Vampyr (video game)

Vampyr
Developer(s) Dontnod Entertainment
Publisher(s) Focus Home Interactive
Director(s) Philippe Moreau
Designer(s) Florent Guillaume[1]
Artist(s) Grégory Szucs
Writer(s) Stéphane Beauverger[2]
Composer(s) Olivier Deriviere
Engine Unreal Engine 4
Platform(s)

Release
  • WW: November 2017
Genre(s) Action role-playing
Mode(s) Single-player

Vampyr is an upcoming action role-playing video game developed by Dontnod Entertainment and published by Focus Home Interactive for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The game is scheduled to be released worldwide in November 2017.

The plot revolves around Jonathan Reid, a doctor who has turned into a vampire. Coming to terms with his undead condition, he must deal with being torn between the Hippocratic Oath and his newfound bloodthirsty nature. The player is under no obligation to kill to finish the game. Dialogue options can be used for hunting prey to feed on, which replenishes strength and levels up the lead character. Weapons and supernatural abilities are employed while combatting enemies. London serves as a fictionalised open world composed of four districts, which can all be destroyed based on the player's actions.

Vampyr takes place in London during the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic. The setting was researched by travelling to London and the visuals were made with fictional and factual reference points in mind.

Gameplay

Vampyr is an action role-playing game played from a third-person perspective.[3] The player controls the game's protagonist Jonathan E. Reid,[4] a doctor who was made into a vampire, and whose thirst for blood compels him to kill innocent people. To do this successfully, he must gather information about his targets—study and change their habits, collect clues and maintain certain relationships by communicating with the inhabitants of London,[5][6] which serves as a fictionalised open world built around hubs of seamless neighbourhoods tethered to other interlinking areas.[7][8][9] It is possible to finish the game without taking a life,[3] which best preserves the character's cover as a doctor[10] but leaves him nearly incapable of levelling up.[2] Killing no one unlocks one of four different endings.[11] There is a skill tree that facilitates improvement of abilities, which is fuelled by experience points[12] gained from blood and, alternatively, investigation.[13] The branches of the skill tree concern shadow, instinct, and social abilities.[7]

If one so chooses, anyone in the game could be targeted, which will have consequences that affect the citizens of London.[5][14][15] Reid can turn people into vampires[16] and will only be able to enter a house with an invitation.[17] Locals each have their different backgrounds, relationships and daily routines. If killed, they will impart to Reid their last thought.[18] The "Mesmerise" ability can determine the behaviour of weaker targets, like coercing them into revealing important information[19] or guiding them to less conspicuous areas so as to feed without resorting to combat.[9] Feeding on human blood will unlock new vampiric powers in addition to providing nourishment.[4] One can heal injured or sick victims with crafted medicine, whom if eaten,[7][16] will yield more experience points in the process;[6] the rate of their affliction can be viewed using Reid's vampire senses.[20] His senses will also detect blood.[21] Each of the four districts will have a score based on the average health of its citizens.[22][23] Reid navigates the city of London using a waypoint with icons leading to a given destination.[21]

Reid using "Spring" to reach lower ground and defeat his enemies

Reid can wield improvised melee weapons, such as a saw, as well as ranged weapons including the Webley Revolver.[5][24] He will fight against other vampires like him—aristocrats who go by the name of Ekon; sewer-dwelling vampires known as Skals; the Vulkod—a stronger breed of vampire resembling werewolves; Nemrod—vampires who hunt their own kind;[25] and the Guard of Priwen—a secret society of vampire slayers.[26] Bosses are included.[7] Reid is adaptable to other vampire features, like the claws of a Vulkod.[25] Weapon improvement through crafting is made possible by looting items from the bodies of victims. While using vampiric powers in combat, the character's blood bar drains. This forces him to feed so he can immediately replenish his strength.[4][21] With the vitality attained from killing a human being, he is able to boil the blood of his enemies and cast blood spears.[27] Reid uses his control of shadows to hide himself and to strike at his opponents.[25] He can utilise "Spring" to scale locations otherwise out of reach and charge more rapidly across gaps,[3][9] which once upgraded can do damage on impact and grant temporary invincibility.[28] Rushing forward at unusual momentum may be deployed to avoid combat altogether.[29]

Development

Development of Vampyr began with a team of 60 people—later expanded to around 80—many of whom worked on Dontnod Entertainment's previous project Life Is Strange.[6][30] For a short time, the developer considered to set the game in 1950s America,[14] but to inspire a more gothic mood it was discarded in favour of the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, set in London. The paintings of Phil Hale influenced the art style, also for the purpose of atmosphere.[31] Dontnod conducted field research on the setting by visiting London and taking photographs,[6] but since the city had been largely rebuilt, history books and documentaries concerning Whitechapel, the London Docks and the Isle of Dogs were also consulted.[27] Literary sources included Liquid History: The Thames Through Time and The Book Of Facial Expressions: Babies To Teens,[32] while television series Casualty 1900s and The Knick were turned to for medical information.[26] Events surrounding the period were studied using both factual and fictional reference points[lower-alpha 1] to create the visuals, realised with photorealistic lighting,[33] and post-processes running on the Unreal Engine 4.[5][31] The killing of innocents in the game as the price for immortality explores the dualism of the protagonist's survival as a vampire and a doctor, either by adhering to the Hippocratic Oath or capitulating to the vampiric nature.[31][34] In August 2016, the major obstacles in developing the game on Xbox One had been overcome with the assurance that there would be no downgrades despite its hardware disadvantages.[35]

Release

Vampyr will be released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in November 2017.[36] Those who pre-order the game will gain access to bonus downloadable content (DLC) called "The Hunters Heirlooms", which contains an exclusive sword, pistol, and outfit.[37]

Awards

Following its appearance at E3 2017, Vampyr received one of GamesRadar's Best of E3 awards[38] and was nominated for GamesBeat's Unreal Underdog award[39] and Game Critics Awards' Best RPG award.[40][41]

Notes

  1. ↑ As such, the game world has been described as a uchronia.[26]

References

  1. ↑ Twitch (15 June 2017). Vampyr E3 Spotlight. Twitch.tv. Amazon.com.
  2. 1 2 Benson, Julian (6 April 2016). "The Life is Strange Developer's New Game is Kind of Twisted". Kotaku. Univision Communications. Archived from the original on 6 April 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 Robertson, John (29 February 2016). "Dontnod’s new game Vampyr is nothing like Life Is Strange". VG247. Videogaming247 Ltd. Archived from the original on 1 March 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 Nunneley, Stephany (18 June 2015). "Dontnod releases a teaser and details on its upcoming RPG Vampyr". VG247. Videogaming247 Ltd. Archived from the original on 20 June 2015.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Moreau, Philippe (2 December 2015). "Everything you need to know about Vampyr, from the team behind Life is Strange". PlayStation Blog. Sony Interactive Entertainment. Archived from the original on 5 December 2015.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Diver, Mike (29 February 2016). "Exploring 'Vampyr', the New Game from 'Life Is Strange' Developers Dontnod". Vice. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Main, Aaron (4 July 2017). "Vampyr Interview – Lead Designer Florent Guillaume Tells Us Everything About In-Game Weapons, Loot, Factions And More". GamingBolt. Archived from the original on 5 July 2017.
  8. ↑ Bolding, Jonathan (29 February 2016). "With Vampyr, Life is Strange Developers Take A Dark Twist". The Escapist. Defy Media. Archived from the original on 1 March 2016.
  9. 1 2 3 Robertson, John (29 February 2016). "Vampyr: Life Is Strange Developer Takes on the Undead". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on 1 March 2016.
  10. ↑ Eiser, Martin (29 February 2016). "Dontnod's next game is another fresh IP, and this one looks like it's got real bite.". Gamereactor. Gamez Publishing A/S. Archived from the original on 1 March 2016.
  11. ↑ Knauer, Steve (8 February 2017). "Life is Strange Developer's 'Vampyr' Will have Four Different Endings, New Screenshots". GameZone. GameZone Next. Archived from the original on 12 February 2017.
  12. ↑ Lawler, Richard (16 June 2017). "'Vampyr' is more about who you kill than how you do it". Engadget. AOL. Archived from the original on 16 June 2017.
  13. ↑ Vampyr Gameplay Walkthrough- IGN Live: E3 2017. IGN. Ziff Davis. 15 June 2017.
  14. 1 2 Farokhmanesh, Megan (25 April 2016). "From Life is Strange to Vampyr: Dontnod's dark turn". Polygon. Vox Media. Archived from the original on 26 April 2016.
  15. ↑ Robertson, John (8 February 2017). "Inside Vampyr, the follow-up to Life Is Strange". Red Bull Games. Red Bull GmbH. Archived from the original on 9 February 2017.
  16. 1 2 Delahunty-Light, Zoe (14 November 2016). "Life is Strange team's new game Vampyr lets you kill EVERYONE to save London, or destroy it". GamesRadar. Future plc. Archived from the original on 15 November 2016.
  17. ↑ Maguire, Matt (21 June 2016). "Vampyr captures the horror of being forced to take a life". Gameplanet. Archived from the original on 24 June 2016.
  18. ↑ Totilo, Stephen (29 June 2016). "In Their Next Game, Life Is Strange Developers Are Tempting You To Make Evil Choices". Kotaku. Univision Communications. Archived from the original on 29 June 2016.
  19. ↑ "Vampyr Gameplay Showcase - IGN Live: E3 2016". IGN. Ziff Davis. 16 June 2016.
  20. ↑ Vazquez, Jessica (21 June 2016). "E3 2016: Eat, Pray, and Brood in Dontnod's Upcoming Game, Vampyr". Game Revolution. CraveOnline. Archived from the original on 22 June 2016.
  21. 1 2 3 Alexander, Julia (13 June 2017). "Vampyr gets creepy new gameplay trailer, introduces difficult decisions players will make". Polygon. Vox Media. Archived from the original on 14 June 2017.
  22. ↑ Holmes, Mike (8 February 2017). "Dontnod: choice in Vampyr will be "much more brutal"". Gamereactor. Gamez Publishing A/S. Archived from the original on 9 February 2017.
  23. ↑ Farokhmanesh, Megan (22 June 2016). "Vampyr focuses on the type of bloodsuckers we know best: the scary ones". Polygon. Vox Media. Archived from the original on 22 June 2016.
  24. ↑ Hall, Charlie (24 March 2017). "In Life is Strange dev’s next game, Vampyr, players choose a monster’s moral compass". Polygon. Vox Media. Archived from the original on 17 May 2017.
  25. 1 2 3 Delahunty-Light, Zoe (10 February 2017). "Stop it Vampyr, you’re bloody spoiling us: 4 types of vampire (so far) and 3 ways to rip people apart?!". GamesRadar. Future plc. Archived from the original on 11 February 2017.
  26. 1 2 3 Medina, ND (11 January 2017). "'Vampyr' Devs On Gothic Vampire Horror And Dr. Reid's Highway To Hell". iDigitalTimes. IBT Media. Archived from the original on 13 January 2017.
  27. 1 2 Kelly, Rosh (9 February 2017). "Dontnod’s Vampyr Lets You Decide What Kind of Bloodsucker You Want To Be". Wccftech. Wccf Pte Ltd. Archived from the original on 9 February 2017.
  28. ↑ Griliopoulos, Dan (7 March 2016). "Unlife is strange in Vampyr". PC Gamer. Future plc. Archived from the original on 8 March 2016.
  29. ↑ Moreau, Philippe (29 September 2016). "Get to Know the Combat System of Vampyr on PS4". PlayStation Blog. Sony Interactive Entertainment. Archived from the original on 1 October 2016.
  30. ↑ Handrahan, Matthew (18 October 2016). ""There are not as many questions. We have more freedom now"". GamesIndustry.biz. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on 19 October 2016.
  31. 1 2 3 Makuch, Eddie (2 December 2015). "This New World War 1 Vampire Game Explores a "Dark and Brutal" World". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 3 December 2015.
  32. ↑ Barnes, Ben (June 2016). "Edge #293". Edge. p. 94-97: Future plc.
  33. ↑ Unreal Engine (6 July 2016). E3 2016 - Vampyr Developer Interview. YouTube. Alphabet Inc.
  34. ↑ Chalk, Andy (18 June 2015). "You'll be able to feed on anyone in Vampyr, the RPG about a vampire doctor". PC Gamer. Future plc. Archived from the original on 18 June 2015.
  35. ↑ Parijat, Pramath (23 August 2016). "Vampyr On Xbox One Won’t Have Any Kind of Downgrade, Major Development Hurdles Already Passed". GamingBolt.com. Archived from the original on 24 August 2016.
  36. ↑ Ahern, Colm (8 June 2017). "Life is Strange developer's new game Vampyr gets a release date". VideoGamer.com. Resero Network. Archived from the original on 8 June 2017.
  37. ↑ Petite, Steven (8 June 2017). "Enter London’s 1918 Spanish flu pandemic in ‘Vamypr’ this November". Digital Trends. Archived from the original on 8 June 2017.
  38. ↑ Staff (19 June 2017). "GamesRadar+ E3 awards - our best, most exciting games of E3 2017". GamesRadar. Future plc. Archived from the original on 21 June 2017.
  39. ↑ Minotti, Mike (16 June 2017). "The best Unreal Engine games of E3 2017, selected by GamesBeat". GamesBeat. Archived from the original on 26 June 2017.
  40. ↑ Keefer, John (26 June 2017). "Ubisoft Rakes In 14 Nominations for E3 2017 Game Critics' Awards". Shacknews. Archived from the original on 26 June 2017.
  41. ↑ Dayus, Oscar (28 June 2017). "Mario Dominates E3 2017 Game Critics Awards, Full List Of Winners Revealed". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 28 June 2017.
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