The last couple of these webisodes were pretty interesting, and I am getting beyond excited for this title. 'Episode III: Human After All' shows more exclusive gameplay footage, but mainly focuses on the citizens of London and how each individual NPC has been hand-crafted to feel as human as possible. This is the second to last episode of this four-part webseries, with the final episode releasing next Thursday.
Vampyr is set in early 20th century Britain during a bout of the lethal Spanish flu, and the streets of London are crippled by disease, violence, and fear. In a completely disorganized and ghostly city, those who are either fools, 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 awakes; as the player it is you who determines how to harness your new powers, by specializing in deadly, versatile RPG skill-trees that change the way you play.
In Episode III: Human After All, Dontnod reveals how integral each district's citizens are, both in terms of gameplay and narrative. Players will need to gain XP in order for Jonathan Reid to evolve new powers and grow stronger, but the easiest way to earn this is not through quests or defeating enemies in battle, but by killing and feeding on the various citizens living within the game's four districts. Players are able to increase the XP earned from each citizen by curing their illnesses and gaining more insight into their lives and emotions – but the price can be a heavy burden to bear.
As explained by Stéphane Beauverger, Vampyr's narrative director, players will hear the dying thoughts of every citizen they choose to sacrifice, which is pretty damn hardcore. Clearly, DONTNOD wants players consider these citizens as real people instead of just random blood-sacks. There is also a tactical advantage to not killing everyone you see; each dead citizen will erode the status of the district they belonged to; too many deaths will result in the population evacuating the area and causing them to be overrun by Skals - and worse.
Vampyr releases Spring 2018 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.
