Vampyr is the latest video-game from Dontnod Entertainment, the studio behind Life is Strange and Remember Me (which ironically faded into obscurity). Vampyr is an action-adventure game with some RPG elements played from a third-person perspective. It's semi open-world, as well. The protagonist is Jonathan Reid, a famed surgeon and former combat medic. The setting is 1918 London during the Spanish Flu epidemic. Jonathan travels to London to visit family, but he's bitten by a vampire shortly after his arrival. He inadvertently kills an innocent person due to his newfound blood-lust and sets out to find the one responsible for his condition.
There's a slight learning curve when it comes to the controls and combat, but you'll get the hang of it soon enough. The vampire hunters and other beasts present an actual challenge and can easily slay you if you don't strategize accordingly. This is especially true during boss fights! I also like the fact that my choices have an impact on the world and narrative. For instance, I turned into a foggy alleyway in Whitechapel and saw a man shoot someone at point blank range. I really needed to level up, so I drained the culprit of his blood. You hear their final thoughts in your head as they pass away; This guy was a former soldier suffering from PTSD. He also had a son who, in order to cope with his grief, joined a street gang. This scenario would have played out differently had I left him alone. I also liked the dark atmosphere, the solemn soundtrack, and the length of the story (20+ hours to finish).
There are some negatives, however. Chief among them, the game takes forever to load at times! This can be really frustrating, specifically when fighting difficult bosses and you keep dying over and over again. The frame rate drops significantly at times and the game crashed on me twice. Thankfully these hiccups don't occur often. The combat requires strategy, but it does get repetitive toward the end. Speaking of the end, without spoiling anything, the story wraps up on an anticlimactic note. Oh, and the graphics are dated. They're not terrible, but rather something I'd expect from a PS3 game.
TL;DR
Vampyr is a decent video-game overall. It's challenging, the narrative is intriguing, and I like that my choices had an impact on the world. The game does end on an anticlimactic note and the gameplay itself can becomes tedious toward the end. The glitches were annoying and did take me out of the experience, but they didn't happen frequently. I would recommend getting this game from the Redbox if you're on the fence. However if you like action-adventure games or RPGS and you need something to play this summer, this is worth picking up...on sale.
