Vampyr - Preview @ GameRevolution

GameRevolution wrote a bit about the E3 presentation of Vampyr.

Dr. Jonathan Reid has returned from the Great War changed, his will weathered by the war and his soul cursed by death. Although we do not know (for now) what turned Jonathan into the monster he is in Vampyr, we know that he is not taking his new role as a child of the night lightly.

Like many stories dealing with vampirism, we find our hero struggling with the craving to kill and what little remains of his humanity. Since this is a game about vampires developed by Dontnod, we should expect no less than a moral journey to take place here. I was surprised by the depth of the narrative showcased in the brief demo I saw at E3 as well as the intricate combat that was on display.

The year is 1918, and the London flu epidemic is in full swing as Jonathan Reid stalks the funeral of his latest kill, conflicted over what he has had to do to survive. Shortly after he is approached by Lady Ashbury, another centuries-old vampire, who has a brief conversation with Jonathan about his inability to balance his newfound need to feed with his instinct to help people. It was at this point that the dialogue wheel was shown off, giving players the ability to choose how to respond in different situations. As a man with a medical background, it is not easy for Jonathan to process the fact that he must kill to survive while there is already so much death around him.

It is Jonathan’s crisis of conscious that adds a unique element to Vampyr's take on the newly-turned vampire tale. The more I saw Jonathan interact with NPCs and think to himself about his own humanity, the more invested I became, something I certainly wasn’t expecting to feel after watching less than twenty minutes of gameplay. Unlike previous Dontnod games the world is open for you to explore with numerous side quests to complete along with the main story.