A Vampyre Story

By: Derek Yu

On: February 3rd, 2009

I just found out today that A Vampyre Story, the long-awaited adventure game by ex-LucasArts artist Bill Tiller, was released in December of last year! This one looked promising from the get-go, and not just because of the pedigree of its creators… the gothic setting seemed ripe and the early screenshots of the game were gorgeous.

Unfortunately, having finished the demo, I have to say I’m a little disappointed. I found the single puzzle offered as a trial about as intuitive as a Rube Goldberg machine… that is to say, it quickly devolved into a “try clicking every item on every hotspot”-type madness. And I still had to consult a walkthrough in the end!

I also think the English voice-acting is going to irk people – the game’s protagonist, Mona, speaks with an accent that I would describe as “French Bimbo.” It’s not terrible – in fact, it grew on me during the demo – but… aw, jeez, what can I say? The bar has been set so high for funny dialogue and voice acting in point n’ click adventures. Especially with a double act like this. It just wasn’t my bag.

That said, reviews of the game seem to be overall pretty favorable, like this one on RPGFan (from which I learned of the game’s release), and even this one on Adventure Gamers, which is more sober. And there are some interesting mechanics, like hotspot hints (hold “Tab”) and being able to store “ideas” in your inventory screen for items that are too large to conceivably carry. It’s very likely that the full game ($30, retail-only) is more polished than what the demo and the rather flimsy website suggest. But it would have to be quite a bit more for me to recommend it.

You can buy A Vampyre Story at retail stores in the US and UK, or online through The Adventure Shop or Amazon.

TIGdb: Entry for A Vampyre Story