Announced this past June and playable at PAX Prime this past year, The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing II, by NeocoreGames is a direct sequel to The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing, which was released earlier this year. Once again you’ll pair with Lady Katarina as you take control of the legendary defender ridding the world of all that is unholy.
There are so many good things about this game series it’s hard to name them all. But that doesn’t mean I won’t try.
First, the world is beautiful. The first game had you roaming around the streets of Borgova, which had some amazing architecture and design. While you’ll still be in Bogova for Van Helsing II, you’re going to venture out to the darker side of the city as well as the wilderness. Also new are dynamic weather effects which to see in action are a hoot and really add to the immersive experience of the game.
Second, let’s take a look at character design. There is no denying that Van Helsing is badass with a distinct look and feel that are very appropriate for the times (then and now, actually). Blending Goth, noir and steampunk makes for a very unique visual take that you rarely (if ever) see elsewhere. But the monsters you battle against are also an amazing blend of science and um, monsterhood. Such that you may wish you didn’t smite them all so quickly so you can zoom in for a closer look.
Third – gameplay. Having some hands-on time with Van Helsing II I can tell you first hand that the controls are responsive, accessible and a blast to tinker with – especially spells. PC games can be intimidating to some because of the array of controls to manage. It’s not like an Xbox or PlayStation game where you’re dealing with four main buttons and a couple triggers. Everything is at your fingertips here and NeocoreGames has done a really good job of making it feel natural and intuitive.
I may not play games on the PC as much as I used to, but I’m a HUGE fan of the “dungeon crawling” types of games you’ll find in old school titles like the original Diablo or even in MMO’s like Marvel Heroes. The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing II is definitely scratching that itch and worth checking out when it releases “soon”*.
* Soon = Game developer speak for “we have a general idea on when it’s coming out, but we can’t say yet because game development is a fragile, fluctuating process.”
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