Dontnod’s Latest Coming June 5th
Dontnod Entertainment and publisher Focus Home Interactive have released 55 minutes of developer-led footage for their upcoming action-RPG Vampyr.
The footage, taking place roughly six hours into the main story, gives an overview into the gameplay mechanics of Vampyr. Players take the role of Jonathan Reid, a doctor and World War I medic living in London during the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic that infected hundreds of millions around the world. While Reid has lived his whole life working to save lives, a recent event leaves him… well, it leaves him looking a little paler than usual, shall we say.
As Reid comes to terms with his new-found vampire blood, he (and players) are forced to make certain decisions. Throughout the game, there are opportunities to either kill or save the people of London. As a doctor, Reid has the ability to develop breakthrough medical concoctions to combat the deadly flu; doing so awards him with healthier citizens that will improve the condition in one of four districts in the city. At the same time, feeding upon people grants Reid with new, stronger abilities to use in combat, at the cost of the city’s health. As he kills more and more people, shop prices go up, and he runs the risk of losing access to beneficial NPCs and enemy-free areas within London.
Feeding also plays a role during combat. When fighting other vampires lurking in the city, Reid has access to Bloodborne-esque evades, melee attacks, and firearms. In addition to managing health and stamina, however, players must keep track of Reid’s blood bar. As Reid uses the vampiric attacks at his disposal, he loses blood that will gradually make him weaker and less equipped to handle enemy onslaughts. In order to regain his strength, he will need to find new people to kill and fresh blood to drain.
Choosing whether to kill or save takes place through an interesting blend of Shadow of Mordor’s NPC web, The Witcher’s investigative clue searching, and Mass Effect’s dialogue wheels. By stalking susceptible NPCs with a particularly high “blood quality,” players can use the hints they’ve uncovered and medicine they’ve crafted to further boost the given person’s health. They’re then able to either leave them be or, by memorizing the NPC, guide them to an inconspicuous area of the map to feast on them. The better the NPC’s overall health, the more prosperity they can bring to their district in London. Then again, the higher their health, the more XP they can provide to Reid as a late-night snack.
It’s this balancing act, then, of killing and saving, that players will have to juggle with over the course of Vampyr’s meaty campaign. The game is estimated to take anywhere from 15-30 hours to complete. Add to this four different endings that reflect the choices players make during the game, and there’s bound to be plenty of no-kill and kill-everything-in-sight runs come this June.
Vampyr releases June 5th for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows PC.
