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The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing
Reviewed by
Jack Lawes
on
The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing PC Review. Overall The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing is a solid action rpg with a few issues that are too be expected on a first try such as a lack of a replay option, quirky animations and sometimes rough combat.
Rating:
4.0

Gameplay 8.5
Graphics 8.0
Sound 7.5
Value 8.0
Developer: Neocore Games
Publisher: Steam
Rating: -
Review Date: June 2013
Reviewer:
Jack Lawes

8.0


The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing

The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing is a top down action role playing games published and developed by indie company NeocoreGames available on both PC and Xbox360. I played the game on PC and thoroughly enjoyed it. You play as Van Helsing, monster hunter and the son of Abraham Van Helsing. You are tasked with ridding the city of Borgava, capital of the kingdom of Borgovia of the monsters that infest it. The game plays similarly to Torchlight 2 and Diablo III. The ultimate goal is to kill hordes and hordes of monsters trying to become more powerful and obtaining more loot. As with most action rpgs the story is interesting but ultimately serves as nothing more than an excuse to slay hordes of blood thirsty monsters.

Van Helsing plays in a top down view without an adjustable camera; attacks are mapped to the left and right mouse buttons. An interesting power up system using the 1, 2 and 3 keys consumes a rage resource to add bonus effects and damage to attacks. On top of the primary and secondary attacks there are various skills to be learnt that have a variety of uses. There seems to be a lot of room for build variety with extensive skill trees, various statistics to increase and a massive library of tricks and auras to learn. The combat is fun but does become a little grind-like after a while. Slaying hordes of monsters never stales but certain areas of the game drag out too long. Also unlike most action rpgs monsters do not respawn even when you exit the game, meaning you exit the game and return to find it exactly how you left it, down to the very location you saved. This may sound like a blessing to some but it actually limits the ability to farm for gold and gear which is a must for this genre. The gameplay is satisfying overall but still feels rough no matter how you look at it. 

The game is definitely a pretty one. It features HD graphics with rather stunning visuals; I particularly loved the way light flows and illuminates the environment and characters. The environments are diverse and gorgeous ranging from small woods, deep caves, mysterious planes and gigantic castles. Monsters are detailed and some look truly awe inspiring and Van Helsing himself looks as fearsome as you’d imagine. The combat is well animated though most attacks lack weight as monsters simply stand there taking every hit without flinching and vice versa.

Van Helsing has a knack for setting the mood through some pretty impressive music. The soundtrack for this game is dark, gritty and grimy and that matches up perfectly with the game itself. The combat also sounds nice and heavy sometimes becoming an assault on the senses as you fight off hordes of monsters. The crashes of spells, the swing of swords and shots of pistols are all realistic and have serious weight behind the sounds. The voice acting is nothing special but serves to deliver some witty dialogue in a clever way.

Van Helsings campaign is a solid 15-25 hours depending on how much time you spend exploring the world. It also features the ability to play with others online but I found the multiplayer to be a little laggy and chaotic and didn’t dabble in it too much. The game has also recently been blessed with a free dlc pack with more to come; spawning The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing  into a game you will want to visit again and again. The only issue I can find with the game as far as content is concerned is the lack of an option to play the game again on a harder difficulty.

Overall The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing is a solid action rpg with a few issues that are too be expected on a first try such as a lack of a replay option, quirky animations and sometimes rough combat. It’s definitely worth the price tag however with its gorgeous graphics and mostly interesting combat and character systems. And with expected sequels on the horizon you may want to jump on this ship now before you are left behind.

Jack Lawes
Impulse Gamer






 
 



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