Victor Vran: Overkill Edition Review

Death really gets you into the groove!

There’s something amazing about being able to combine action, adventure, role-playing and a fair amount of silliness in one game. That is what Victor Vran: Overkill Edition does, strumming to an electric guitar one second and then using it to clobber the demons of hell the next, all the while speaking with the smooth, soothing tone of Doug Cockle, AKA Geralt of Rivia.

If you’re already intrigued, then I’m pretty confident that Victor Vran: Overkill Edition has the potential to win your heart. In the physical collector’s edition, not only are you rewarded with the main campaign, as well as the two expansions Motorhead Through The Ages and Fractured Worlds, but you’re able to get some great, demon-hunting loot too. Though as great as these items may be, the game itself blows it all out of the water.

In the main campaign of Victor Vran: Overkill Edition you play as a lone demon hunter named – you guessed it – Victor Vran, who is searching for his friend, Adrian. The last he heard from Adrian was that he was in the demon and ghost infested city of Zagoravia, which is where you first start out on your demon-slaying adventures. From the get-go, this game doesn’t mess around and throws you into the deep end as you’re quickly overcome by what appears to be an army of spiders that are more than eager to rip your face off.

Thankfully the controls are very easy to pick up. Your L button will allow you to roll, which will save your life many of times as there is no block button. Your R button will let you swap between weapons, but you only unlock that ability at a certain level. The rest of the buttons, mainly X, Y and B are linked to specific types of attacks, with X being normal and Y and B attacks being special and heavy.

What truly makes these attacks so useful to the player is that, irrespective of whether or not you’re a beginner, you’re able to jump in on the action with ease. Weapons and their special attacks are varied, meaning you can be smashing the ground to cause a tremor at one point and then switch to a scythe seconds later to spin around, slicing your enemies in half in less than five seconds flat. Because of this variety, you won’t ever find yourself feeling bored.

Yet it isn’t just the weapons that are varied. In the world of Victor Vran, it really is the player’s choice on how they would like to proceed. You’ll have the chance to unlock new outfits and demonic powers, each one gifting you a different ability or stat that will either help or hinder you in your hunt to be rid of the enemies of Zagoravia. So, even if you don’t plan to use that outfit for that mission, you can always save it for another. Or, if you’re picky, you’ll craft your perfect weapon as soon as you hit level 16.

The same can be said for Destiny Cards, a feature that allows you to mix and match which cards you’ll use in each mission. Of course, if you find yourself struggling and want to try a different card then you can swap them, but the inventory controls can be an absolute nightmare, swapping in weapons the player doesn’t want or equipping from other subcategories that you were certain you never selected. So be warned, you’ll need a little patience each time you head into your inventory.

The top-down viewpoint probably isn’t initially the ideal choice in terms of perspective; the fact you’re unable to zoom in to see what’s going on can be incredibly frustrating. However, after playing a while it becomes clear that the game couldn’t be better played in any other view. There still does need to be a way to zoom in on things, especially with weapon names being so small, but with the viewpoint that you’re given you’re not only able to look at your surroundings, but strategise on how to make your next move, which ultimately helps you out rather than causing any difficulty.

As for the world itself,  Zagoravia’s dark, gloomy landscapes and crumbling infrastructure can be intriguing at first as you never know what enemies are going to pop out at you, but it can get tiresome after a while. Thankfully the two expansions offer a lot of well-needed colour to the game, with muddy browns and yellows and ethereal blues and greens. It makes up for the dark, lifeless colours of Zagoravia.

The main campaign’s story all told is, while enjoyable, a very simple one that doesn’t really punish you if you don’t pay attention to it. All cutscenes, even ones that seem to be important, are skippable so if you’re not interested in the story and just want to take names and kick ass then you’ve got that option. Unfortunately, those of us who look for a story with twists and turns at every corner might be disappointed.

That isn’t to say that Victor Vran: Overkill Edition doesn’t have some beautiful moments. While the world may seem deadly serious at times, this is the game that lets you equip an electric guitar and serenade your enemies to death. Heck, you can even do that with a group of friends and online too. If that doesn’t tell you that the game is willing to laugh at itself sometimes, it isn’t easy to imagine anything that will. All I can say is that if you’re looking for goofy and serious at the same time, you’ll find that great mix plenty in both the main campaign and the two expansion DLCs.

Overall, I’d say that Victor Vran: Overkill Edition is a must-have for fans of ARPGs and for those who want to lose themselves in a ton of content. The inventory can be troublesome at times, and you may find yourself tiring of the environment around you, but that doesn’t make the game any less enjoyable.