish combat aside, Vampyr will provide hours of blood-sucking entertainment. You can be the vampire you always wanted to be, as ruthless or benevolent as you desire. Weighty life-or-death decisions all but ensure that players will want to run through the campaign multiple times to see how things would play out differently by killing or saving certain individuals, or by upgrading certain abilities earlier or later. Vampyr is a cinematic, single-player experience well worth your time and money. A harrowing adventure awaits those who are willing to sink their time into Vampyr.

Vampyr is a great experience. Its fun story will keep you intrigued for hours upon hours, and refined and simple gameplay will keep you hooked for even more.

Vampyr is a moody, dark game, centering around a very charismatic vampire. Through him, using an ingenious cause and effect system, the player can exert a great deal of influence on a gloomy part of London in the early 20th century, which should have all matter of emotional effects on them. Too bad the combat is far from perfect and technically it’s no masterpiece, but the emotional resonance and originality of Vampyr make it quite unforgettable in its great ambition.

Extraordinary.

As seductive as the creature it depicts, Vampyr is as good as we would have hoped for it to be. Content-rich and original, this action RPG unfortunately does suffer from a few graphical and narrative shortcomings. Featuring a solid, yet not thrilling combat system, Vampyr is still able to clearly showcase the talents of its development team members, in all of their bloody creativity.

I want to like this game, I really do. But it's holding me back from doing so. Reading into it, I find a lot of near-depth, but nothing that the game actually employs has much depth to it. There are a ton of amazing aspects that boost the game, but its larger ambitions lies just outside the reach of its execution. But it is worth a try, and an admirable achievement. In truth, I think this game is more a 7.8, but I feel the current rating it has adequately describes its qualities, while acknowledging its flaws.

Vampyr is the most unique RPG we've played in years. It may not be the slickest or most beautiful but it has a charm that makes the game much more than the some of its parts.

Vampyr drives the desire of the player against the will of its protagonist. It creates sharp edge, and the ensuing conflict has the power to bore, excite, and infuriate an audience. Depending on your admiration (and patience) for its rampant ambition, Vampyr is either an unassuming action game or a garrulous gothic network of austere vampire folklore.

Dontnod worked hard to create an immersive, dark world to explore and it succeeds in doing so. Despite some boring conversations, most of the world of Vampyr is an exciting, dangerous place and if nothing else, being a vampire in here is also very fun.

Exploring London and uncovering secrets is always an engaging affair, and the combat never fails to get the adrenaline pumping. But trumping it all is the freedom that Vampyr grants you to be a devious agent of the undead or a doting doctor. Often the choices you make won’t be so clear cut, but that’s what makes Vampyr so interesting. It doesn’t simply deal in absolutes, but many shades of grey.

Vampyr might not be what many wanted after Life Is Strange, but it’s still an enjoyable – well, as enjoyable as its grim nature allows – game nonetheless.

An amazing game full of darkness, vampires and blood in the London of the first quarter of the 20th Century. A great mix of exploration, conversations and difficult encounters with dangerous creatures of the night.

With Vampyr, Dontnod gives us a true RPG with an complex story, especially for people who take care of the citizens. The combat system is very good, but the crappy AI, a few bugs and a lack of freedom have to be taken into consideration.

There's no denying that Vampyr has some mighty rough edges to it and combat that is decent, but unspectacular. Yet there's a delicious sense of place to it that makes it undeniably interesting to get stuck into. Many of the game's flaws melt away as you get lost in the moody grime of this alternate version of wartime London...The most important job Vampyr had to do was to present a compelling game about the tragic romanticism of being a vampire, and the fight for retaining humanity or embracing the unnatural power it brings. Vampyr does drop the ball on many small things, but it does that important job superbly.

My hope is that it finds its audience so that we might yet again see Dr. Reid on an even grander scale in the future.

Vampyr is a smart action game that poses regular moral dilemmas as you decide to either heal or kill characters in a wonderfully dark city. With decent melee combat and an interesting story, there are not many vampire games that taste as sweet.

A sublime atmosphere combined with a well thought out narrative along with the recurrence of moral dilemmas is Vampyr's biggest selling point. Combat leaves a little bit to be desired however and there is a fair amount of glitches to be found. If you can see past these things, then you'll have a grand ol' time with Vampyr.

When it comes to feeling like being a Vampire, Vampyr really shines. Story is great and NPCs play a huge role in gameplay. But the problem is that Vampyr tries to be an all-around, perfect game, and that’s where it starts to fall through, as lame combat and graphical and technical issues prevent it from becoming a hit.

Fighting in Vampyr is just painful. On the other hand, the game has a great story, developed characters and immersive atmosphere.

Vampyr is an epic adventure set in London during the Great War. Its original take on a vampire tale delivers, with deep storytelling and an awesome setting. Sadly technically the game suffers a lot from stuttering and loading screens.

If you’ve been searching for a story-driven, narratively engaging vampire game with plenty of atmosphere, Vampyr is right up your alley. If you’re looking for a snappy, tightly controlled ARPG, you might want to look elsewhere.

Vampyr is a rough but interesting game. The story starts off in an intriguing manner, and the character interactions show that Dontnod still knows how to make them the most compelling part of any game. The quandary of whether to give in to your base desires seems like a good moral dilemma, until you realize that the combat heavily favors you upgrading early to make the progress less of a grind. That means the game leans heavily toward an evil ending before you attempt a good one. Due to the lack of good vampire games in the market, Vampyr is worth a look, but don't expect a masterpiece out of the gate.