Review: Victor Vran (Steam)

Victor Vran is the isometric action-RPG where your skill is just as essential as your character build and gear. Experience intense combat action: dodge, jump and unleash powerful skills to finish off your enemies!

Pros:

• Dark Gothic graphic style.
• Full 360 pad support.
• Steam achievements.
• Steam trading cards.
• Diablo style gameplay. Or ARPG if you prefer.
• Opening tutorial section with ongoing help.
• Simple controls. Every action has a button display on screen all the time.
• Video options are some of the deepest set I have encountered in a long time. You can change many things from: Resolution,V-Sync,AA,detail,Level detail,shadows,Anisotropy,Grass graphics,Post processingbloom,framerate counter,lights and so much more.
• Huge selection of weapons like swords,guns,axes,hammers.
• Two weapon layout builds which you can swap between on the fly.
• Big boss fights.
• Huge story with optional side quests.
• Every story chapter/story/event has its own star rating. Complete objectives within an area and earn stars.
• LOOT so much LOOT like cash,weapons,cards,potions and more.
• Destiny cards: passive buffs like deal extra damage or get more life back from potions etc.
• Earn exp from doing missions and killing enemies and level up. Every level up you can pick from 3 rewards.
• Dark hand drawn art cut scenes.
• Online co-op and pvp areas.
• Co-op supports 4 players, text/voice chat, can create or join rooms with a big filter list.
• 8 save slots.
• You control the camera with full 360 degree control.
• Markers in game like objectives but also a dotted line of where you have been.
• Check points.
• Main hub where you will find a shop/stash/blacksmith for upgrading and more unlocks as you progress.
• Codex: re watch cutscenes,help section and monster info.
• Overdrive: fill the bar by killing monsters to unleash powerful new attacks and combos.
• Easy to understand inventory system.
• You can buy/break and sell items.
• Quick loading times even in co-op.
• World map meaning you can replay old levels.
• Death: you can respawn in the area in the same state you left it or return to hub and reset the area.
• Stunning locations from caves to mountains to towns and villages.
• Rare and legendary drops indicated by colour for rareness.
• Hexes: activate them to make the game harder but give out better rewards.
• Co-Op will display all members including their health and kill count.
• Deep customisation model, You can create many different builds with the help of gear,weapons etc.

Cons:

• Frame rate drops in busy areas.
• Never quite surre if the game saved.
• Smashing the scenery can be awkward and not very accurate.
• Cannot rebind controller keys.

So Victor Vran will be labelled a Diablo 3 clone, I feel this is not really the case as yes it is an ARPG like Diablo but that’s kind of where it stops. Victor Vran is far more accessible for creating builds, Find gear, weapons and items with ease and mix and match to your liking. There is no huge NRG rolling going on to the point where you are playing the same level over and over for one piece of armour to finish a set. You can jump up and down levels giving you far more control over the level layout. You have secret areas within each of the huge levels. The mix between outdoor and indoor areas are nigh on exact. Enemies bring the noise with skeletons able to regenerate, champions able to hunt you down and mobs awaiting your every turn. I like Victor Vran over Diablo for the extra side levels within levels each with there own set of optional side objectives and loot bonuses, Being able to boot the game up and jump straight in is a good thing, No one wants to be inventory sorting,stash deciding,item buying every time you boot the game. Its all very directed but never forced lines to follow. Take it at your own pace, attack different parts but never feel like you are lost. The only major disappointment I had was the whol dying mechanic. Death in Diablo would ruin weapons,destroy progress and generally be a bad thing. In Victor Vran dying is not as harsh, You can afford to die and respawn back at the begininng because it keeps your level state, any pickups and even the enemies health at your death. Death is not a problem and it just defeats the whole act of dying is bad. Take that away though and what you get is a dam good solid ARPG game that Diablo could learn a few things from.