Review for Victor Vran Overkill Edition. Game for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch, the video game was released on 30/05/2017 The version for Nintendo Switch came out on 28/08/2018 The version for Xbox One came out on 29/05/2018
It is inevitable that the success of a brand or any media pushes the market towards emulation in the hope that the original positive feedback will reappear. It happened recently with the titles Souls di From Software and even before with Diablo di Blizzard, "heavy inspiration" is not necessarily bad if it acts as a catalyst for the completion of works with a recognizable identity and a valid technical "backbone".
Viking: Wolves of Midgard has largely failed in its intent, guilty of an anonymous design and poorly balanced gameplay; different the case of Victor Vran, diablo-like from the steampunk setting that draws heavily from the work of Blizzard but manages to find its own reason for being, a quid that differentiates it and gives it a soul of its own.
The key word, in Victor Vran, is "humility": this hack and slash by Haemimont Games - already authors of Tropico 5 - decides to fly low and not complicate life with thousands of skills, weapons, armor, sets and combinable builds . Everything is simplified so that it is balanced and works properly and there are not even any small, but interesting original ideas.
Plot, bestiary and settings are as classic as they are curated; the English dubbing is excellent, while the localization of the lyrics leaves a lot to be desired. The protagonist, the Victor Vran from whom the game takes its name, is a demon hunter without any charisma, in return for his mysterious companion, self-appointed La Voce, is the undisputed center of all attention and enjoyment on the part of the player. This happens thanks to the aforementioned dubbing and to a constant and brilliant roundup of quotes and puns aimed at both the nerd-geek world and the unfortunate Victor.
In general, the plot has some interesting outlets but it does not shine for inspiration especially in the final bars that are hasty and flat compared to the rhythm of the rest of the game; on the other hand, with his monologues, La Voce is a narrator able to intrigue and entice you to continue, thus balancing the poor characterization of the other characters.
The graphic and aesthetic impact of Victor Vran immediately recalls Diablo 3, with some screen effects "borrowed" without too many ceremonies. The level design is also extremely similar, as you have a map of the world divided into macro areas, in turn composed of several dungeons, optional and not. Everything is seasoned with common creatures, unique monsters, champions, mid-bosses and end-stage bosses. Each level also features two to five optional challenges (to which are added the more complex Elite Challenges, once the main campaign is over) which therefore guarantee a pleasant one replayability and a never too frustrating level of challenge.
If the player wants to try his hand at more difficult and rewarding tasks, it is always possible to use the Malocchi, real malus (not removable once activated in case you play on Hard difficulty) which will enhance the damage and defenses of the enemies, granting the protagonist a bonus percentage to the experience and the gold obtained, as well as a greater chance of recovering rare and powerful weapons .
As already mentioned, Victor Vran is a title that flies low, aiming for the “little and good”. It is possible to equip two weapons at the same time, alternating their use in real time; each has a basic attack and two abilities available, to which two demonic powers of the player's choice and six tarot cards are added, capable of providing passive and combinable skills. The game lacks the weapon crafting system altogether, which can be salvaged on the battlefield and upgrade by fusing them together.
The equipment set system is also absent, since the protections available for the protagonist are real clothes, each with unique skills and aesthetics, considered as an "interchangeable class" at will by the player, to adapt to the preferred style of play.
Victor Vran Overkill Edition is the full version of the original Victor Vran, released in 2015 on PC, including DLC Broken Worlds e Motörhead: Through the Ages. On PlayStation 4 consoles, Victor Vran keeps 60 very stable frames per second, without a slowdown even during the most heated clashes and with hundreds of creatures on the screen.
Just like the original version, the Overkill Edition allows you to play the campaign in singleplayer, in local co-op with a friend or online, in co-op with up to three other players. It is also present an arena for PvP combat, but it should be noted that the online modes do not seem to have been particularly successful on consoles, at least during the first days after the release of the title.
The DLC Broken Worlds adds a fun mechanic absent from the base game: i procedural dungeons. With a forgettable narrative pretext, the hunter Victor finds himself a explore a space-time dimension literally shattered, in search of the fragments of a powerful magical artifact that can help him in his mission to exterminate demons.
The level generation system guarantees a significant challenge more than the areas of the original title and often in the more advanced levels a bit of luck will also be essential; pity only forabsence of original assets, since every single element on the screen, from the environments to the enemies, is taken from the base title or from the second additional content. However, it is undoubtedly a fun and challenging type of gameplay, thanks above all to its unpredictability, which gives Victor Vran a not just added longevity.
Motörhead: Through the Ages is the second DLC in the Overkill Edition. Unlike Broken Worlds, little or nothing is altered from standard gameplay, except for the introduction of new demonic powers and two new types of weapons, revolvers and the guitar.
As the name suggests, this additional content is aimed primarily at fans of the famous Motörhead group, who cannot help but go crazy in front of the cameo of the now deceased Lenny Kilmister and a series of crazy (and brilliant) events led by directed by Lloyd Kaufman, which will lead players to face enemies inspired by the British band's album covers, with the accompaniment of their most famous songs.
Also in this case, the narrative practically points to nonsense and it's little more than an excuse to justify the fanservice; the final result, however, is pleasant and perfectly in line with the tendentially light-hearted atmosphere of the title, to the point of making you feel the lack of the lines of La Voce, not present in the DLC for reasons related to the events of the main game. The only drawback of the DLC is the relative "heaviness" of the soundtrack which, as it is composed of metal songs and with a fast singing, could be tiring during prolonged play sessions.
Victor Vran Overkill Edition is undoubtedly an excellent first approach to isometric hacks and slashes, thanks to its intuitive and well-explained mechanics and light and pleasant narration. The fans of the genre could turn up their noses, accustomed to much deeper titles but, with its over 60 hours of play, the game fully deserves its price and does not disappoint those who want a diablo-like with many blows and without the need for a thousand searches and calculations on the perfect build.
► Victor Vran Overkill Edition is a Hack and Slash type game developed by Haemimont Games and published by Wired Productions for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch, the video game was released on 30/05/2017 The version for Nintendo Switch came out on 28/08/2018 The version for Xbox One came out on 29/05/2018
