Just out: Dontnod continues to make improvements to its action-RPG Vampyr. In the third update since release the game receives two new difficulty modes, Nvidia Ansel support, and a load of fixes and optimizations. Too bad they can't fix the combat.
Dontnod Entertainment, makers of the upcoming Life Is Strange 2, released the third update for its gothic action-RPG Vampyr. The patch primarily adds two new difficulties --- Story Mode and Hard. It also adds support for Nvidia's 3D screen capturing feature Ansel.
Story Mode, as you would expect, makes the game easier by deemphasizing combat and focusing on the narrative, which is quite good as I'll get to in a minute. The developers also added a Hard difficulty setting. The higher difficulty not only makes combat more intense, but it also gives you fewer experience points for killing enemies. This will nudge the player to rely more on feeding his hunger to grow.
Vampyr was not a game I had planned to pick up, but I'm glad I did. It is set in 1918 London just after World War I. It would not be a spoiler to reveal that players assume the role of a vampire. What is interesting about the title is that before becoming a creature of the night, the protagonist was a doctor.
As a man who swore an oath to heal people, the moral conflicts that arise as you try to balance your humanity with your bloodlust is what makes the game so intriguing. You grow in power as you feed, but finding your next meal is not entirely straightforward.
Posing as a doctor, the player must gather information and surveil targets to keep from getting caught. Learning about your next meal also poses several moral dilemmas, but I'll leave it at that (if you don't mind the spoilers check out our 15 minutes of gameplay).
The game combines the strong narrative elements that Dontnod is known for, with actual gameplay rather than the point-and-click interface that we are used to from the studio. The combat can be annoying at times, which is my main gripe with the game. However, the story is compelling, dark, and quite frankly, more entertaining than I thought it would be since I'm not a huge fan of vampire stories.
The patch includes several fixes and optimization tweaks. The new modes are available as of today for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on Steam. Additionally, PC players now have access to Nvidia Ansel. If you are unfamiliar with Ansel, check out our previous coverage.
If you haven't played Vampyr, it is worth picking up, but wait for it to go on sale. It's good, but not full-price good.