Vampyr

Vampyr might not be to everyone’s taste being heavily narrative-driven with its long dialogues, bland textures and repetitive combat sequences. But if you can overlook these little faults, you’ll find a refreshing title worth savoring.

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In "Vampyr," you play as a newly-turned vampire doctor during the 1918 flu pandemic in London. Your mission to find a cure conflicts with your vampire nature, forcing you to choose who to feed on among the city's citizens. Your decisions will have consequences, shaping the fate of London and its inhabitants. The game offers a blend of supernatural combat and manipulation, with a focus on the moral dilemmas of being a vampire.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Reviews

73%

Audience ScoreBased on 7,637 reviews

story2,682 positive mentions

grinding363 negative mentions

Engaging story with well-developed characters and moral dilemmas.
Atmospheric setting in a dark, plague-ridden London enhances immersion.
Choices have meaningful consequences, affecting the game's world and character interactions.

Combat mechanics are clunky and can feel repetitive, especially against multiple enemies.
Lack of fast travel and a confusing map design make navigation tedious.
Autosave only feature can lead to frustration if players make irreversible choices.

story
6,482 mentions
41 % positive mentions
54 % neutral mentions
5 % negative mentions
The story of "Vampyr" is widely praised for its rich narrative and character depth, set against the backdrop of a plague-ridden London in 1918. Players appreciate the moral dilemmas presented through choices that significantly impact the game's world and outcomes, although some criticize the pacing and occasional predictability of the plot. While the dialogue and character interactions are engaging, the combat mechanics often detract from the overall experience, leading to mixed feelings about the game's balance between storytelling and gameplay. Overall, the story remains the standout feature, making it a compelling choice for fans of narrative-driven games.
- “The story and atmosphere are one of the best I've seen, the music complements it greatly.”
- “Fantastic story-rich game, many great dialogues, interesting characters, whose stories you just want to learn, incredible atmosphere, artistic visual stylization.”
- “The story is engaging and the atmosphere is great.”
- “That said, the story was very lackluster.”
- “While I do praise the story overall, it definitely felt rushed near the end and eventually just infodumps you about a bunch of lore that should've had time to flesh out naturally.”
- “The story is even more boring than Twilight.”
gameplay
2,046 mentions
27 % positive mentions
61 % neutral mentions
11 % negative mentions
The gameplay in *Vampyr* is a mixed experience, characterized by a blend of engaging narrative mechanics and clunky combat systems. While the moral dilemmas and character interactions add depth to the gameplay, many players find the combat repetitive and frustrating, often feeling disconnected from the story's rich atmosphere. Overall, the game offers a unique take on vampire lore, but its execution in gameplay mechanics leaves room for improvement.
- “Choices do matter, well beyond just the obvious branches in the game provided by blatantly meaningful and diverging dialogue trees at important narrative moments, but intrinsically woven into the gameplay - who you feed on, what information you have on them when you do so, whether or not you dedicate time and resources to treating illnesses, and whether you engage with these systems at all.”
- “Gameplay is fun and the zone mechanics are awesome: characters will disappear, join other factions or be killed depending on your choices in the game, making everything you do have significant weight.”
- “The moral dilemma of feeding on these characters to gain power versus maintaining their health for the welfare of the city’s districts adds a layer of complexity to the gameplay.”
- “The combat is serviceable in the moment-to-moment gameplay, but the bosses rank amongst some of the most poorly designed I've seen in a long time.”
- “The gameplay is a mix of combat and dialogue story progression, but it often feels like a tedious chore rather than an engaging experience.”
- “The gameplay loop is repetitive and boring, and the story/graphics/sound design isn't enough to save it.”
atmosphere
999 mentions
64 % positive mentions
36 % neutral mentions
1 % negative mentions
The atmosphere in "Vampyr" is widely praised for its immersive and haunting depiction of a dark, disease-ridden London in 1918, enhanced by a captivating soundtrack and strong voice acting. Players appreciate the game's ability to create a gloomy, gothic ambiance that complements its narrative and character development, making exploration feel engaging despite some repetitive level design. Overall, the atmospheric elements are considered the standout feature, overshadowing the game's gameplay flaws.
- “The atmosphere is expertly crafted to deliver peak gothic vampire vibes.”
- “The beautifully crafted environments, coupled with a haunting musical score, contribute to the game's overall atmospheric brilliance.”
- “The atmosphere, music, graphics, gameplay, puzzles, character interaction, decision making, etc. was all on point.”
- “The atmosphere and most of the character writing of this game are great; I enjoyed walking the streets to see the world the developers had created.”
- “The atmosphere of the game combined with the setting of a disease-ridden London and the outstanding musical score makes for a game that shouldn't be missed by anyone who likes anything to do with vampires.”
- “The atmosphere feels alive, but the characters themselves are hit-or-miss.”
graphics
941 mentions
49 % positive mentions
43 % neutral mentions
8 % negative mentions
The graphics in "Vampyr" are generally described as satisfactory, with a strong emphasis on the atmospheric depiction of 1918 London, which enhances the game's dark and moody aesthetic. While some players appreciate the rich details and art direction, others note that the graphics can feel dated and occasionally suffer from glitches and performance issues. Overall, the visuals contribute positively to the immersive experience, though they may not meet the high standards set by more recent AAA titles.
- “Vampyr's vision of London is a moody, hopeless, and darkly beautiful place where grounded realism collides with surreal, almost dreamlike visuals at times, perfectly selling the fantasy of a real-world setting in crisis with a supernatural underbelly just beyond well-lit streets.”
- “The graphics are great and the background music alongside the sound effects make the game even better!”
- “The atmosphere is moody, the graphics are top-notch, the story is out of this world, and the gameplay is fantastic.”
- “The graphics are meh for a 2018 game; they are almost the same as Fallout 4, which was a 2015 game, which is bad.”
- “However, the graphics can be somewhat underwhelming, with occasional glitches and rough character animations that detract from the overall experience.”
- “The graphics are terrible for something made back in 2018, and the controls are worse.”
music
777 mentions
57 % positive mentions
41 % neutral mentions
2 % negative mentions
The music in the game has been widely praised for its atmospheric and haunting qualities, effectively enhancing the overall experience and immersing players in the dark, gothic setting of early 20th-century London. Many reviewers highlighted the soundtrack's emotional depth, with particular appreciation for the use of strings, such as cello and violin, which complement the game's themes of despair and moral complexity. While some found the music occasionally repetitive, the consensus is that it significantly contributes to the game's mood and storytelling, making it one of its standout features.
- “The beautifully crafted environments, coupled with a haunting musical score, contribute to the game's overall atmospheric brilliance.”
- “The music is excellent and stands out as being far superior to the rest of the elements of the game, followed by the city itself.”
- “The soundtrack is breathtaking, the dialogue is compelling, but most of all, the characters feel so real.”
- “I guess the developers intended to show how depressing life was during that time, but all those depressed people, the depressing music... I don't know... why make a game of that?”
- “Unfortunately, the music is lifeless, ambient to the point of banality, and completely forgettable.”
- “The music gets kind of depressing and repetitive after a while.”
grinding
375 mentions
1 % positive mentions
3 % neutral mentions
97 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game has been widely criticized for being tedious and monotonous, with many players expressing frustration over the lack of fast travel and the repetitive nature of combat encounters. Players often find themselves under-leveled for boss fights, leading to excessive grinding that detracts from the overall enjoyment of the game. While some appreciate the narrative and character depth, the grinding mechanics are seen as a significant barrier to fully engaging with the story.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “Make your game fun, devs, not tedious.”
- “I was under-leveled for every single boss beforehand, but I had to give up after over a hundred attempts involving different strategies, equipment loadouts, and playstyles. I am still facing a boss 7 levels higher even after having done every single piece of side content in the game I can currently access, along with several hours of mindless grinding.”
- “The game is incredibly tedious, feels like there's a lot of busywork involved in it to keep you occupied but it's not really that fun.”
- “The combat is slow and tedious, with each action you do being very slow while enemies spam the same basic attacks over and over.”
stability
172 mentions
5 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
95 % negative mentions
The stability of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting frequent bugs, glitches, and crashes that significantly detract from the experience. While some users experienced minimal issues and found the game playable, a substantial number highlighted game-breaking problems, particularly with the autosave system, which can lead to lost progress due to glitches. Overall, the game's stability is considered a major flaw, impacting enjoyment and gameplay consistency.
- “The gameplay is good, enjoyable, and well balanced, as well as bug-free.”
- “Runs great with good graphics on max settings, and a decent story.”
- “More games should release this bug-free :)”
- “Unfortunately, it's a buggy mess and because it only uses autosaves you either lock yourself out of content due to bugs or completely wreck your game due to bugs.”
- “The game is extremely buggy, with quest bugs, UI issues, audio glitches, disappearing sound, textures not loading, and a lot more.”
- “There are so many glitches in the game that just wreck it; you can't even finish it if you're unlucky enough to come across one.”
optimization
161 mentions
26 % positive mentions
46 % neutral mentions
28 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting significant performance issues, including stuttering, frame drops, and crashes, particularly in larger areas. While some users experienced smooth gameplay on high settings, others noted that the game is poorly optimized for various hardware configurations, leading to inconsistent performance. Overall, it appears that the game requires further patches and optimization to address these widespread technical problems.
- “The game is incredibly well optimized and should scale admirably on various hardware.”
- “Game mechanism is also a thumb-up, it has perfect optimization; clearly it was designed for a console but hey why not, that means ultra graphics with little to no pressure to your precious rig.”
- “Performance is very smooth, steady 60 fps on ultra with no drops.”
- “Graphical glitches: like a vampire exposed to sunlight, 'Vampyr' occasionally stumbles with graphical bugs and performance issues.”
- “The downsides are numerous, with poor optimization leading to lower than expected frame rates, severe stuttering, and an overall feeling of choppiness, especially in certain key locations.”
- “The game suffers from serious optimization issues (forget about 60fps all the time), stutters will tap your shoulder the whole journey.”
replayability
150 mentions
32 % positive mentions
60 % neutral mentions
8 % negative mentions
The game's replayability is a mixed bag, with many players appreciating the multiple endings and the impact of choices on the story, which encourages different playthroughs. However, some reviewers feel that the lack of a new game+ mode and the linearity of the narrative limit the overall replay value, suggesting that while it can be enjoyable for a couple of runs, it may not sustain long-term interest. Overall, the game offers decent replayability, particularly for those who enjoy exploring different moral paths and character builds.
- “There's also some replayability for those who enjoyed their first playthrough, with different story events and endings depending on your actions, who you kill, and the knowledge you gain from talking to characters/raking through their closets.”
- “The game has a fair amount of replay value, as you want to see what choices affect what and how the dialogue changes.”
- “This game has fantastic replayability, with multiple endings and different ways the world changes based on your actions.”
- “Good game, just doesn't feel like there is any replayability.”
- “However, I will say that I found it lacks desirable replay value, but you won't regret your first playthrough.”
- “The game lacks a new game+ mechanic which is irritating not to mention there are a ton of bugs (including bugs involving the player character auto walking after exiting the map and being unable to walk in certain directions), terrible combat scaling, and a severe lack of replayability/content.”
emotional
92 mentions
95 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
5 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its emotional depth, featuring compelling character arcs and poignant moments that explore themes of loss, guilt, and moral dilemmas. Players report being deeply affected by the narratives of various NPCs, with some moments eliciting strong emotional responses, including tears. However, criticisms arise regarding technical aspects like facial animations and voice acting, which can detract from the emotional impact, leading to mixed feelings about the overall experience.
- “The game stands out with its blend of action, role-playing, and storytelling, offering a fresh take on vampire lore and focusing on the emotional drama of its characters.”
- “There are some genuinely affecting moments in this game, whether conversing with an old lady suffering from Alzheimer's who occasionally breaks through the malaise of memory loss only to sink back into it, a reluctant thug neglecting the very son he loves in order to provide for him, or a soldier disfigured by scars of war set in a cycle of self-loathing for the way he looks. There is no shortage of genuinely emotional moments in this game.”
- “Such a beautiful storyline with emotional sadness, horror, and love together... best vampire game probably. Loved the whole story, every character full of different emotions and stories... the ending was great with a kiss between Elizabeth and Reid.”
- “Slow start, slow progression, boring story and characters.”
- “Clunky gameplay, boring storyline.”
- “Boring story.”
character development
69 mentions
35 % positive mentions
58 % neutral mentions
7 % negative mentions
Character development in *Vampyr* is a standout feature, offering deep customization through a skill tree and meaningful choices that significantly affect the game world and narrative. Players appreciate the intricate character designs and the moral dilemmas presented, although some express frustration with the limitations on character growth and the impact of choices. Overall, the game excels in storytelling and character immersion, making it a compelling experience for those who value narrative depth.
- “The character development and choices you make significantly impact the game world, providing a unique and immersive role-playing adventure.”
- “Vampyr puts a lot of emphasis on choices, character development, and dialogue.”
- “Its complex moral choices and rich character development make it a standout title in the genre.”
- “It's just a shame that seeking fun in Vampyr comes at the cost of the branching parts of the stories and main character development being irrelevant.”
- “Amongst the few life-or-death choices you can make, you never really feel anything because the character developments are lacking.”
- “The high level of character design was advertised extensively, but we got stereotypical people with boring side quests.”
humor
55 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by a blend of dark wit and absurdity, often emerging from character interactions, quirky glitches, and the protagonist's melodramatic antics. Players find amusement in the game's unique take on vampire lore, where gossiping about NPCs is crucial for gameplay, and the dialogue often oscillates between serious and unintentionally funny moments. Despite its flaws, including bugs and clunky mechanics, the humor adds a layer of enjoyment, making the experience both entertaining and occasionally laugh-out-loud funny.
- “For a newborn vampire who is trying to be discreet and stay under the radar, it's hilarious that in order to get the full value out of everyone's blood, you had to find out all the dirt on them from talking behind everyone's back, having dozens of conversations with each NPC to finish upgrading their blood quality so as to maximize your XP gained from the embrace.”
- “It's funny that I have to go through hours upon hours of gameplay (as talking to only one NPC takes approximately 10-15 minutes) just to see what would happen if I'd chosen option A instead of B in a not-so-major dialogue.”
- “The dialogue is great, a perfect well-acted blend of dramatic goth vampire setting and humor at the period, and the people who lived in it.”
monetization
16 mentions
19 % positive mentions
31 % neutral mentions
50 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its lack of microtransactions, providing a complete experience without additional costs, which is a refreshing change in the current gaming landscape. Players appreciate that the game does not pressure them into in-game purchases, allowing for a more immersive and enjoyable experience. Overall, the monetization model is seen as fair and supportive of the game's narrative and gameplay.
- “A good game in the sea of bad microtransactions these days, fun good story.”
- “No microtransactions basically.”
- “Microtransactions: none.”
- “A more malicious incarnation would have offered microtransactions to circumvent the issue, but a better studio would have made the game more fun.”
- “(but in-game purchases will drain your wallet)”
- “Vampyr is a game that would like you to believe that it has given you ample player agency to do as you please in the world with its advertising, its loading screens, and text tutorials telling you how much your choice matters.”