As we mentioned in our review of the critically acclaimed Action RPG, Vampyr, it was a game like no other that flew under the radar. Having been released in 2018, we have yet to see or hear any news on the franchise – whether it would be a spin-off or continuation. But this doesn’t necessarily mean there won’t be a new installment in the future! This gamer right here is going to speculate what could be if Vampyr got a sequel.
The Setting
Seeing how the last game centered around a historically deadly epidemic in London, why not recycle that idea into another perspective? As of current, the world is facing a world-wide pandemic that is having a lot of similarities in consistency with the Spanish Flu of 1918. While whether or not it’s the same exact situation is debatable, it still should be noted that there is a constant need for doctors and healthcare workers – even some nursing students have been recruited to help out. In these desperate times, everyone is needed, human…or not.
The first recorded cases of the current pandemic were in Asia, so perhaps it would be an interesting take to have our character be a nursing student there, who’s been recruited to help assist during the first and second wave of the current pandemic. Similar to the case of Johnathon Reid being turned vampire by a historical figure from medieval Europe, perhaps this could be a similar instance. Though instead of being an established doctor, our subject could be a young man with minimal experience.
The Lore
We already know what the European vampire is like: seductive, weak to sunlight, lives off only blood, unable to age, etc. But like anywhere else, Asian cultures has a different take on vampires. As this student is turned, they pick up the habits of what the “vampires” of Asia have. Two examples could be the The Nure-Onna (濡れ女), a snake-like yokai that feasts on human blood; or the Jiagnshi (僵屍), a hopping reanimated corpse. Surely, this would be an interesting concept to explore as well as expose a Western audience to a different variety of Asian legends. In addition to this, wouldn’t it also be interesting to see characters that are blood-related to previous NPCs?
Like most games, there are side-quests that the player can complete, and Vampyr is no exception. Among the variety of characters Dr. Reid meets are Hsiao Shun and Kimura Tadao. Perhaps in our “next life”, we meet the descendants of said characters, and learn about the remainder of their lives – were they able to overcome their personal demons, or perhaps did they fall into despair? This would be an excellent call-back to fans of the previous installment.
Vampyr is arguably one of the most underrated games of all time, and to see a revamped (no pun intended) sequel would only help the fanbase!
Vampyr is available on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and the Nintendo Switch.