Vampyr

What should be atmospheric becomes simply dreary as roleplaying turns into drudgery.

A gothic adventure set in London during the flu pandemic of 1918, Vampyr is Dontnod’s first game since the well-received teen time travel drama Life Is Strange. Where its predecessor broke new thematic ground – at least for this medium – Vampyr is a much more familiar style of game. As gentlemanly surgeon-turned-vampire Jonathan Reid, you unpick the mystery of your transformation as you explore a nocturnal world heavily derivative of modern vampire fiction – particularly White Wolf’s Vampire: The Masquerade. That this is also a combat-heavy RPG speaks to Dontnod’s desire to expand on its previous work. Vampyr channels Bloodborne in places, Life Is Strange in others – and its failure to reconcile these competing drives is what ultimately lets it down.

Reid’s journey comprises a highly linear critical path, dotted with fetch-and-kill sidequests. These sequences are rather short, and Vampyr’s open world is very confined. Instead, your time is chiefly invested in the game’s social areas. These are districts patrolled by vividly-rendered civilians, each with their own narrative threads – and who can be slain, if you wish, in return for blood and experience points.