In an industry as vast as the one we like to call our favorite hobby, there little place for things to be really special. And yet...there comes around, once when the Moon is blue and closest to the Earth, a game that calls itself a savior, a guiding light for a whole genre; there comes a game that plants seeds of sweetest nectar in unprepared minds, blooming into outright love and yearning.
Ok...let's cut the melodrama here, I'll probably not be able to stomach myself if I write two more lines of that.
'A Vampyre story', released 2008, is a game like few others.
And it's not its charm or story that set it apart, or the wonderful art direction. No, these are all things that establish its personality nicely...but they're far from the icing on the cake.
The magic comes from a deeper source, one that is truly intangible, ethereal like wisps of wild inspiration: it has the ability of creating love for a whole neglected genre.
Truly a marvelous thing to boot up something and within hours to find yourself wondering where has this genre been all your life, how you could have passed it up so uncaring for years on end.
The adventure genre has never been dead. It has never really been dying better said. It's just been in hiding, supported by few big names and an army of little ones, obscure, unknown for except a select group. It's always been hard to pierce this genre with a gaze, to get a real idea of what were its inner ticking. The few outstanding games in the genre have always been either too hard, so they became off-putting; or too easy, to fall into the tray of uninteresting and un-challenging enough to warrant the attention.
And then...in 2008, there comes this jewel. With little fanfare, little warning and quite a lot of love (ok, I'll stop with the word) sewn into the very fabric of its pixel reality.
This is something created for the lovers of the genre that had stood by it for years on end. And, as well, is a warm embrace for those on the sidelines that had never thought of actually taking that long, hard stare at these type of games. With enough challenge to keep your attention at the beautiful scenery, and just enough help and humor to sink its fangs deep in your throat for attention, this is probably the best thing to have happened to the genre since Lucas Arts have released their original masterpieces.
Two endearing characters, a fantastic art direction, great and rather logical puzzles and an orchestral score that's pure audio honey and a great story make up the main reasons why this game is fantastic. Never have I seen before a more enthralling experience for a gamer that rewards patience and encourages it, as well as some cerebral work, without it actually ever turning into a chore.
Dreading pixel hunting?
Dreading cluttered backgrounds and humorless characters?
Dreading slow characters and obtuse puzzles?
Well, there's none of it in here. Objects are natural parts of their backgrounds, puzzles are nice and fun to figure out and the charm is everywhere.
Watching a voluptuous, air headed, dark haired vampirette stumbling her way around an ancient castles, aided just by her pet bat, could not be better than this. They talk and tease, they argue and make fun, they go through thin and thick, putting their heads together for various puzzles...it's hard not to get attached and hope for their well being.
Of course, there are bugs...some game breaking, some fixable. If there ever was a blemish on such an experience, its name would be 'bug'.
But, if you can get over the few annoyances, what lays beneath is an open invitation to explore a whole genre that's seen too much neglect. And you won't find that invitation draped in more beautiful clothes or singing a more fantastic tune than here.
You have my word on that.
