Vampyr
What to Know
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Critics Recommend
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Average Score
- June 5, 2018
- Dontnod Entertainment
- RPG
Total Reviews: 1125
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Critics Consensus
Vampyr has some brilliant ideas and tests your moral compass in an elaborately gloomy version of London. Unfortunately, the game suffers from technical issues, clunky combat, and a story that never truly commits to its core premise.
- In-Game Purchases
Vampyr
- June 5, 2018
- RPG
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Critics Recommend
Critic Reviews: 1125
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WHAT TO KNOW
Critics Consensus
# Reviews: 1125
Vampyr has some brilliant ideas and tests your moral compass in an elaborately gloomy version of London. Unfortunately, the game suffers from technical issues, clunky combat, and a story that never truly commits to its core premise.
Critic Reviews for Vampyr
HIGHLIGHTED CRITICS
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Reviews
High Score - 100/100
Low Score - 40/100
Aoife Wilson (Eurogamer)
Recommended
“Dontnod takes a thrillingly Gothic perspective on early 19th century London, but squanders it in a dreary and indecisive adventure.”
GameCentral (Metro GameCentral)
7/10
“An inspired use of the usual vampire clichés with some fascinating moral decisions to make, that always impact the game world and its combat in unexpected ways.”
Charlie Hall (Polygon)
Recommended
“The easy way out for Dontnod would have been to take the most time-worn tropes from dime store horror novels, season to taste with period melodrama and serve it all up for players to enjoy. Vampyr reaches for more, and I’m very interested to see if the finale does it all justice.”
**Read all 1125 critic reviews on the desktop version of VSG.
Read the Reviews (1125 total)
| Outlet | Author | Score | Date | Quote | Read |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 33bits | Roberto Pineda | 75 / 100 | 06-05-2018 | After the success of Life is Strange, Dontnod dares with an adventure in capital letters. Vampyr is not perfect; It has flaws and questionable design decisions, but its virtues lead it to shine with its own light. | Read review |
| ACG | Jeremy Penter | Recommended | 06-04-2018 | Video Review | Read review |
| Ars Technica | Steven Strom | Not Recommended | 06-06-2018 | A bundle of great ideas and characters, shackled by some abysmal mechanics. Try it, or buy it on sale. | Read review |
| Attack of the Fanboy | Brandon Adams | 3.5 / 5 stars | 10-28-2019 | Vampyr is very ambitious and presents a lot of cool and interesting ideas, but just doesn't quite hit its mark. | Read review |
| AusGamers | Seamus Mullins | 6.8 / 10 | 07-06-2018 | To take the evil path and embrace the vampire side of Jonathan, is to kill what life there is in Vampyr. Although it is important that there are consequences to your actions, some of which do have an immediate impact to the world, there isn't enough to balance it out and make being evil fun or interesting. | Read review |
| BaziCenter | Ehsan Nakhoda | 7.5 / 10 | 06-07-2018 | When it comes to feeling like being a Vampire, Vampyr really shines. Story is great and NPCs play a huge role in gameplay. But the problem is that Vampyr tries to be an all-around, perfect game, and that’s where it starts to fall through, as lame combat and graphical and technical issues prevent it from becoming a hit. | Read review |
| Bazimag | Hossein Sadri | 7 / 10 | 06-18-2018 | Overall, I cant state that I am fully satisfied with Vampyr as the next game from the studio that has made Life is Strange. But this game has many valuable features in it that are worth experiencing. Maybe it can be seen as an unripe fruit that still has a long way to go to be a fully mature product, but can still be enjoyed with some overlooking. And due to this reason, is recommended to all Role-Playing and adventure fans. | Read review |
| Cerealkillerz | Gabriel Bogdan | 8.7 / 10 | 06-04-2018 | Vampyr exceeds all expectations and delivers a thrilling vampire adventure with great storytelling and a gameplay that borrows the right elements from games like Bloodborne. If you can live with some longer loading screens and a missing fast travel option you'll get a well made Action-RPG with lots of enjoyable content. | Read review |
| CGMagazine | Brendan Quinn | 7.5 / 10 | 06-04-2018 | A solid entry in the all-too-small Vampire RPG genre | Read review |
| Chalgyr's Game Room | Robert Risdon | 10 / 10 | 06-20-2018 | Finally, Vampyr is a well thought out story with very real themes, allows play style options, and grips players effortlessly. I appreciate the amazing music, gritty atmosphere, and realism of the game given the time period. Out of ten I'm going to give this game a full score because the lore was done correctly, research was done on legitimate human ailments, and the atmosphere is perfectly portrayed. I love the attention to detail with respect to the posters littered throughout the game. Vampyr's graphics are beautiful, the music and sound are done properly, the story enthralling, and I will be playing this game until its end. | Read review |
| COGconnected | Garrett Drake | 88 / 100 | 06-04-2018 | Witnessing a studio succeed beyond what their audience expects of them is always a pleasure, and DONTNOD Entertainment has done just that with Vampyr. Whether you're intrigued by the idea of stalking London as a bloodthirsty vampire or expressly fancy a rock-solid ARPG, consider sinking your teeth into this gem. | Read review |
| Critical Hit | Alec Brynard | 4 / 10 | 06-13-2018 | Vampyr simply disappoints in too many regards to recommend. | Read review |
| Cubed3 | Renan Fontes | 6 / 10 | 06-04-2018 | Although flawed and at times painfully inconsistent, Vampyr manages to offer relatively engaging gameplay in spite of a lack of overall polish. Combat is stiff and quite mindless, but Jonathan's progression deeper into Vampiredom is handled well and the abilities at his disposal go a long way towards masking some of the more mundane aspects of the battle system. It's more whether or not Jonathan decides to prey on the people of London, and its consequences, that keep the experience fresh. There's a trade off between making Jonathan and keeping districts stable, each one offering their own benefits. There are technical issues, and the performance is lacking on every front, but Vampyr has enough going for it conceptually that it's worth sinking some time into, if only to be a vampire in 20th century London. | Read review |
| Cultured Vultures | Leon Othenin-Girard | 8.5 / 10 | 06-04-2018 | Filled with moral dilemmas and an unexpected strategic depth to its city system, Vampyr is a vampire RPG that isn't afraid to bite back. Although some characters are quite stiff in dialogue, it's still a great game overall with intense confrontations, fast-paced combat and a thrilling story. | Read review |
| DarkZero | Dominic Sheard | 7 / 10 | 06-20-2018 | Fans of Dontnod Entertainment will find plenty to like with how the team has developed this action RPG. If you want a game that delivers an engaging plot, great character building and memorable personalities, while offering choice above the often black and white "choice matter" options, which give a sense that the NPCs have meaning to its world, its characters and the player, then this is for you. | Read review |
| Destructoid | Kevin Mersereau | 6 / 10 | 06-04-2018 | The story may be a tad lackluster, and the combat may be clunky as hell, but Vampyr does offer a compelling adventure for those looking for some blood-sucking fun. It also manages to effectively make you feel like a creature of the night at times. Unfortunately, the frequent technical issues sapped just about every ounce of joy from the experience, leaving this digital world a dry, lifeless husk. | Read review |
| Digiato | Nima Farshin | 70 / 100 | 07-16-2018 | Vampyr is a far cry from perfection and suffers from lack of detailing in almost every aspect of it, but none of this issues are unbearable as long as you enjoy the originality of the story and gameplay. | Read review |
| Digital Chumps | Eric Layman | 8 / 10 | 06-07-2018 | Vampyr drives the desire of the player against the will of its protagonist. It creates sharp edge, and the ensuing conflict has the power to bore, excite, and infuriate an audience. Depending on your admiration (and patience) for its rampant ambition, Vampyr is either an unassuming action game or a garrulous gothic network of austere vampire folklore. | Read review |
| Digitally Downloaded | Matt Sainsbury | 4.5 / 5 stars | 06-18-2018 | Vampyr is the vampire story that I've waited for many, many years for. | Read review |
| DualShockers | Tanner Pierce | 8.5 / 10 | 06-04-2018 | This post contains affiliate links where DualShockers gets a small commission on sales. Any and all support helps keep DualShockers as a standalone, independent platform for less-mainstream opinions and news coverage. | Read review |
| Easy Allies | Michael Huber | 2.75 / 5 stars | 07-17-2018 | Vampyr fails to capitalize on its premise due to an overlong narrative and abysmal combat. | Read review |
| EGM | Emma Schaefer | 8 / 10 | 06-04-2018 | Vampyr walks a fine line between narrative storytelling and action-oriented combat, trying to appeal to fans of both genres and mostly succeeding. Though the game lacks polish in many areas, it stars a clever morality system that entices players towards both good and evil deeds, a well-rounded web of background NPCs, and an intriguing overall narrative of an undead doctor investigating the spread of the Spanish Influenza, making Vampyr a treat for any vampire fan. | Read review |
| Eurogamer | Aoife Wilson | Not Recommended | 06-04-2018 | Dontnod takes a thrillingly Gothic perspective on early 19th century London, but squanders it in a dreary and indecisive adventure. | Read review |
| Expansive | Ray Willmott | 7 / 10 | 06-15-2018 | Vampyr offers a rich playground full of fascinating possibilities. | Read review |
| Fextralife | Fextralife | 6.7 / 10 | 07-04-2018 | I definitely look forward to more Dontnod games, while this one was enjoyable in some parts, if you're looking for a game that has a good combat mechanics you might want to steer clear of this one. | Read review |
| FingerGuns | Sean Davies | 8 / 10 | 06-17-2018 | A number of glitches and the occasional obtuse plot point stop Vampyr from truly exceeding expectations but it’s a well crafted, expertly designed game that’ll likely be talked about for many months to come. | Read review |
| FNintendo | Ulisses Domingues | 7 / 10 | 11-09-2019 | Vampyr puts the player at the centre of a very well written plot where many sub-plots intertwine, with the player's actions seriously affecting the narrative developments that follow. This alone is very much worthy of praise, but the game's gothic atmosphere is outstanding. Vampyr's rather long loading times and occasional unstable performance can feel frustrating at times but the game undoubtedly brings an added value to Nintendo Switch owners. | Read review |
| Game Informer | Joe Juba | 6 / 10 | 06-19-2018 | Vampyr attempts to deliver a gothic fantasy, and while it has bright spots, too much goes wrong to let them shine through | Read review |
| Game Rant | Dalton Cooper | 2.5 / 5 stars | 06-06-2018 | Vampyr delivers top-notch story and atmosphere, but it's held back by serious technical issues, frustrating exploration, and dull, uninspired combat sections. | Read review |
| Game Revolution | Matt Utley | 2.5 / 5 stars | 06-04-2018 | The underlying game mechanics require a certain amount of suspension of disbelief, but those that can will find an entertaining penny dreadful. | Read review |
| Game Volt | Ahmed Hassan | 6.5 / 10 | 06-04-2018 | The most troublesome thing is that the game has big and great chances of success, but it is killed because of some laziness or attention to the side and neglect of another side, maybe if the Combat System was good and fun to describe this game as one of hidden gems of 2018, Although the Social Link is one of the best systems I have ever seen and which competes with a system like the Nemsis System, but like in Shadow of war it has been corrupted and placed in a weaker form that does not rise to its level | Read review |
| Gameblog | Camille Allard | 7 / 10 | 06-05-2018 | Vampyr is a good surprise, with a delightful poetic and gothic atmosphere, a clever story and a satisfying system of choices. Sadly, its combat system is crippled by its locking mechanics especially, and most of the fights are not wall balanced. Despite this, Vampyr is a really good action-RPG. | Read review |
| GameCrate | Justin Woo | 7 / 10 | 06-05-2018 | Vampyr would've been far better as Jonathan Reid's Point and Click Tale of Moral Adversity than what we got, which was essentially Jonathan Reid's Mashy Exercise in Combat Frustration Sparsely Sprinkled With Plot. Games do not need combat sequences if those sequences do not serve the game's themes and story. | Read review |
| Gamefa | Saeed Aghababaie | 8.3 / 10 | 06-06-2018 | VAMPYR without a doubt is one the best action RPG that I’ve played in this generation and it is like a hope light for gamers that are really care for deep and amazing story telling in video games. VAMPYR tells you a unique beautiful deep story and it is the best game that has ever made with the vampires subject. VAMPYR is a mixture of amazing story-telling with various and fun gameplay elements in a dark world. VAMPYR is all about choice and consequence, good and evil, black or white, but in the end you see that everything is gray and maybe it’s all about choose between bad and worst. London is beautifully created in this game and you feel dark and heavy atmosphere of this town and miserable life of its people in every step of the game. VAMPYR also has some graphical issues and long loading pages that may hurt your experience a little bit but in the end, all of this issues are forgivable because VAMPYR has a very long list of amazing and positive points that make you one of your best adventures that you had in an action RPG game with great story, unique art style, replay value, fun gameplay and combat and various gameplay elements and features. VAMPYR is absolutely worth your time and money, So Go drink some fresh blood!! | Read review |
| GameGrin | Ethan Butterfield | 5 / 10 | 06-23-2018 | Vampyr is a game that's mainly focused on telling a good story and developing its characters, which it does respectably. That being said, things such as combat, mission variety, and even hardware, end up getting put to the wayside. All in all, it's a rather bleak experience. | Read review |
| GameMAG | ACE | 6 / 10 | 06-04-2018 | Vampyr did not live up to our expectations and did not reach the level of Life is Strange. So, if If you were expecting another Dontnod masterpiece, you'll be disappointed. If you're interested in setting, then it's probably worth a try, but only at a discount price. | Read review |
| GamePitt | GamePitt | 9 / 10 | 10-30-2019 | Vampyr is a brilliant game from Dontnod which I’m sure is bound to be up for awards in its storytelling, atmosphere, music, and design. Will you embrace the hunger within yourself and devour all of the citizens in order to make yourself stronger, or will you remain mentally strong and resist the urge as you investigate the source of the strange epidemic? It may take you a while to become accustomed to the controls if you’ve not played a Souls-like game before, but once you’re used to them then the game becomes a lot more fun to play. There are many interesting and unique characters to meet, lots of side quests to work through, and tonnes of places to visit as you wander around early 20th century Victorian London in the dead of night. | Read review |
| Gameplanet | Chris Brown | 8 / 10 | 06-06-2018 | Vampyr is a dark and dour adventure that drips atmosphere. Its shortcomings can be easily overlooked by anyone wanting a character-rich journey into darkness. | Read review |
| GamePro | Florian Zandt | 82 / 100 | 06-05-2018 | A small, technically not quite dewy masterpiece: Vampyr is multi-layered, atmospheric and exciting to the last drop. | Read review |
| Gamer Escape | Anthony Moss | 6 / 10 | 06-06-2018 | I yearn to give this game an 8. It fulfills many of its promises and I enjoyed my time with it. However—speaking for my Playstation 4 review copy (v1.02)—when you take the above alongside grammatical errors, UI errors, crashes, continually pausing to load, combat clunk, and perhaps its narrow interpretation of replay value, what could have been minor and forgivable grievances deal some objective damage. | Read review |
| Gamerheadquarters | Jason Stettner | 7.5 / 10 | 06-07-2018 | Vampyr presents an interesting tale that makes you feel like a dark creature of the night. | Read review |
| Gamers Heroes | Blaine Smith | 6 / 10 | 06-07-2018 | Vampyr is a collection of wonderful ideas held back by a limited budget and a dated engine. The lack of expression and emotion on the faces of London's many characters, and often disjointed lines of dialogue, plague any hope of being fully immersed in this dark re-imagining of London. A fluid and well designed combat system, alongside the infinitely appealing aspect of battling with morality as a creature of the night, offer plenty for those looking for a new angle on the vampire story, but for those wanting a more complete experience, it may not make the mark. | Read review |
| Gamersky | 楚楠 | 8 / 10 | 06-08-2018 | The story of Vampyr is as good as a fantastic British drama which contains vivid characters and twisted plots. However, the clumsy gameplay is too bothersome to keep me enjoying the story. | Read review |
| GamesBeat | Anthony John Agnello | 75 / 100 | 06-04-2018 | At no point in Vampyr did I have fun following trails of blood, mixing antiquated remedies out of opium, or bludgeoning some Crucifix wielding goon in a mask for the 50th time. But I was constantly compelled forward to find out what next grim choice it would give me, anxious to spend yet another night in one of its safehouses to see if my efforts to keep London's souls alive another day had worked. | Read review |
| GameSkinny | Mark Delaney | 9 / 10 | 10-28-2019 | Vampyr is a brilliant single-player RPG with deep social mechanics that make playing as a vampire a truly unique and satisfying experience. | Read review |
| GameSpew | Richard Seagrave | 8 / 10 | 10-28-2019 | Vampyr is still a good game on Switch, but it’s not the best way to play it. | Read review |
| GameSpot | Justin Clark | 7 / 10 | 06-04-2018 | Dontnod follows up Life Is Strange with a surprisingly enthralling supernatural thriller. | Read review |
| GamesRadar+ | Leon Hurley | 3.5 / 5 stars | 06-04-2018 | As much a detective story as a horror one, Vampyr rewards you for taking an interest in the people around you and tests your moral compass with a lack of black and white options. | Read review |
| GameWatcher | Chris Capel | 7 / 10 | 06-05-2018 | A compelling story and premise bogged down by some bad design decisions | Read review |
| GameZone | Cade Onder | 7.5 / 10 | 06-05-2018 | It may not be a perfect game but it knows how to execute on its unique premise and gameplay concepts well enough that it's one I can't help but recommend. | Read review |
| Gaming Nexus | Nicholas Leon | 8 / 10 | 06-27-2018 | I want to like this game, I really do. But it's holding me back from doing so. Reading into it, I find a lot of near-depth, but nothing that the game actually employs has much depth to it. There are a ton of amazing aspects that boost the game, but its larger ambitions lies just outside the reach of its execution. But it is worth a try, and an admirable achievement. In truth, I think this game is more a 7.8, but I feel the current rating it has adequately describes its qualities, while acknowledging its flaws. | Read review |
| GamingBolt | Shubhankar Parijat | 8 / 10 | 06-04-2018 | Vampyr may very well be the video game personification of the phrase "diamond in the rough". | Read review |
| GamingTrend | Ron Burke | 85 / 100 | 06-04-2018 | Vampyr manages to deliver on its promise to make choices matter. Every decision has implications that spider out in unseen directions, often far into the future. While there are some wobbles in terms of combat and load times, the engaging storyline and premise carry this title far. | Read review |
| GBAtemp | Pranavsingh Dhunnoo | 8.5 / 10 | 06-12-2018 | 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. | Read review |
| GearNuke | Danial Arshad Khan | 7 / 10 | 06-05-2018 | Vampyr is an ambitious action RPG that manages to sell its basic premise really well. It offers good world building and lore but a weak combat system gets in the way of its compelling story and characters. | Read review |
| Geeks Under Grace | Joe Morgan | 8 / 10 | 07-05-2018 | Vampyr has a few issues, but its top-notch storytelling and voice work drive a dark, intriguing narrative accentuated by memorable characters and a believable world. | Read review |
| God is a Geek | Mick Fraser | 7 / 10 | 06-04-2018 | A compellingly macabre adventure let down by so-so combat and a few niggling flaws | Read review |
| GRYOnline.pl | Krzysztof Mysiak | 6 / 10 | 06-05-2018 | Vampyre's issues lie deep within the core gameplay design. DONTNOD shouldn't have attempted making an RPG. Vampyr would have been much better off as a shorter, adventure or action-adventure production such as Remember Me. It's a great shame that this exquisite artistic vision and superb atmosphere were in the end squandered. | Read review |
| Guardian | Rick Lane | 2 / 5 stars | 06-07-2018 | Pitting you as a doctor turned bloodsucker protecting London from other vampires, this action role-player only fitfully explores its moral setup | Read review |
| Hardcore Gamer | Jordan Helm | 4 / 5 stars | 06-04-2018 | It takes some doing to find a middle-ground between two such conflicting genres, but Dontnod have done a terrific job marrying Adventure and Action RPG elements into a pleasant and modestly cohesive whole. | Read review |
| Heavy | Collin MacGregor | 7.5 / 10 | 06-04-2018 | Vampyr is a bloody good time that is marred by some tedious mechanics and some technical issues. | Read review |
| Hobby Consolas | Javier Sólvez López | 88 / 100 | 10-31-2019 | Even with it's noticeable flaws, Vampyr has the potential to be the new cult gem among vampire lovers. If you can see beyond technical limitations, the story and characters will trap you within their arms and suck until the very last drop of... your time. | Read review |
| IGN | Brandin Tyrrel | 7 / 10 | 06-04-2018 | Vampyr is a slow burn of an RPG, taking its time to ramp up its intriguing blend of science and the supernatural in an elaborately gloomy version of London. When it gets going you can see the potential of the way it offers you more power if you consume its interesting citizens. But Vampyr never commits to this idea to the point where I felt I needed to make that sacrifice to succeed in its relatively simple combat, which leaves it feeling toothless and vulnerable to having a lot of its fun sucked away by technical issues, despite its genuinely engaging story. | Read review |
| IGN Italy | Alessandra Borgonovo | 9 / 10 | 06-05-2018 | Vampyr sets a new standard for Dontnod's already excellent narrative. Combined with a fine action RPG mechanic, it offers an immersive and hard to forget experience. | Read review |
| IGN Middle East | Sameer Monir | 8 / 10 | 06-10-2018 | Vampyr is a game of saturation of the vampire love within us, puts us in positions and makes us think about the dimensions of our choices, and we ask whether we are killing to make our lives easier, or whether we should keep people alive even if they do not deserve it. You will enjoy the stories and the dark game world, but you will not find a combat system that makes you excited to fight, but I will come back to the game again to try new options, like killing all human beings or not killing anyone. | Read review |
| IGN Spain | Jose A. Rodríguez | 8 / 10 | 06-05-2018 | An amazing game full of darkness, vampires and blood in the London of the first quarter of the 20th Century. A great mix of exploration, conversations and hard ecounters with dangerous creatures of the night. | Read review |
| Impulsegamer | Edwin Millheim | 3 / 5 stars | 06-11-2018 | Vampyr is worth digging up out of its crypt and giving it a go. It will satisfy the fans of all things Vampire. | Read review |
| Jump Dash Roll | JD Saltz | 6 / 10 | 11-08-2019 | Vampyr is rich with great characters and story moments, however combat and frustration will be a deterrent to many. | Read review |
| Just Push Start | Grant E. Gaines | 3.65 / 5 stars | 06-05-2018 | Vampyr is a hard game to review, because there is enough to warrant a low score, yet the experience is satisfying enough to make up for this. For better or worse, giving answers and explaining things make it easier to invest in the story, with the conclusion certainly being worth the time. The ability to interact with NPCs, heal them, figure out more about the world and extract new information also adds a lot. It's just, when it comes to gameplay, Vampyr falls short. With loading screens being common when players move too fast, combat often being more about managing stamina, difficulty stemming from how willing are you to kill innocent people and a needlessly frustrating waypoint system, it's easy to get frustrated. With this in mind, anyone looking for a vampire romance story or just want to experience a world filled with answers should consider picking Vampyr up, where as action-RPG or open world fans can probably skip it. | Read review |
| Marooners' Rock | Josh Pedroza | 6.8 / 10 | 06-05-2018 | I can say I’d recommend Vampyr for its unique way of storytelling, but just be sure to get this at a sale or rent. Maybe enough feedback will motivate the developers to come out with a harder difficulty mode that forces players to fully take advantage of it’s Citizen System. | Read review |
| Metro GameCentral | GameCentral | 7 / 10 | 06-05-2018 | An inspired use of the usual vampire clichés with some fascinating moral decisions to make, that always impact the game world and its combat in unexpected ways. | Read review |
| Nerd Much? | Rhys Pugatschew | 9 / 10 | 06-04-2018 | "Victorian vampires have never been so intriguing and exciting as they are in Vampyr." | Read review |
| New Game Network | Ben Thomas | 79 / 100 | 06-04-2018 | Vampyr is a smart action game that poses regular moral dilemmas as you decide to either heal or kill characters in a wonderfully dark city. With decent melee combat and an interesting story, there are not many vampire games that taste as sweet. | Read review |
| Niche Gamer | Michael Winton | 7 / 10 | 07-05-2018 | If you like a good angsty vampire story, Vampyr is worth checking out. The game is well put together, it has some flaws yes but I was pleasantly surprised with it. | Read review |
| Nintendo Enthusiast | Dan Thompson | 8 / 10 | 10-28-2019 | If you're looking for something different this Halloween season, Vampyr is one of the most impressive horror games on the Nintendo Switch. If you're sold on the concept, this game definitely deserves your attention. | Read review |
| Nintendo Life | James Batchelor | 7 / 10 | 10-28-2019 | Vampyr is a brilliant take on the vampire fantasy, focusing more on drama, relationships and inner conflicts than on sucking blood. The temptation at its core can lead to frustration, as the challenging boss fights feel designed to urge you towards killing more innocent NPCs. Anyone attempting a no-kill playthrough may struggle unless they're willing to invest the time, but if you're enjoying the story and characters, it's time well spent. | Read review |
| NintendoWorldReport | Peter Spezia | 7 / 10 | 12-17-2019 | If a stale combat experience wouldn’t distract you from a strong narrative or if you are especially fascinated by the vampire aesthetic and its attached dilemmas, Vampyr might just be worth sinking your teeth into on Nintendo Switch. | Read review |
| NoobFeed | Bogdan Robert Mateș | 60 / 100 | 06-04-2018 | Vampyr is a functional 30-hour diversion with occasional dashes of brilliance, but not much else. | Read review |
| OnlySP | Damien Lawardorn | 3 / 5 stars | 06-03-2018 | From Remember Me through Life is Strange and now to Vampyr, Dontnod Entertainment has striven to introduce new ideas to each genre it dabbles in. However, the team's latest project is also the one in which that desire feels the most diluted. Novel mechanics including the social web and that core conflict between the Hippocratic Oath and vampiric urges hold immense promise for a project to carry weighty consequences, but the potential is never fully achieved in Vampyr. The need to ground these ideas within familiar, saleable gameplay leaves the title lacking. While the game is enjoyable and engaging, the apparent lack of courage in the strength of its more unusual ideas is slightly disheartening, leaving it feeling slightly toothless. | Read review |
| Oyungezer Online | Eser Güven | 8.2 / 10 | 06-25-2018 | Vampyr is vampire game that we've longed for some time and it is one of the best games of the year. I just wish the combat system was a bit more polished. Then I could've said that we were facing a true classic. | Read review |
| Pardis Game | Shahab Zareei | 7.5 / 10 | 07-03-2018 | Vampyr is a dialogue heavy ARPG, and it's these interactions that make the game truly shine. Excellent voice acting and interesting NPCs have made for a truly memorable experience. Unfortunately, Vampyr is also plagued by various bugs and a general lack of polish. While most of these problems are very minor, they are numerous enough to impede the player's experience. Should you choose to look past these issues, you would find Vampyr's dramatic world enjoyable and entertaining. | Read review |
| Paste Magazine | Garrett Martin | 8 / 10 | 06-04-2018 | It can feel faintly embarrassing one moment, and then do something unexpected and with surprising confidence just a few seconds later. There's probably an equal chance that you'll hate it or love it. In an industry that constantly obsesses on trends and often disrespects the taste and intelligence of its audience, Vampyr is as refreshing and anomalous as Dontnod's other cult games. | Read review |
| PC Gamer | Andy Kelly | 68 / 100 | 06-04-2018 | There are some brilliant, original ideas in here, but Vampyr tries to do too much at once and suffers for it. | Read review |
| PCGamesN | Ian Boudreau | 7 / 10 | 06-04-2018 | What's struck me most about my time with Vampyr is that it manages to turn you into a predator through its mechanics as much as it does with its storytelling. It does collapse under its own weight by the end, but the fact that it so effectively seduces you, almost trance-like, into roleplaying a villain makes it worth biting into. | Read review |
| Player2.net.au | Matt Hewson | Recommended | 06-04-2018 | A beautifully told gothic tale with interesting skill systems and some fun combat is only let down by window dressing and a location that feels like a stage and not an actual city. Vampyr might not be the game of the year, but it is certainly going to be one of the most interesting titles we see in 2018 and, sales permitting, a title that will only get better in future sequels. | Read review |
| PlayStation LifeStyle | Paulmichael Contreras | 8.5 / 10 | 06-04-2018 | Sluggish combat aside, Vampyr will provide hours of blood-sucking entertainment. You can be the vampire you always wanted to be, as ruthless or benevolent as you desire. Weighty life-or-death decisions all but ensure that players will want to run through the campaign multiple times to see how things would play out differently by killing or saving certain individuals, or by upgrading certain abilities earlier or later. Vampyr is a cinematic, single-player experience well worth your time and money. A harrowing adventure await those who are willing to sink their time into Vampyr. | Read review |
| PlayStation Universe | Neil Bolt | 8 / 10 | 06-04-2018 | There's no denying that Vampyr has some mighty rough edges to it and combat that is decent, but unspectacular. Yet there's a delicious sense of place to it that makes it undeniably interesting to get stuck into. Many of the game's flaws melt away as you get lost in the moody grime of this alternate version of wartime London. | Read review |
| Polygon | Charlie Hall | Recommended | 06-04-2018 | The easy way out for Dontnod would have been to take the most time-worn tropes from dime store horror novels, season to taste with period melodrama and serve it all up for players to enjoy. Vampyr reaches for more, and I'm very interested to see if the finale does it all justice | Read review |
| PowerUp! | Leo Stevenson | 7.8 / 10 | 06-04-2018 | Vampyr, from Life is Strange dev DONTNOD, is a unique beast. It plays with some interesting, and often great, ideas, but it never quite bites down. Choosing instead to play with its food rather than embracing the sumptuous meal on offer. | Read review |
| Press Start | James Berich | 7 / 10 | 06-17-2018 | Vampyr is another fantastic concept from DONTNOD that falters ever so slightly in its execution. The story, the world and its characters are all oddly compelling, despite some visual and technical shortcomings. Despite its issues, Vampyr is a rare instance in a game where I felt like my choices meant something and had consequences. It's a huge shame that repetitive combat and exploration means it doesn't keep up that momentum from beginning to end. | Read review |
| PSX Brasil | Júlio César Souza Pires | 85 / 100 | 06-04-2018 | Vampyr is an excellent game. It manages to place RPG and adventure elements together in a good way, and delivers an interesting story, giving an idea of how the life of a vampire in a doctor's body would be. Although it has problems, they are not so significant to make the player put the game away. Vampyr is not going to be the game of the year, but it truly deserves your attention. | Read review |
| Push Square | Glen Fox | 6 / 10 | 06-04-2018 | Vampyr has a ton of interesting ideas, an intriguing world, and a great cast of characters, but is ultimately let down by its narrow-minded focus on unnecessary combat. | Read review |
| Rely On Horror | Destiny Maddox | 7 / 10 | 06-05-2018 | Rarely are games as beautiful and lovingly crafted as Vampyr. Jonathan's quest to find his place in a world gone mad is haunting and worthwhile, in spite of a combat system from the bowels of hell. | Read review |
| Reno Gazette-Journal | Jason Hidalgo | 7.5 / 10 | 06-13-2018 | With a protagonist seeking to balance his dark instincts with his remaining humanity, it's interesting how Vampyr faces an inner struggle of its own. On one hand, the storytelling is excellent, delivering another great narrative from DONTNOD that forces players to make tough choices. On the other hand, the combat is a bit uneven and doesn't quite reach the same heights. It certainly has promise, though, and hopefully marks a return by DONTNOD to making games that add action to its narrative touch. | Read review |
| Rock, Paper, Shotgun | Alec Meer | Recommended | 06-04-2018 | I'm left frustrated that Vampyr falls short of truly combining a smart choose-your-own-adventure game with a meaty action one. | Read review |
| Rocket Chainsaw | Adam Ghiggino | 3.5 / 5 stars | 06-04-2018 | Tying hard moral decisions to real gameplay in a compelling open-world RPG is an ambitious goal, and it’s one that Vampyr achieves to an extent. | Read review |
| RPGamer | Zack Webster | 3.5 / 5 stars | 08-15-2018 | For those looking for a unique, dread-filled experience in the RPG realm, Vampyr offers a type of game seldom seen. But much like the streets of 1918 London, expect a few bumps along the way. | Read review |
| Saudi Gamer | نواف النغموش | 7 / 10 | 06-09-2018 | Vampyr managed to create a rich story, but it falls short when it come to translating it to fun gameplay. Which makes me think how the game will be if it just focused solely on the story. | Read review |
| Saving Content | Justin Celani | 4 / 5 stars | 10-28-2019 | Vampyr on the Switch is another quality port in my eyes. It took a game I never expected to be able to have on handheld and transformed it into an experience more players can now excess. The core concepts of the original release are retained here and only expected technically issues arise. While Vampyr seems to be a title that’s always had a bit of mixed reception, I feel the same will follow on the Switch release. Yet I find sometimes these are some of the most interesting games released. Now I can take my vampire skills on the go and in the night. If players can enjoy Vampyr on other systems, I say go for it as it’s a cheaper price. If the Switch is the only system or it’s a one for the road, I still highly recommend Vampyr, its one dark tale worth taking in your pocket. | Read review |
| SelectButton | Kevin Mitchell | 8 / 10 | 06-04-2018 | Although Vampyr's combat system is thoroughly satisfying, it's the dark atmosphere and narrative that genuinely makes the game a must-have. Your choices define the experience, altering a world full of discovery and intrigue all around you. Do you give in to your blight and feast upon the weak and unworthy inhabitants of London or do you become their salvation? It should take you anywhere from 20-30 hours to complete the narrative, but if you want to see all of the possible endings, you'll have to play through multiple times, altering your choices and decisions regarding the lives of the citizens. | Read review |
| Shacknews | Charles Singletary | 7 / 10 | 06-05-2018 | The developers did a lot of work to keep the immersion intact, like not allowing me to use abilities while in areas with NPCs for instance. This makes the map feel unnaturally bare when moving between districts and also makes one particular series of option quests feel off. Occasionally, I came across helpless humans that I had to save from enemy creatures. When I did so, the NPCs didn't seem to have noticed that I totally vamp'd out and ripped their assailants apart. | Read review |
| Sirus Gaming | Leif Rey Bornales | 7 / 10 | 07-18-2018 | Overall, the game is enjoyable when you don’t encounter the game breaking bugs which more than often happens and it can be frustrating when they do. Even in the current patch when I tried to update the game, those bugs have still not been quelled. I hope that in the future that they can fix the PlayStation port because I feel like they did not really give that much attention to it and just focused their resources more on the PC release. | Read review |
| Slant Magazine | Steven Scaife | 2.5 / 5 stars | 06-04-2018 | Rather than going for size in the character roster, Dontnod might have done better to shoot for complexity. | Read review |
| Softpedia | Cosmin Vasile | 7 / 10 | 07-29-2018 | Ultimately, Vampyr is definitely a game worth playing, even if just for the moral choices and the fine character building Dontnod managed to achieve. Don't get this one if you're expecting a combat-heavy RPG with your favorite vampire character. | Read review |
| SomHráč.sk | Martin Černický | 85 / 100 | 06-05-2018 | Vampyr is a must-play for all fans of vampires and very good AA RPGs. The French developers from Dontnod Entertainment have done it once again. | Read review |
| SpazioGames | Marcello Paolillo | 8.5 / 10 | 11-26-2019 | In Vampyr your choices have a strong impact on the story, the game diffculty, the skills you can acquire and many other parameters. Dontnod has given proof of an impressive care for writing and dialogues, and has given special attention to many cultural, sociological, anthropological and historical themes of the early '900. | Read review |
| TechRaptor | Robert Grosso | 6 / 10 | 06-04-2018 | Vampyr has a lot of good ideas, but its execution is sorely lacking in most areas. It is a game that is competent in terms of its systems, but ultimately fairly boring to play. | Read review |
| The Game Fanatics | Eva Escribano | 7.4 / 10 | 07-01-2018 | Vampyr is worth your time if you forgive some of its big shortcomings and put your attention on its strengths. It seems to me like a beacon of light in a gaming era where full single-player RPG games are becoming more scarce by the minute. | Read review |
| The Jimquisition | Jim Sterling | Recommended | 06-08-2018 | Video Review | Read review |
| TheSixthAxis | Aran Suddi | 6 / 10 | 06-04-2018 | Much like its early 20th century setting, Vampyr feels like a bit of a throwback to a past age of action RPGs. In a time where the genre is evolving Vampyr holds on to past ideas for much of its tenure, and it doesn't have a story strong enough to overcome that fact. The world itself is ripe for lots of stories to be told within, with Dontnod having done a good job with world building, but while Vampyr isn't a bad game, nor is it as great as it could be. | Read review |
| Thumbsticks | Joshua Wise | 3 / 5 stars | 06-25-2018 | A vivid sense of time and place, and a fantastic central idea, soon turn pale with repetitive combat and a forest of conversation trees. But what's here is different, and spells good things for the understocked vampire genre's future. | Read review |
| TrueAchievements | Ethan Anderson | 3.5 / 5 stars | 06-19-2018 | The gameplay inconveniences are easier to overlook than the rush of endgame exposition, but both of these issues are slightly outweighed by the narrative hits, which come along more frequently than the game's misses. | Read review |
| Twinfinite | Alex Gibson | 4 / 5 stars | 06-04-2018 | Ultimately, the sum of Vampyr's emphasis on story, combat, and progression combine to produce a video gaming experience that will appeal to those outside the RPG and adventure genres that it seeks to combine. My hope is that it finds its audience so that we might yet again see Dr. Reid on an even grander scale in the future. | Read review |
| Unboxholics | Νικόλαος Δερλός | Recommended | 11-15-2019 | Vampyr is worth experiencing in general and the Switch port is a fine way to do so. | Read review |
| USgamer | Hirun Cryer | 3 / 5 stars | 06-04-2018 | Vampyr unfortunately flounders after building some solid foundations in the opening hours. London feels like a city on a knife edge, and the citizens prove to be an inviting cast of creative characters. But Vampyr then lures you into sacrificing these characters, cutting out a key part of the game, all to have a hope of standing up to the horrors that await you in the shadows of London. | Read review |
| VG247 | Marshall Lemon | Recommended | 06-04-2018 | Vampyr is an ambitious masterpiece with forgivable flaws | Read review |
| VGChartz | Jackson Newsome | 6 / 10 | 07-18-2018 | It will satisfy fans of the genre, but if you weren’t convinced just by looking at the game’s title, Vampyr might be a tough sell. | Read review |
| VideoGamer | Alice Bell | 7 / 10 | 06-04-2018 | Vampyr serves delicious ladles of angst and drama with a hearty slice of excellent, morally grey choice system that will genuinely surprise you, all wrapped up in a wonderfully gloomy London. It's just a shame the combat turns a bit sour. | Read review |
| Washington Post | Christopher Byrd | Recommended | 06-07-2018 | "Vampyr" is a game with one foot in the grave and one on solid ground. Though the game's combat feels rooted in the past, learning its citizens' secrets and uncovering their social networks makes for an alluring proposition in our age of oversharing. | Read review |
| Wccftech | Rosh Kelly | 8 / 10 | 06-04-2018 | Dontnod worked hard to create an immersive, dark world to explore and it succeeds in doing so. Despite some boring conversations, most of the world of Vampyr is an exciting, dangerous place and if nothing else, being a vampire in here is also very fun. | Read review |
| We Got This Covered | David Morgan | 2.5 / 5 stars | 06-04-2018 | Vampyr competently displays an understanding of combat, dialogue, and narrative choice, but it never rises above mediocrity, and is an utter failure on a technical level. The aesthetic of the world is the best thing on display, but beyond it lies a derivative title that fails to leave a lasting impression. | Read review |
| WellPlayed | Kieran Stockton | 7.5 / 10 | 06-04-2018 | If you can fight your way through some technical issues, a good story and interesting action RPG mechanics can make for a bloody good time | Read review |
Game Info
GAME INFO
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Game Description / Storyline:
Vampyr is set in early 20th century Britain as the country is gripped by the lethal Spanish flu and the streets of London are crippled by disease, violence and fear. In a disorganized and ghostly city, those foolish, desperate, or unlucky enough to walk the streets lay prey to Britain’s most elusive predators: the vampires. Emerging from the chaos, a tormented figure awakens. You are Jonathan E. Reid, a high-ranking military surgeon transformed into a vampire upon his return home from the frontline.
RELEASE DATES:
DEVELOPER(S):
- Dontnod Entertainment
PUBLISHER(S):
- Focus Home Interactive
GENRES:
- RPG
SERIES/FRANCHISE:
- n/a
GAME MODES:
- Single player
GAME ENGINE:
- -
DLC:
- Vampyr: The Hunters Heirlooms (Jun 5, 2018)
BUNDLED IN:
- -
DIRECTOR(S):
- -
PRODUCER(S):
- -
DESIGNER(S):
- -
PROGRAMMER(S):
- -
ARTIST(S):
- -
WRITER(S):
- -
COMPOSER(S):
- -
Detailed Information
GAME MODES:
- Single player
GAME ENGINE:
- n/a
DLC:
- Vampyr: The Hunters Heirlooms (Jun 5, 2018)
BUNDLED IN:
- n/a
DIRECTOR(S):
- n/a
PRODUCER(S):
- n/a
DESIGNER(S):
- n/a
PROGRAMMER(S):
- n/a
ARTIST(S):
- n/a
WRITER(S):
- n/a
COMPOSER(S):
- n/a
Developed by Dontnod Entertainment. All titles, content, brand names, trademarks, logos, artwork, and associated imagery are trademarks and/or copyright material of their respective owners. © All rights reserved.
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