Van Helsing III - Previews & Interview

While there looks to be enough challenge to keep single-player adventurers happy, The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing III will also include local co-op for up to four players, as well as an 8-player PvP mode. While the main quest looks to be straightforward, there appear to be an ample number of side quests that pop up throughout the game. These side missions can also be stacked, allowing Van Helsing to tackle more than one at a time. There looks to be plenty for action-RPG players to jump into, particularly with the game's six different classes offering different play styles.

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This preview build marked my first encounter with the Van Helsing series, my nearest recent basis for comparison being Diablo 3. As a newcomer I was pleased the storyline didn’t require me to have knowledge of the previous games, while the gameplay feels familiar - easy to pick up and jump into with a very minimal learning curve. The dialogue is witty and cheekily features some fun pop-culture references, my favorite being a dig at Wesley Snipes’ Blade.

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Based on the first couple of hours, the established Van Helsing tone is still very much in place. The series doles out jokes with a welcome lack of pretension, lightening up a potentially GrimDark™ setting, but also steering clear of too much winking meta-irony. When Van Helsing makes offhand remarks about MegaSharks lurking beneath laboratory waves, or deadpan comments about triggering obvious traps, it does so with an obvious joy for corny references and in celebration of videogame traditions.

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There will also be returning side-content in Van Helsing III, such as tower defense section. Can we expect the return of the Lair and things like troop management as well?

Absolutely! A monster hunter needs a proper hideout, doesn’t he? The Hunter’s Lair is still a very important location in The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing III, where you can always return to sell or buy supplies, respec your character, enchant items or enhance them with essences, activate trophies and hide your prisoners.

And the Lair is still the place to manage your agents, send your captains and their soldiers to secret missions to achieve hidden agendas. Though General Harker has been defeated and the Civil War is now over, you still have the Cult of Seven to give a fair challenge to your captains.

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