A Complete Critique of Vampyr

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Күн бұрын

Пікірлер: 102

@kaldini Ай бұрын

If you enjoyed this video and are interested in hearing my thoughts on the follow up game: Banishers Ghosts of New Eden, you can find the video on my page or by clicking the link below. kzbin.info/www/bejne/fZa1gpaslLlsm8U

@ashleyyoung2597 8 ай бұрын

This game is way better then people give it credit. The dialogue is crazy good. Just listening to NPCs in the background give hints to quests. Plus the fact that you can fail dialogue without save scumming is great. You need to listen to everyone's emotions. Great game. Who cares about the combat. If that's what your into then your playing the wrong type of game.

@areon9573 2 ай бұрын

I thought this too, but after replaying it, I realized some dialog gets increasingly inconsistent. Especially with Harriet. She'll say "this isn't pain I feel," or "They try to feed me, but I'm just not hungry," and in the same string of dialog, she will talk about the pain being unbearable or being fed. She's calmer than ever with the Skals but Jonathan will insist she's driven violent like a raving lunatic when you talk to Sean

@w0ckhardt 2 ай бұрын

@@areon9573Thas just Harriet speaking in tongues it makes sense because she’s a skal but she’s hungry because she needs human meat or vampire blood but not normal human food and she’s probably tired of living

@xTheOneToSaveUsAllx Жыл бұрын

So when I heard of aggravated damage by sunlight, I went "oh like in the tabletop game" since the World of Darkness also uses aggravated damage. Then when Embrace was brought up, I also went "oh like in the tabletop game" since Vampire the Masquerade used this term for turning someone into a vampire. Then it was explained and I can't help but think about the people who also were into tabletop games, would fast forward the embrace explanation because they thought they knew what it was, chose to do it and then went "Wait wtf, he's dead?!". That would be one heck of game experience.

@AnIdiotsLantern 10 ай бұрын

Playing this game to fill the “Bloodlines 2” sized hole in my life was a trip. What with the “legally distinct not Brotherhood of St Leopold” who the human vampire fanboy belongs to, and the “Legally distinct not Camarilla” that Lord Redgrave runs. Also “Ekon” is a lame substitute for “Kindred.” Kindred is just a better word for it

@RedSpade37 7 ай бұрын

Yeah, I'm not sure why they chose those words. In any other work, Embrace means to "turn someone into a Vampire" or "Grant them the Dark Gift" or "Work the Dark Trick upon them" etc. It's never meant "Kill someone by feeding on them to the point of their death" Potato, Potato, I guess.

@AnIdiotsLantern 7 ай бұрын

My comment disappeared what did I even say

@daniellins4114 3 ай бұрын

@@RedSpade37I’m guessing it was maybe an homage. There were a couple other terms too, as well as the ocasional line of dialogue that would mention how “life is strange”

@joshshin6819 3 ай бұрын

im pretty sure the writers of this game were def inspired by Vampire the Masquerade. It was way too close to that games lore than i expected but also enjoyed.

@PlaidSuitPinstripeWorld Жыл бұрын

My fondest memory of this game is when i trusted a dude that was eating human remains in some dark basement... My reasoning was "hes acting TOO evil it cant be THAT obvious, im gonna trust him" Then like half the map ended up diseased and everyone died. Lesson learned 😂

@StephenxTehxLefty 11 ай бұрын

I trusted the priest. Never again.

@AnIdiotsLantern 10 ай бұрын

My fondest memory was when I found the Nurse and I could either screw her over, make her dead, or use vampire powers to wipe her memory. And I thought, good, my vampire powers will actually help save someone for once! She’ll keep being a nurse and the vampire lady will be safe. Win win! And uh It didn’t work out that way. I maintain it was an accident, I’m a new vampire, I didn’t know I could do that! But damn did I have an emotional reaction to that. I was so determined to save whitechapel. I went to sleep thinking I’d done it. I hadn’t done it. Oof.

@daniellins4114 3 ай бұрын

Thank god for my trust issues

@sev1120 2 ай бұрын

@@AnIdiotsLanternYou end up rendering her catatonic and helpless, which is honestly a fate worse than death. I had an evil playthrough start with mindwiping her, and after seeing the consequences he decided that the only way to stop it from happening again was to make their deaths quick

@crispyshadow3729 8 ай бұрын

I think if not for Vampyr's esthetic I wouldn't have played, I personally don't mind the combat because of the little things like dashing around and I personally love all the powers because i cant think of another game where you can blood bend a target or hold someone down to get butt penatrated by a shadow, I don't think the game is supposed challenge you very much because narrativly speaking you seem to be one of the powerful vampires in London so who really could stop but yourself and I really like that. All the problems you mentioned 100% agree with and I would like a improvement cause that mesmerize lvl is super limiting, I don't know why they even put in hard mode where the npcs have specific powers yet at low lvl you can't even have a good select of targets seems like an oversight.

@RedSpade37 7 ай бұрын

Yeah, the Mesmer Level mechanic is unfortunate, for sure. Part of choosing to be evil should be pragmatism: Eat too many people too fast, and the district falls, locking you out from having a chance to eat the rest of the citizens. The Mesmer Level kinda forces this upon you anyway, and I don't exactly like that. Kinda weird. Lots of strange choices with this game.

@LowResCatExplosion Ай бұрын

52:40 the moment when Jonathan asks Elizabeth "Am I repellant unto heaven" and she basically responds with "eh don't worry about it" was a super dumb moment. What the fuck do you mean don't worry about it? I'd be panicking like never before if I were him

@Jan_Iedema 7 ай бұрын

I love a little lore tidbit where it’s described how vampires don’t die when exposed to the sun but slowly crumble to a blackened skeleton only to regenerate when the sun goes down. It’s a horrifically painful experience and to me it’s a perfect blend between the original literary vampires not having any weakness to sunlight and the now cliche turning to ashes when exposed to the sun. 10:38 and its mentioned 4 minutes later 😂😂

@guga5708156 8 ай бұрын

Very good but I disagree with being punished for being a vampire, since you are rewarded by it: - Killing people makes you a stronger vampire, specially if you are evil, serving like a curse and lost of humanity - Trying to resist it is possible but lets you weaker, you struggle in game because he is struggling against the curse What you cant is be a vampire hero, since killing anyone even if they are bad, is morally gray on human society and would in theory strengthen your curse.

@sev1120 2 ай бұрын

And it even emphasises that in thw game. The firsy person you can drink dry is a criminal who nobody will miss, but after that first drink everyone is either entirely innocent or needed to prevent someone else dying or becoming a monster. You CAN get the blood you need from rats, and the xp to improve yourself from the people who attack you first, but in the end there's no bloodless way to resolve the conflict.

@squirrelthegamer8483 Ай бұрын

I think you’re missing what makes this thing work. The health of the city. If you kill people to increase your power, the city will rot. If you choose to try and save as many people as you can, you’ll struggle. That’s the moral temptation. That’s the thirst for blood and humanitarian conflict. Do you embrace being a powerful vampire who drains the life from everyone around you or do you try to keep humanity alive within and outside of your soul? It’s often in life and in stories that the easier path is often unhealthy and dangerous. It’s easier to take revenge than to forgive. To point the finger than accept responsibility. It’s easier to lash out than keep your composure, it’s easier to try and enforce your will than make compromises with others. It’s easier to be a vampire than a doctor during a plague. I think they made almost the best choice balancing morality in this game. Only thing I think should’ve been changed was considering killing evil people as evil. It rids the game of nuisance and it would’ve been awesome if killing certain characters would increase the health of the city and keeping them alive would keep it from reaching peak stability or end up getting other, better people killed if too much time lingers. Give us some nuanced moral balancing act to figure our way through ya’know?

@kaldini Жыл бұрын

Ten points to whoever can figure out the theme of the chapter titles and can give me specifics of where each comes from

@babouinou2616 3 ай бұрын

I think Nurse Crane turned into a vampire not because of Jonathan mesmerizing her with a lower charm level, but because Crane's clinic was filled with patients suffering from the spanish flu, like Razvan ( i dont remember his name ) that we failed to save, that presented some signs that he was turning into a skal before dying ( surely that he dying during his transformation while becoming a vampire ). And we see that spanish flu and vampirism is correlated later in the game. So i think it makes sense that she transforms, what doesnt is that she stays a human if we choose not to embrace nor charm her. Maybe the fact she is mind breaked if we mesmerize her made her totally lose consciousness and didnt pay attention whether she should protect herself from sick patients.

@ДенисМуфтахов-г6и Жыл бұрын

Dude, this is really stellar video, you have very soothing pleasant voice Do not give up, your channel will blow up sooner or later

@rodi3332 7 ай бұрын

I stopped playing at chapter 3 right before you find Sean, I'm glad I happened upon this video. Because while the setting and the plot was interesting, I couldn't stand the actual gameplay mechanics. Great video!

@chidzhustle3570 7 ай бұрын

Can't wait to watch this over my next three meals. Loved vampyr, ambitious and innovative social circle/pillar structure, even enjoyed the combat, very curious what the critique will be like

@kaldini 7 ай бұрын

Let me know your thoughts once you finish it.

@chidzhustle3570 7 ай бұрын

@@kaldinidefinitely will! So far very good analysis, your suggestions on how to improve the systems and specific embrace/turn choices are incredibly fitting and a bit bittersweet they weren’t originally in the game

@grahamthomas6389 Жыл бұрын

High quality content as always!!! Thanks magician kaldini!!

@zb5902 Жыл бұрын

kaldini strikes again with a top tier video

@nightangelx1513 6 ай бұрын

your section on mesmerizing Dorothy and the way it's not explained to the character are spot on. On my second playthrough I attempted a Paragon run, and got punished for selecting the non lethal option. I felt the game cheated me and never progressed after that section.

@cvl9053 5 ай бұрын

There was a document that was about dangers of vampire's hypnosis. I think either somewhere at Pembroke or at the Old Morgue, there was an article about Ekons that focuses on vampiric abilities such as unnatural speed, blood sense and mesmerism. In the last part you can read that the more the victim of mesmerism resists, the more damage to their psyche will be done. Nurse Crane was resisting Jonathan. We can see the similar broken mind in Emelyne Reid, after confrontation with Mary she is broken. Because we see her behaving normally during Mary's funeral and after "she was found wandering around by the police" she starts to slip mentally. Mary mesmerized her and broke her mind.

@demoney5897 10 ай бұрын

I may disagree with the soothing voice bit, but your insight and understanding of the games you discuss is enough to keep me watching and coming back. I appreciate how well-structured your reviews/analysis are

@ivanvoloder8114 5 ай бұрын

Started playing the game yesterday and fro first immpresion I realy like it. In the game you are a vampire, but also a doctor, detective, forensic. I dont know why but I was allways facinated by the Victorian era also the music theme is dark and sinister which I realy like. I play this game only at night because it gives a better feeling. So far I realy like it.

@WestyDesign Жыл бұрын

I went back through the backlog to 100% this one earlier this year; wasn't great nor terrible. Could definitely use a sequel to find its footing

@kaldini Жыл бұрын

Hopefully their new game Banishers built off of Vampyr's foundation.

@RedSpade37 7 ай бұрын

Yeah, it needs a sequel. I'm slowy slogging my way through my first playthrough, and I'm close to the end, but it's starting to gnaw away at me. Never have I felt so 50/50 about a game before. My original plan was to play the game twice, once as super evil eat-everyone, and then again with a super good no-embrace. But... If I finish my current run, I'll probably move on to something else and hope for a sequel. If it wasn't a vampire game, I seriously doubt I would have given this game a chance, let alone attempt to finish it. At any rate, good video!

@kaldini 5 ай бұрын

Did you end up finishing your playthrough? What were you final thoughts? I enjoyed my evil, embrace everyone playthrough much more than the good one.

@RedSpade37 5 ай бұрын

@@kaldini I did finish, thank you for asking! The biggest hurdle I faced was frequent crashes. I would have enjoyed another playthrough, ultimately, but the crashing causes my graphics card to go into safe mode, so I end up having to restart my computer. But gameplay-wise, it wasn't bad, it just feels a bit undercooked. I really wish the developers would have had more time to perfect the systems they made, because there's lots of interesting ideas. All in all, I'm glad I played it, since I'm a big fan of vampires and vampire games. And yeah, your video is great!

@kaldini 5 ай бұрын

@@RedSpade37 Agreed on the vampire aspect. Their spiritual successor Banishers kind of continues to develop the world and lore of the universe but I think ended up being worse than Vampyr. Any other vampire or monster/occulty games you'd recommend?

@RedSpade37 5 ай бұрын

@@kaldini Well, I've always contended that a heavily-modded install of Skyrim with plenty of vampire mods can be one of the best "vampire immersion sims" available, especially with the ones where you can't drink potions or eat food and all of that, and if you go too long without blood, you turn to ash. Kind of like a vampire version of Survival mode in Skyrim and Fallout. Other than that, there's always Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines, with the fan patches. Pretty fun ride. But if you're looking for something much different, there's a DLC for Stellaris that adds an "Origin" called The Necrophage, which is basically Vampires in Space, but Stellaris is notoriously complex (it's kinda like Civilization, but much more complicated), and despite my best efforts, I'm very bad at it, haha, but vampires trying to take over the whole universe is such a neat concept, I had to at least try. For Occult games, you can't go wrong with Eternal Darkness, even if it hasn't aged the best. It even has a vampire in it!

@kaldini 5 ай бұрын

@@RedSpade37 Have you looked into V Rising at all?

@satyasyasatyasya5746 9 ай бұрын

really enjoyed this. hope for more! :)

@roytomasvillasor9228 Жыл бұрын

I love the opening monologue of the game

@gaiusfulmen Жыл бұрын

Me too. It's a little melodramatic but so earnest...much like the game itself

@andrejmasin2533 6 ай бұрын

Bro you way too underrated, banger critiques

@RedRan6er 23 күн бұрын

I think this game deserves a remake instead, theres so many good concepts that didnt land very well and a proper remake would be really good

@gargamellf59 Жыл бұрын

i love your videos man

@bloodveils Жыл бұрын

great video as always, good stuff man!

@SingingInferno 4 ай бұрын

Whenever I recommend this gane to people, I describe it as a visual novel with light souls-like combat.

@Trenex1000 Ай бұрын

I played this game on my XBOX console (through XBOX Game Pass) and unlocked all its achievements. This game is rough, but something is genuinely precious at its core. If it had a better budget, more development time, and more refined and polished gameplay mechanics, this game would have kicked ass. This game had so much going for it, but so much of it felt tedious. I played through it multiple times, and the problems that you mentioned in this video really exposed themselves. A properly implemented New Game Plus mode would have made this game much more fun for numerous playthroughs and easier to manage. They didn’t even include it in an update.

@MTRG15 5 ай бұрын

I really like your analysis and complains. Regarding the mesmerize level, it is actually foretold if you read certain letter, it explains that you can break someone's mind... But I only connected the dots after mesmerizing her. I don't think it is a bad design choice, even if the level hating seems forced, but it goes in accord with the rest of the game theme of life being hard and unfair, you are very much literally stumbling in the dark, trying to do your best without knowing the full implications, and you have to deal with the consecuences even if you like it or not. This also applies for the leveling system, it is the numerical evidence of the hardship of being ethical in a corrupted world, every enemy has the power to end you in a couple hits, but you endure that, and learn to adapt, your reward is getting to see the people you help actually get better and regain hope for the future. That being said, I only approve of this because it is in harmony with the concept and universe of the game, I wouldn't accept these issues on a happier tone game

@rae5425 Жыл бұрын

BABE WAKE UP KALDINI HAS JUST DROPPED ANOTHER TWO HOUR BANGER

@raulwalther 11 ай бұрын

What a great video! I always disliked the combat system so much, that I stopped playing, but this video makes me wanna play it again, cheers!

@Sylentmana 9 ай бұрын

I liked this game. I like the feeling of cultivating cattle for my consumption so that I can get cool powers.

@kaldini 9 ай бұрын

It's a game that I enjoyed quite a bit myself. Are you planning on getting DontNod's upcoming game Banishers? Allegedly it's set in the same universe as Vampyr.

@Sylentmana 9 ай бұрын

@@kaldini no, it doesn’t really appeal to me.

@gabrijelmijatović-f9r 3 ай бұрын

Probably not a topic of this video but I think the guns are op I figured this out when I was playing a Not even once run and got to the Mary bossfight and absoutely shreded her the same with every boss in the game you just have to upgrade the guns and you are all set after that I always max out the ammo bag so I can carry a large amount of ammo

@kaldini 3 ай бұрын

@@gabrijelmijatović-f9r i did the same 😂 i think I mention it in the video but you can definitely see it during some of the boss fight scenes

@blinstales1554 7 ай бұрын

The player does have a reason to turn Dawson: It helps them stay on good terms with the Ascalon Club. Admittedly this doesn’t have any real effect but it makes sense from an in character point of view. We don’t know that King Arthur’s blood can turn people because to my knowledge the game never states that stored blood can turn people. Embracing Clarence’s wife does have a gameplay consequence he won’t accept medicine from you.

@kaldini 7 ай бұрын

As you stated yourself, neither really had an actual impact. The point I was making is that many of choices don't have actual, real, meaningful impacts to the gameplay or narrative.

@blinstales1554 7 ай бұрын

@@kaldini Alright maybe I wasn’t clear enough in my original comment what I mean is that while the player has no incentive to turn Dawson the character of Jonathan Reid does.

@kaldini 7 ай бұрын

@@blinstales1554 I got what you meant but I appreciate you reexplaining it. What I meant was that even in theory if it surface level makes sense for Dr. Reid to consider it, it actually even narratively ends up being pointless. Even if you've pissed the Ascalon club off by refusing, you're still able to acquire the blood in the finale without fighting. So there's no benefit to turning him. I'd also argue that Dr. Reid would not consider the value in turning him, even in regards to remaining in the club's good graces as from the moment they're introduced Jonathan shows contempt for them. Lady Ashbury discourages it and it's clear from his pre-decision discussion with Dawson that Jonathan understands he is selfish and would do more harm. So in my opinion, no there's no real reason Dr. Reid, the character, would turn him.

@joshshin6819 3 ай бұрын

Just to point out Vampyr or Vampyre is pronounced exactly the same as VAMPIRE. It's just spelled differently. Vampyre or Vampyr first appeared in 18th-century poetry, before becoming one of the stock figures of gothic fiction with the publication of Polidori's The Vampyre in 1819, which was inspired by Lord Byron. The word use of VAMPIRE wasn't used until 1847 but has been a more popular spelling of the word due to how popular certain literature was written about it in it's use of the word such as Bram Stroker's DRACULA. But all in all the word VAMPYRE / VAMPYR are all pronounced the same as VAMPIRE.

@kaldini 3 ай бұрын

@@joshshin6819 I thought the same but in an interview for the game with the developers they pronounce it as "VamPIER". I was just following their lead. I'll see if I can find the video and link it.

@joshshin6819 3 ай бұрын

@@kaldini you are most likely correct since after noticing they spelled it by dropping the last E of Vampyre so i can see how it would be said the way you say in the video. I def agree then with you at the start of that being an odd choice LOL

@Thedownliner2015 7 ай бұрын

Great game and amusingly I had no idea that the blood meter could be replenished until AFTER I fought the first boss in the Pembroke Hospital Morgue lol. Kept wondering why my heal ability wasn't working and could only be used 2 or 3 times until I noticed the bite icon showing up and figured it out. You are right though as a day/night cycle could've made things even more interesting however how that would work as a plus for the game rather than an inconvenience you could just skip by sleeping until nightfall is anybody's guess. It would've been nice to see London town in daylight though and it could've been used as a nudge to get to a safehouse rather than just going there to restock and skill up. Like a reverse Dying Light mechanic. Fast travel would've been nice but I can see how they didn't do it given how small the map is and the fact you would miss all the fights in between getting to different locations. I will say however that like most games today it does feel like the end was rushed as you mentioned with the pointless choices near the end where it should've mattered. It did make the whole thing feel pointless at the end and that's a real shame considering how much time you put into this game making choices. The plot was flawed from the start with the Doris Crane outcome because it didn't even matter what you did with her because Lady Ashbury is an integral part of the story. Charm, Embrace or fire her the outcome is pretty much the same. BTW has anyone actually managed to achieve Sanitized status on a single district? I embraced 4 bastards and kept healing the rest and still couldn't get the district past Stable and the Pembroke was always around Healthy to Stable.

@RedSpade37 7 ай бұрын

As far as my research and own gameplay suggest, the only way to reach Sanitized is if all the Citizens are alive, and you've chosen to Spare the Pillar. It seems like you "Unlock" the ability to gain the Sanitized status for a District after making the major story choice with their respective Pillars. But I'm not 100% on that.

@johnny8053 Ай бұрын

I say Vampyr is a "Souls-like" game with a much easier, in depth story. But you actually get to keep your experience when you die, which is always a plus 🤙🤙🤙

@jonrambodude 8 ай бұрын

Love seeing your abundance of xp when i went to fight the last boss i was -720 exp 😅

@x-actotron9275 5 ай бұрын

Personally played this game over and over again... but have only completed it once. It has good bones but just can't hold my interest for the entirety of the story. I am a bit of a completionist though so I lose a lot of time in the side missions; trying to become an overpowered vampiric badass without 'embracing' people.

@John-hv7ct Ай бұрын

Obviously the game is not for everyone but id say that its overall very good and woth the money personally i loved the game

@pog-trooper-5018 2 ай бұрын

Where did you find the negan bat ??

@Eingefallen 6 ай бұрын

HAHAHAH WE USED TO BURN DONKEY DUNG AS FUEL

@kaldini 6 ай бұрын

Did you catch the reference?

@sensoeirensen 6 ай бұрын

I never understood the critique of the combat system. I'm a huge sucker for good combat as a Soulsvet and over 1000hrs in both Niohs. With that said the combat in Vampyr is not bad at all. I think a lot have skill issues (as always). There are easy talent combinations that make it rly smooth and fun. When I watch youtubers it's almost always a bad button mashing.

@kaldini 6 ай бұрын

My understanding of many of the critiques isn't that it's too hard but rather that it's too boring.

@garethphillips2179 7 ай бұрын

15:28 I can relate to the dating app comment man! 😂😂

@alexsm3882 9 ай бұрын

I really don't see why the name is dumb tbh

@DK_9035SB 3 ай бұрын

is the sinking city similar?

@kaldini 3 ай бұрын

@@DK_9035SB i haven't played it but I always thought it looked interesting!

@DK_9035SB 3 ай бұрын

@@kaldini i have it, but been doing other stuff recently. will lyksot

@bradbrown7273 8 ай бұрын

Load times game crashes alot

@docrock3234 6 ай бұрын

🤣the least fun you’ll have as a vampire. The more vampire things you do, the more you get brutally punished by the strongest part of the game….the story. What kind of vampire game has your vampire fighting with swords and guns..GTFO. You do too many non-vampirey things in this game. I think this is one of the most adult games though, they talk about politics in a very mature way. Extremely rare in games. How about how extremely weak you are due to the dumb RPG leveling. This skinny weak guard is like an immortal god because the #5 above his head is greater than the #4 above yours. GTFO. What a devastating design choice making the combat all the more worse than 9/11. But the story seduced me and I bought the soundtrack. I never forgot what made the game good.

@Hangman1 8 ай бұрын

Game would be great if not combat, combat is atrocious 😢

@Piranha-Boy 7 ай бұрын

If Vampyr were a linear action-rpg it would be 200% better. The open world aspect is so unnecessary, and at the cost of better graphics and more refined mechanics.

@kaldini 7 ай бұрын

100% Have you played DontNod's recent followup game Banishers? Even worse in this regard in my opinion.

@Piranha-Boy 6 ай бұрын

@@kaldini yeah the "return later with the right skill to get this chest" is such a PS2 game mechanic lol

@deehan8464 2 ай бұрын

It’s pronounced vampire

@kaldini 2 ай бұрын

@@deehan8464 Watched an interview with the developers where they pronounce it Vam-pier. Just repeating what they use. EDIT: Double Checked and I'm finding interviews where developers use both. I think it could be because there's a pronunciation difference for the word between English and French. If that is the case and they intend for it to just be said as Vampire, then that's a mistake on my part.