author: Draug & PefriX
14. The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing. 25 best hack'n'slash hames of all time (2023)
Table of Contents
Whoever associates who Dracula was (is?) certainly knows what to expect from the production discussed here in terms of realities... This is also known to anyone who read the note on The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing II a few pages earlier. As the title suggests, we impersonate Van Helsing - but not Abraham, who sent the most famous vampire in pop culture history into oblivion, but his son.
As the father gets older and begins to lose his vigor, he sends his offspring (also a monster hunter) to deal with the problems of the city of Borgovia, located not far from the legendary Transylvania. The problem is Dr. Fulmigati - a genius who once helped old Van Helsing free the country from monsters. But today the Doc himself is a monster in human skin, tormenting the world with mechanical monstrosities. Our protagonist decides to restore peace and balance between magic and technology in Borgovia, but to do so, he needs allies from the local resistance movement, led - ironically - by vampires, werewolves, and other long-time enemies of monster hunters.
An interesting starting point in the plot becomes a triggering factor for even more entertaining gameplay, which involves thinning out the enemy ranks alone. Maybe not entirely alone, as Van Helsing has a companion to assist him. Considering her role in the game, one would like to say "pet," but it wouldn't be appropriate, given the fact that we are dealing with the spirit of a noblewoman (named Katarina).
The companion helps in the fight, develops with us, and also flies with our loot to the vendor - just like the pets in FATE and Torchlight. Also noteworthy is the construction of the game's narrative - which offers choices and then makes the player face the consequences of those choices. Extremely rare sight in a hack'n'slash game. This doesn't mean that The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing is a gloomy game in a Gothic setting pretending to be a serious role-play - just like in the case of the previously described second installment, these adventures of Van Helsing are also full of humor.
In the spring of 2015, Van Helsing returned in the third installment of his "Incredible Adventures." And it's better not to mention about this installment because it compares poorly with its predecessors. Somehow, the developers simplified the gameplay and shortened the campaign. The only thing they gave us was better visuals, but as in the case of Diablo III - this isn't what the fans expected.