In atmospheric new screenshots, Dontnod Entertainment shows off the gloom and doom of upcoming action RPG Vampyr’s Edwardian London setting.
Dontnod Entertainment is responsible for Remember Me and Life is Strange. Vampyr marks an abrupt turn of mood for the studio. Set in 1918 as London is gripped by the Spanish flu epidemic, you play as newly formed vampire Jonathan Reid, once a doctor sworn to heal, now a bloodthirsty beast who must kill to survive.
Killing isn’t optional: chomping on the populace of London is the basis of character progression, allowing you to unlock your supernatural vampire, uh, Vampyr powers. Some of those powers include persuasion, survivability (I’m guessing health or endurance boosts), movement and combat.
“And this decision won't be without consequences,” warns a press release for Vampyr. “Killing one person will create a rippling effect on London's ecosystem and you will have to live with both the repercussions and their death on your conscience. Decide to feed on a renowned doctor from the city hospital, and progressively see the health condition of the patients drop.”
The whole time, the player tries to understand their new affliction. The plot is described as a quest of “intuition, discoveries and struggles” that’s “filled with death and drama, while your attempt to stem the irrepressible thirst that constantly drives you to take human lives.” Classic vampire tropes about the vanishing humanity of a monster permeate the narrative, Anne Rice-style: “As you cling to what remains of your humanity, your decisions will ultimately shape the fate of your hero while searching for answers in the coughing, foggy aftermath of the Spanish Flu.”
Game features include “a wide range of crafted weapons and powerful Vampire abilities to defeat a large and unique bestiary.” The dark new screens for Vampyr certainly encapsulate another selling point of Vampyr: the dismal chaos of its setting. Check out the new screenshots below:
Vampyr releases later this year on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC, and will also be present at E3 2016.
