The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing Preview

September 14, 2012 - Ryan Syrett - No Comments

It’s a bit strange hearing the name Van Helsing in the same sentence as a videogame. You would also be forgiven for thinking that making a videogame based on a movie eight years after its release is a bit bonkers. The truth is ‘Van Helsing’ has been a prominent recurring character surname within vampire/monster mythology for over a hundred years. First appearing in Bram Stokers Dracula in 1897 and ranging in representation from an amnesiac vampire hunter to a German old aged professor, Van Helsing has just as much of a varied and colorful backstory as Dracula himself.

The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing is no different, taking up the mantel of the original Van Helsing’s son. A charming, light hearted youth, you must clear the mysteriously creature-infested streets of Borgovia. However, its not all doom and gloom for young Van Helsing Jr as he has been kitted out with some of the finest weapons and gizmos the faux-19^th century can imagine, aiding him in his quest.

Being released on console and PC in ‘Q4’ of 2012 and created by Neocore the game should feel comfortable to those of you who have played Diablo III or Torchlight. Using an isometric/topdown camera angle and relying heavily on hot keys and skill trees Van Helsing is for those of you who are heavily into action RPG games. Maps covered with monster hordes, plenty of loot and charging up your ‘rage’ meter to unleash larger attacks are a huge part of what makes this game tick. Not including magic and upgrades, Van Helsing’s main weapons are a sword and pistol, both of which can be upgraded as the story progresses.

I must admit given that the steampunk version of Victorian-era Europe looked truly well put together considering I was viewing alpha build and that some of the concept artwork for Helsing’s enemies is truly inspired, especially the gas gun wielding Igors.

Given the game’s Van Helsing title and gameplay style I think as long as Neocore release it with a reasonable price tag and market well they will be onto a real winner, hell it may even turn a few ‘casual’ Twilight loving gamers onto the top down RPG market.