I'm really pushing hard on blitzing through my backlog at the moment which may be an impossible mission but once the new releases pick up it will be hard to get through older titles again. As such, last night I turned my attention to Dontnod's recent vampiric action title.
I'm playing on the PC version and was pleased to find that the requirements for the game must be fairly low as I didn't need to make any changes for performance. The games auto-detection placed every setting in the game to its Ultra preset inclusive of the typically demanding AA and shadow options and so far it's run at 4K 60fps under those settings without a hitch. Visually that makes for a very smooth and pretty experience for the most part as the game seems to be mostly set at night time meaning there are lots of opportunities for lighting showcases. Environmentally speaking sometimes it looks very good, character models are instead the weak point. They looks decent for the most part, a faint air of that Life is Strange simplicity to them meaning it isn't AAA level. The weak spot is the animation, functional is probably the best description and it influences the experience to such an extent that it gives the game a budget feel as you stiffly move around some areas and fight a little with the camera.
I haven't heard much music or of the sound effects yet but what I have heard of so far has been as strong as you would expect from the makers of Life is Strange. The tone and atmosphere of the game is immediately apparent and appealing as you wander the Victorian streets.
The game opens with your character waking in a pit of bodies to discover he's been turned into a vampire and is on the run. Desperately hungry he wanders the streets to his first victim, blind to who they are...
It seems like it will be very narrative led and that side of things could well be as well handled as LiS was. I haven't done much of the upgrading tree or of combat but the tree seems very typical whilst combat is so far basic but easy to plow through. There's quickly a sense that this could potentially be a quiet little gem if it holds up the quality enough for its duration.
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