What We Know So Far
We also have a video where the devs go into a bit more detail about the game, and they revealed more info on the game’s story and mechanics.
Day and Night System
🌗 It looks like they are saying that there will be a day and night system where the enemies you face in the day will be totally different from the ones you face at night. He can also use vampiric abilities that aren’t just for combat, but also for traversal as well. It also turns out that the vampires we saw in the trailer are actually trying to take over the world and Coen will most probably be at odds with them and will try to stop them. We also learn that the Vampire who looks like Count Orlok is actually named Brencis.
Decisions That Affect The Story
⚖️ The game is set in a village in 14th Century Europe around the Carpathian Mountains near Romania, where the continent has seen it all. Plagues, wars, famine, the whole lot. And it seems that the vampires have been waiting for the perfect moment to emerge from the shadows and take over, killing the lords and taking over castles. Now it’s very confusing if this is a good thing or a bad thing because the lords were straight up just jerks who would go on to kill entire villages just to curb the plague, and the vampires did help Coen and his sister out, even going so far as to heal Lunka, but the devs went on to drop a bomb by saying they’re only doing that so they can use humans to feed on them. Is this a freedom vs security thing? Probably not, but it looks like there are a lot of things to consider when making choices in this game.
Time Restraints And Progression
⏳The devs also mention that Coen only has 30 days and 30 nights to save his family, which is actually pretty interesting. Does the time limit affect the gameplay in some way? Like, will time progression be an actual game mechanic like in Metaphor ReFantazio and The Persona series’ calendar system? Based on this interview, it seems that time progresses after completing an important quest, which means that you have to be smart about what sort of quests you’d want to finish. Also, the devs clarified that the sandbox experience they were referring to would be a narrative sandbox experience where you can shape the story the way you want. They also mentioned blurring the lines between main quests and side quests where every quest just builds up the story and shapes it based on what you do.
Vampiric Abilities
🧪 It also turns out that Coen has Argyria, which is a medical condition where there is a build-up of silver in your body, and it’s a double-edged condition because it weakens him, while also preventing him from fully transforming into a full vampire. I guess that answers the question on why he has vampiric characteristics without looking like an actual vampire. I wonder if Coen’s medical condition also translates into the game’s mechanics. Maybe he gets nerfed hard during the daytime where he can’t use his vampiric abilities while fully being able to use them at night. It also makes sense why you can see him use his claws at night but he sticks to using a sword during the daytime.
Different Enemy Types
⚠️ Another thing the devs mentioned is that there will be multiple kinds of enemies, not just humans and vampires. There will be the undead when you visit tombs, Kobolds when you go to the mines, and Uriashes (I don’t know what these are) when you go to the mountains. The devs also hinted that these are also factions with their own motives and goals, and it would be best to get to know them before dealing with them. The devs are also implying that some of these can ally with humans, while others will simply be a headache-in-waiting for Coen. You will also reportedly encounter humans who side with the vampires and see them as some sort of messiahs. So yeah I think factions will be a huge part of how the story will play out.
Freedom To Handle Problems
🕹️ Earlier I mentioned that players will reportedly have the freedom to tackle the issues they face in their own way, like there will be an option to just storm a castle alone, balls out and whatnot, and the option to recruit a rebel cell and strategically attack some key points that could weaken Brencis’ influence. I hope it’s like Shadow of Mordor in that aspect, where you can choose to attack a keep with your own army and take out the leader of that place.
The Hunger Mechanic
📜 And of course, since this is a vampire game, hunger management is a mechanic. The devs hinted that managing your hunger is very important because things can go south immediately if you start getting hungry. You might just accidentally maul and feed on an important NPC just because you talked to them while hungry. It also looks like you’ll need to manage your hunger in order to use your vampiric abilities.
Reactive Enemies
🦇 The devs also mentioned that Brencis won’t just sit around twiddling his elongated undead thumbs while Coen is actively trying to dismantle his rule. He could set up some military checkpoints to hinder your progress. I think he will be reacting to your every move and will progressively make things harder for you the more you succeed. And also, it won’t just be him who will try to stop you. He also has three vampire allies, the ones we saw in the trailer, who will also get in your way in their own ways.