Vampyr, Dontnod’s upcoming vampire RPG set during the interwar years, is nearing its release date in June, and the developers have released a new trailer, this time focusing on the game’s combat. Vampyr sees an army surgeon turned into and undead blood-sucker, and returns from the Great War to a London infested by all manner of eldritch beings.
Based on the trailer, we now know what kind of combat to expect from the game. Jonathan Reid, the protagonist, is hardly invincible in spite of being a vampire, and based on how often Jonathan is dodging attacks, he might be outright vulnerable. There is an entire sequence that highlights a wounded Jonathan teleporting out of harms way to heal himself by feasting on a random citizen, which seemingly emphasizes the importance of this. That said, when offensive abilities are shown off, it’s clear that the character can deal out serious punishment, so he may be a glass-cannon type of fighter.
This also seems to be the first time unedited, real gameplay footage is shown. The UI is clean and unobtrusive, at least in combat. There is no HUD of any kind present, only contextual health-bars appearing over the heads of enemies. These show the enemy character’s level, their health bar (represented by how much blood they still have in their bodies) and stamina.
Jonathan’s attack animations are fairly visceral. Instead of using weapons, he summons what may be best described as “blood holograms” of sharp claws around his hands with which he shreds up enemies in an explosion of gibs. Feeding on enemies mid-combat to restore health is also present as a mechanic, surprising absolutely no-one, and we get our first glimpse of a werewolf enemy in the game.
Vampyr will be released on the 5th of June, 2018.
