An Insight into The Adventures of Van Helsing III: A worthy successor?

Developed by independent studio NeocoreGames, The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing III was highly anticipated to match the quality of its popular predecessors. The action themed RPG series is based on the famous Dracula tale, specifically focused on the son of legendary vampire hunter Abraham Van Helsing. Released on May 22nd 2014, the game takes place in 19th century Eastern Europe, embracing a gothic-noir environment.

 Following Bram Stoker’s Dracula novel, the trilogy’s setting is not that in the novel but instead a similar fictional universe which incorporates into it “monsters, magic and weird technology.” Centre stage is Borgova, a town filled with evil creatures of whose existence can be blamed on the anachronistic science which plagues the capital city. Son of Abraham, young Van Helsing takes on the role of protagonist, set on continuing along the path of his father as a vampire hunter/monster exterminator.

Gameplay in The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing III is incredibly similar to the second instalment in the series, the exception being its biggest improvement, the storyline’s progression rate. With boundless side quests and a high context environment players are encouraged to progress quickly through the initial stages of the game in one of the several difficulty levels designed to test players more than ever before.

Despite having longed for the release of the game, long-term fans of the franchise have given mixed reviews regarding the third edition. General consensus agrees that although the game has provided fresh new classes, a witty ghost companion and a strong ‘tower-defence’ feel, there are a number of components fans found did not quite match the standards of the first two instalments. Players are unable to import their character from previous games which unsurprisingly came as a huge disappointment, alongside the game’s revamped skill tree which is undeniably lacking and loss of ‘Never-ending Mode.’

In my own opinion, the game aimed for the stars and only just missed the mark. I found it to be a disappointing conclusion to a trilogy that held much promise. Not to call it a bad game, though it has failed to match the heights of the second game, which still manages to hold first place as the best in the series. Fortunately the world and monsters remain consistently impressive, almost enough to recommend the game.

Despite these minor adjustments, The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing III remains a commendable continuation of the popular series and is currently for sale on Steam for $14.99USD. If you are interested in purchasing and still not quite sure, look forward to our in-depth review coming soon.

Katie King, NoobFeed