Vampyr (video game)

Vampyr
Developer(s) Dontnod Entertainment
Publisher(s) Focus Home Interactive
Director(s) Philippe Moreau
Artist(s) Grégory Szucs
Writer(s) Stéphane Beauverger[1]
Engine Unreal Engine 4
Platform(s) Microsoft Windows
PlayStation 4
Xbox One
Release date(s) 2017[2]
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. It will be available for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in 2017.

The plot revolves around vampire doctor Jonathan Reid who is 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.

Vampyr is based on the 1918 London 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 view.[3] The player controls the game's protagonist Jonathan E. Reid,[4] a vampire doctor 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 semi-open world built around hubs of neighbourhoods tethered to other interlinking areas.[7][8] If one so chooses, anyone in the game could be targeted, which will have consequences that affect the story.[5][9] Feeding on human blood will unlock new vampiric powers in addition to providing nourishment.[4] The "Mesmerise" ability can determine the behaviour of weaker targets—guiding them to less conspicuous areas—so as to feed without resorting to combat.[8] One can heal injured or sick victims in order to gain more from them in the process.[6] 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 incapable of levelling up.[1]

The combat allows the player to wield improvised weapons, such as a saw, as well as ranged weapons in the fight against mythical and human enemies.[5] Weapon improvement through crafting is made possible by looting items from the bodies of victims. While using vampiric powers in combat, the player character's health and energy drains. This forces him to feed so he can immediately replenish his strength.[4] He can also utilise his "Spring" ability, letting him scale locations otherwise out of reach and charge more rapidly across gaps,[3][8] which once upgraded can do damage on impact and grant temporary invincibility.[11]

Development

The development began with a team of 60 people, many of whom worked on Dontnod Entertainment's previous project Life Is Strange.[6] Vampyr is the Hungarian spelling of "vampire", which Dontnod chose as the title in reference to a Hungarian man in the 1700s who was accused of being a vampire—the first public documentation of its kind.[12] For a short time, the developer considered to set the game in 1950s America,[9] but to inspire a more gothic mood it was discarded in favour of the 1918 London Spanish flu pandemic. Art director Grégory Szucs stated that the paintings of Phil Hale influenced the art style, also for the purpose of atmosphere.[2] Dontnod conducted research on the setting by visiting London and taking photographs,[6] and studied the events surrounding the period, using both factual and fictional reference points to create the visuals, realised with lighting and post-processes running on the Unreal Engine 4.[5][2]

The killing of innocents in the game as the price for immortality is intended to explore the dualism of the protagonist's survival as a vampire while also being a doctor, either by adhering to the Hippocratic Oath or capitulating to the vampiric nature.[2][13]

References

  1. 1 2 Benson, Julian (6 April 2016). "The Life is Strange Developer's New Game is Kind of Twisted". Kotaku. Retrieved 6 April 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Makuch, Eddie (2 December 2015). "This New World War 1 Vampire Game Explores a "Dark and Brutal" World". GameSpot. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 Robertson, John (29 February 2016). "Dontnod’s new game Vampyr is nothing like Life Is Strange". VG247. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 Nunneley, Stephany (18 June 2015). "Dontnod releases a teaser and details on its upcoming RPG Vampyr". VG247. Retrieved 2 December 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. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Diver, Mike (29 February 2016). "Exploring 'Vampyr', the New Game from 'Life Is Strange' Developers Dontnod". Vice. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
  7. ↑ Bolding, Jonathan (29 February 2016). "With Vampyr, Life is Strange Developers Take A Dark Twist". The Escapist. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
  8. 1 2 3 Robertson, John (29 February 2016). "Vampyr: Life Is Strange Developer Takes on the Undead". IGN. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
  9. 1 2 Farokhmanesh, Megan (25 April 2016). "From Life is Strange to Vampyr: Dontnod's dark turn". Polygon. Retrieved 25 April 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. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  11. ↑ Griliopoulos, Dan (7 March 2016). "Unlife is strange in Vampyr". PC Gamer. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
  12. ↑ Linder, Andreas (2 December 2015). "Vampyr – Intervju med Dontnod" (in Norwegian). IGN Nordic. Retrieved 22 April 2016. Dontnod: Stavemåten skyldes en ungarsk mann som ble tiltalt for å være vampyr på 1700-tallet. Dette er den første offentlige dokumentasjonen av fenomenet, og derfor valgte vi å gå for den ungarske stavemåten. / The spelling is owed to a Hungarian man who was accused of being a vampire in the 1700s. This is the first public documentation of the phenomenon, and therefore we chose to go for the Hungarian spelling.
  13. ↑ Chalk, Andy (18 June 2015). "You'll be able to feed on anyone in Vampyr, the RPG about a vampire doctor". PC Gamer. Retrieved 8 March 2016.

External links

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