[Review] – Vampire | Indie Ranger

Vampire by WRF Studios is a unique action-adventure game where the player hacks and slices through hordes of enemies while controlling Vampire gentleman named Raven. There is enough here for any vampire lover to sink their teeth into.

The game mostly follows the usual hack-slash rules with some RPG mechanics. Spend your time running through the different zones, smashing containers that carry different loot and killing enemies, which come in several varieties. Each enemy killed gives XP which will eventually level up Raven, which gives a few attribute points and a skill point. Leveling up feels far and wide, so it’s up to the player to carefully choose which skills meet their priorities.

Where Vampire really shows that the taste is in all the little extra mechanics that William, the sole creator of WRF adds. A relatively common item is Elemental Stones, which come in variants such as fire and poison. Place them next to each other in your inventory and they will light up, giving Raven extra stone-type damage.

Vampire also features puzzles both in environmental design and small mini-games that if completed provide additional rewards. Usually these are in the vein of consumable bloodstones that allow Raven to use her healing ability and elemental stones. The most common are the digging quests, these involve matching glyphs that are picked up to explore the world and kill monsters. Be careful though, because if Raven makes a mistake when placing a glyph, it’s impossible to get it back.

The boss fights, and there are several, all have mechanics unique to them. In the end, Raven still beats most of them by stabbing them to death, but with different attack patterns and generally being fun to stick out of the way, it remains fun.

Players who jump in expecting a straight forward hack and slash are in for a bit of a surprise. Although linear, each level is larger than one might expect, with hidden doors and treasure chests hidden in various nooks and crannies. These treasures can really make the experience more rewarding, so it is highly recommended that Raven explore as much of the castle as he can.

Visually, each zone is different, but outside of a select few, they all seem to blend together as a series of hallways and dungeons that rise and fall on your way through.

The game’s writing is classically campy and cheesy, but still has enough detail that it’s clear WRF chose every minute of it with purpose. Players familiar with the Vampire: Masquerade series of games will notice little details about deeper vampire stories, but which show that the development team is a genuine fan of classic vampire mythos in all its glory. The action is simple but is exactly what it needs to be, only there to propel the player and the raven towards their goal. In the end, it’s love it or hate it.