“Mad, Bad, and Dangerous to Know.” That is how someone once described Lord Byron, the epitome of a hedonistic aristocrat (and, incidentally, the estranged father of Ada Lovelace, inventor of computer programming). Byron was notorious for many reasons, though today his legacy exists in an unexpected place: vampires. Not by his choosing: Byron was the example for the gentleman vampire in the short novel, The Vampyre, which influenced Bram Stoker, among others, to a nosferatu archetype that is less undead ghoul and more suave demon.
Mad, bad and dangerous to know might also be a good description for V Rising. This new action-RPG landed on Steam Early Access (for only R130!), and so far those playing it are more enchanted than a goth girl (or boy) staring into the eyes of a sexy bloodsucker. You play as a vampire, risen after centuries of slumber, and you have a whole open world to explore and raid. True to (more modern) vampire lore, you have to avoid the sun. You can’t enter homes without being invited. And you get to build a rocking vampire residence, playing out your favourite Anne Rice or Masquerade fantasies. Can you wear a silky shirt with a frilly necktie, brush back your long hair and laugh ironically? Probably.
V Rising is standing out already for a few reasons. It’s a co-op game, so you can join with friends in a private MMO experience, and there is a dedicated server option. The combat is intense, as you can control your character’s blows and movement (unlike click-to-move controls of other action RPGs). You can combine spells and weapons for custom effects, and, yes, you can change into other creatures. The world is very interactive and event-driven, and looks pretty fleshed out for an early access game.
Obviously, there is a caveat: this is early access, so no telling what the bugs or missing content situation is like. But it’s getting roaring reviews already, which suggest a polished game going through its last pre-version 1 nips and tucks. V Rising is developed and published by Stunlock Studio, an indie developer from Sweden. They previously cut their teeth on free-to-play online PvP games, and it looks like they are funnelling that experience into a type of game that the world hasn’t seen in a long time (I keep thinking of the 25-year old Legacy of Kain).
Keep an eye on this one, children of the night!