The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing
The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing | |
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OS X, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 | |
Release |
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Genre(s) | Action role-playing |
Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing is an action role-playing video game developed and published by NeocoreGames.[1] It was released on 22 May 2013. Based on the novel Dracula by Bram Stoker, the game focuses on the trials of young Van Helsing, son of the legendary vampire hunter Abraham Van Helsing from the book.[1] The game is set in a gothic-noir 19th-century Eastern Europe[2] and contains "intentionally anachronistic humor and gadgetry".[1] A sequel, The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing II, was released on 22 May 2014. A second sequel, The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing III, was released on 22 May 2015.
Gameplay
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Plot
The game is based on Bram Stoker's tale of Count Dracula, similar to how the developer's earlier role-playing game King Arthur was based on the tale of King Arthur.[1] The game is not set strictly in the same fictional universe as Bram Stoker's novel Dracula, but rather a similar one in a twisted 19th century Europe with "monsters, magic and weird technology".[3] The game takes place in Borgova, the gothic-noir capital of the fictional kingdom of Borgovia.[4] The city is vast, bolstered by anachronistic science, but also filled with evil creatures that this science has created.[4] The game's protagonist is the son of Abraham Van Helsing, the vampire hunter from the novel, and it is his job to continue in his father's footsteps and exterminate the monsters from the city.[3]
Development and release
On 9 May 2012, the Hungarian
In October 2012, after receiving feedback from the gamer community that the depiction of the young Van Helsing appeared "too young and inexperienced", NeocoreGames held a vote to decide which of three possible versions of the main character would be used in the game: The Mysterious Stranger, The Chevalier, or The Veteran.[7] Receiving 72% of the vote, The Mysterious Stranger depiction was chosen to be used for the young Van Helsing.[8]
A remastered version including the sequels was released as one big game on 6 November 2015, titled The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing: Final Cut. On 1 December 2015, the game was released as part of the Games with Gold benefit, for the Xbox One.[9]
Reception
The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing received "mixed or average" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic.[10][11][12]
Patrick Hancock of
The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing II
The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing II received "generally favorable" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic.[20]
Patrick Hancock of
The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing III
The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing III received "mixed or average" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic.[25][26]
Destructoid's Patrick Hancock called the title a "copy-paste job" and wrote that Van Helsing III did not innovate upon the second game's mechanics.[27] Jeb Haught of GameRevolution commended the game's level design, class variety, and customization options while taking issue with the reduced level cap, neutered steampunk aesthetic, and overly streamlined gameplay segments.[28] Daniel Starkey of GameSpot praised the character interactions, action, and pacing, and stated that the recycled assets, lack of content, and technical stability was disappointing.[29]
References
- Walker, John (4 July 2012). "Monstrous: The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved 15 December 2012.
- ^ a b c d e "IGN - New Van Helsing Game Announced". 9 May 2012. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
- ^ "Developer Blog - Basic info and feature list". Archived from the original on 19 November 2012. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
- ^ a b "Developer Blog - Who is Van Helsing, anyway?". Archived from the original on 29 January 2013. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
- ^ a b "Developer Blog - The gothic-noir metropolis of Borgova". Archived from the original on 30 January 2013. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
- ^ "TriplePoint Newsroom - The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing Announced for PC and XBLA". 9 May 2012. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
- ^ Reynolds, Matthew (29 August 2012). "The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing to be a trilogy". Digital Spy. Retrieved 8 September 2019.
- ^ "Developer Blog - Voting started". Archived from the original on 31 October 2012. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
- ^ "Developer Blog - Voting is closed". Archived from the original on 16 November 2012. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
- ^ "The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing on Xbox One". Archived from the original on 4 December 2015. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
- ^ "The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
- ^ "The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing for Xbox One Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
- ^ "The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing: Extended Edition for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
- ^ Hancock, Patrick (5 June 2013). "Review: The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing". Destructoid. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
- ^ Donlan, Christian (28 June 2013). "The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing review". Eurogamer. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
- ^ GameSpot Staff (5 October 2013). "The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing Review". GameSpot. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
- ^ Grayson, Nathan (7 June 2013). "The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing Review". IGN. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
- ^ Kollar, Philip (19 June 2013). "The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing review: vampire money". Polygon. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
- Push Square. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
- ^ Fuller, Alex (3 June 2013). "The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing Review". RPGamer. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
- ^ "The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing II for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
- ^ Hancock, Patrick (30 June 2014). "Review: The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing II". Destructoid. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
- ^ Starkey, Daniel (28 May 2014). "The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing 2 Review". GameSpot. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
- ^ Johnson, Leif (30 May 2014). "The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing II Review". IGN. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
- Push Square. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
- ^ "The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing III for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
- ^ "The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing III for Xbox One Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
- ^ Hancock, Patrick (30 June 2014). "Review: The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing III". Destructoid. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
- ^ Haught, Jeb (29 May 2015). "The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing III Review". GameRevolution. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
- ^ Starkey, Daniel (3 June 2015). "The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing 3 Review". GameSpot. Retrieved 21 May 2022.