The story takes us back to 1918, when the infamous influenza pandemic of 1918, dubbed the Spanish flu, ravaged Europe and the streets of London were filled with violence and fear. We take on the role of a man named Jonathan Reid, a respected military surgeon who returns from the front lines of the first world war on a personal mission to help those affected by the disease and find a way to stop the deadly epidemic. But during the journey home, our hero is unexpectedly bitten by a vampire. From then on he has to deal not only with the outbreak, but also with his new nature and his growing lust for blood, which leads him to make many difficult moral choices that can significantly affect the course of the story.
In terms of game mechanics, we can say that it's a pretty typical action RPG. During the game we wander through the dark streets of London, complete many main and side quests and talk to the NPCs we encounter. Most of the time, however, we'll encounter mortal enemies, which can prove to be different types of vampires or other mutants, as well as hunters who can use a wider variety of weapons and even traps. The combat takes place in real time and we can use both physical strength and firearms, as well as the typical "vampire" skills that we develop throughout the story. Of course, as expected from a game about bloodsuckers, there's also an important requirement to regain our dwindling strength by drinking the blood of our victims. Anyone can be our prey, whether in a fight or during exploration.
Throughout the game, we often have to make difficult decisions about which NPC will be our next victim, as once killed a character disappears completely and their absence can prevent us from completing certain missions and affect the ending of the game. We also have to be extremely careful not to arouse suspicion about our second nature among the civilian population, meaning it is not enough to simply bite the first person we encounter. Often, we may have to do time-consuming research about our potential victim, their habits and relationships with other characters.
When it comes to graphics, Vampyr is developed by Unreal Engine 4, which offers high-quality visuals. The developers from the Dontnod studio have managed to combine typical action RPG mechanics with the distinctive character of the dark times of a Spanish Flu pandemic and the unique atmosphere of classic vampire movies. The game has an average of 30-40 hours of gameplay. It also has four different endings that change according to the choices made.
