When it comes to setting up the premise for a new game, first-person shooters are popular genres and vampires are popular choices for the subject matter. Aside fromEvil WestandDarkwatch, there aren’t too many first-person shooters about vampires that immediately spring to mind, let alone ones where the vampires are the protagonists.EvilVEvilis an upcoming high-stakes shooter where the vampires are fighting against an evil force that spells doom for humanity. After being granted access to an early preview build, Hardcore Gamer was able to spend some time withEvilVEvilto see if this is a game that a player can sink their teeth into and bring new blood to the genre.
Review: Evil West
Not everyone is a fan of westerns or horror, but anyone who’s a fan of either owes it to themselves to play Evil West.
The Stakes Are High
EvilVEvilstars three vampire protagonists. These ancient beings are members of the Order of the Dragon, divinely ordained protectors against a great evil known as Zagreus. Zagreus is an ancient being with a mission to become the most powerful being in the universe by consuming the essence of humanity. Unfortunately for Zagreus, he’s currently powerless, trapped behind the Curtain of Night. Hhis cultists are hard at work at breaking down the Curtain of Night, however, freeing Zagreus to achieve his goals. This causes a need for the three vampires to wake up a couple of centuries prematurely from their restful slumber, which is motivation enough for them to put an end to Zagreus and his followers.
The three vampires the player can choose from fit different battle archetypes and have different abilities. Mashaka acts as an arcanist, Victoria serves the role of assassin and Leon charges into battle like a berzerker. Mashaka can unleash a deadly flamestrike to damage multiple foes or create a gateway to teleport to a new location. Victoria can unleash a powerful slash dash where she can dispatch enemies at blinding speed or use a shadow projection to summon aggressive ghosts. Leon has a slam ability that hurls himself forward to stun and damage enemies, and he’s also armed with a hook ability to summon chains that can damage multiple enemies.
Supernatural abilities give these humanoid mosquitoes an edge in battle, but sinceEvilVEvilis set in the future, the vampires know how to bring a gun to a gun fight. Each vampire begins with their two default weapons, but as they level up, they gain access to more weapons and a variety of weapon mods. Having access to a variety of firearms is standard fare for shooters, but as vampires, our heroes have other abilities that give them an edge in combat. Alternating attacks between their vampiric powers and machine guns gives them an edge over their enemies. In addition to heightened combat abilities, they can also glide to reach areas mere mortals can’t. And being vampires, should they ever feel weary from blood loss after taking too many bullets, they can always replenish their health by snacking on their foes.
Hunter, Not Hunted
In the preview build a few stages were available to explore, along with a tutorial to help the player get their bearings. The vampire is given instructions on the current objective and quest markers to guide the way. The objectives in each stage can range from collecting items, destroying barriers or stopping rituals in progress. These objectives on their own seem simple, but they must be completed with a constant onslaught of cultists and other vermin attempting to send the player back to their coffin. The endless waves of enemies are designed and balanced in a way where the player feels like they are the more powerful one. It’s only sheer numbers that make their enemies pose any threat at all. After all, the vampires are meant to be the hunters, not the hunted.
With three playable vampires,EvilVEvilis designed to be at its best when playing with two friends, though it can still be a good time playing solo. The different specialties of each character helps add to the game variety, and players will likely end up favoring one character. Their time spent with their chosen character will increase that one’s power. This will allow players to choose one vampire in which to specialize and maximize their power, or they can switch around to evenly power up all characters so they can be useful in any party configuration.
EvilVEvilhas the potential to be quite the fun co-op shooter. Enjoyable as a solo activity, it’s potential truly shines when one is able to play with a couple of friends, which does help even the odds, even if it’s still in the ballpark of three versus a hundred.EvilVEvilis scheduled for release sometime in the summer, but don’t worry as these future vampires are resistant to sunlight unlike their ancestors from centuries past.EvilVEvilwill be available on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S with an MSRP of $19.99.
