The creators who brought us Life is Strange, DontNod, have been working on the dark and atmospheric Vampyr for quite some time. It’s a game the puts players into the role of a doctor-turned-vampire Jonathon Reid as he comes to terms with and harnesses his new affliction and abilities. DontNod showed off Vampyr at Gamescom this year, and they’ve released 15 minutes of pre-alpha gameplay for us to enjoy. Vampyr will release for Playstation 4, Xbox One, and PC in 2017.
As you can see in the video above, the game will mix combat, exploration, and dialogue choices. According to this press release, the player will gain new abilities via a skill tree that enhances Dr. Jonathan Reid’s vampire abilities as well as changes the way you’ll approach situations. Here’s a small list of some other key features that the game will contain.
- Explore a darkly atmospheric early 20th century London.
- Play a tormented and powerful Vampire learning the rules of your new condition. A man of science, a beast of the night: Your toughest battles will be within yourself.
- Build your own combat style through a wide range of crafted weapons and powerful Vampire abilities to defeat a large and unique bestiary.
- Choose your fate: moral choices will shape your story. How human could a Vampire be, when he must feed?
I actually really like the way this game looks, although I can imagine that I might turn up the brightness a tad, because everything looks pretty dark in the gameplay above. Mind you, it is in pre-alpha, so many things are likely to change, including the combat. One particular thing that I liked was the score, especially during the fights. It’s a wonderful blend of upbeat strings with just the right amount of unsettling timing. The game sort of reminds me of a darker Dishonored, if that makes sense.
