If you mix Diablo with Minecraft, you get something similar to V Rebellion. It can be described as an isometric action RPG with survival elements. The combination of an interesting combat system and a deep construction system, along with a gothic vampire mythology, makes this game stand out from the crowd, but it also tends to feel slow and sometimes it’s like mobile games that are a little weird. After two years in Early Access, we got access to a beta version of the game before its full release.
As a vampire, you wake up from a 100-year winter and must rebuild your kingdom and spread your dark wings across the land. Apart from a short intro sequence, the game starts hard and fast. You start by smashing skeletons with your claws, picking up their bones, and then using the bone fragments to build your first sword. At this point, it is clear that although it is similar to a game like Diablo, at its heart V Rebellion is something completely different. No loot, no pit running in search of better gear. Instead, your vampire is a craftsman who can build an entire castle with his anamic hands.
Here’s a hint:
So, no big story was given. Mainly because the game is designed to be played on a server with up to 40 other players who can work together or fight against each other. There are many bosses on the map, and these bosses are organized in an act structure, namely Act 1, Act 2, and Act 3, which could be in the form of a story. Basically, this is a rating of their level and difficulty, but it would be nice to give them a little more context. Additionally, all of these bosses respawn after a while, so if another player has defeated them, that doesn’t mean they’re gone.
In the beta, we have yet to get a taste of what this will be like on a full server, and to maximize immersion in the game’s fairly extensive build system, I chose to play solo in the most so that more does not overwhelm me. experienced players.
I’m a little torn on whether to describe the game as a construction/survival simulator with action RPG elements, or an action RPG with construction/survival simulator elements. It’s mostly a very entertaining action RPG when you’re out hunting monsters or looking for victims to drain your blood, but before long you’ll be more like a Dracula crafts with resource management expertise. There are two different basic elements of the game as both advantages and disadvantages.
Here’s a hint:
The facilities and building systems are quite good, surprisingly flexible and deep. The RPG elements feel a little thin, but the combat itself is wild and fun. The transitions between the two tend to cancel each other out in terms of the fun factor. Maybe you just got into an adrenaline-fueled battle with a boss you couldn’t defeat, so you return to your growing castle to upgrade your sword, only to get turns out you can’t because you don’t have the refined copper. Okay, so you need to make some refined copper, but before you do that, you obviously need some copper, you’re also going to need some wood that needs to be sanded into planks, and so on. That’s not to say it’s bad per se, but you probably can’t play as a construction engineer when you’re busy defeating monsters in the forest.
There is a rather unique synergy between the two main elements of the game. Instead of collecting experience points to become more powerful, collect resources to expand your castle – and possibly your entire kingdom later – and get better equipment. Your relationship level with your boss should be seen primarily in the context of your equipment level. That doesn’t mean you can’t build your character, but instead of getting experience points, it’s done by drinking the blood of other creatures. You can drink the blood of anything from a small mouse to a giant monster, and you’ll be rewarded based on how much you drank last. If you defeat a boss and drink his blood, you gain new permanent magical abilities.
The interplay of building your kingdom and going out in search of new and better blood is very effective. The basic system looks very strong and well thought out, but it is also difficult to dance with. Put resources on one machine, do something, and you have to put resources on another machine to finally build what you want, and that takes your time. V Rebellion is not a game where you just jump in for 15 minutes and cut monsters. I’m tired of constantly getting killed because my gear isn’t powerful enough, just when I’m ready to go out and find resources to upgrade the same gear. Plus, when you die, everything you had on you – except your weapons – will be left at the scene of the crime, so you’ll have to trot it out back and grab everything you spent time collecting. That’s not to say it’s not bad at all, it’s just incredibly difficult and often takes the wind out of an otherwise good combat system. I don’t know how to balance it, or if it should be different, but this is a game that is more orderly and punchy than slashing and stabbing.
However, it should be said that you can structure your gaming session as you want, in almost all parameters. You can set multipliers to set how much you can carry, how many resources you harvest from stuff, and how much damage you give and take. You can also set how many other players can be on the server and whether they can attack each other. Therefore, there are many opportunities to fine-tune your knowledge. The problem is that it can feel a bit like cheat code and takes away from the level of difficulty the game is supposed to have. As I said, I played most of the time alone in this beta, but Rebellion V was designed from the ground up to be played with other people, either friends or enemies, and I could easily imagine that building your castle and conquering your enemies. a lot of fun – and a little easier – if you have a few friends. The number of options on how to build is overwhelming. The style is of course classic gothic horror, but you can build your castle on many floors, decorate it, and you can trick the townspeople and make them your servants. The possibilities are endless, and if you get a friend or two together, you can have a great experience – if you all have a little patience.
Finally, it’s worth mentioning – and remember, I haven’t tested how the awesome multiplayer servers are running – that the game is in excellent technical shape. I played it on the Steam Deck at the highest graphics settings at 45 fps, and despite the many small, slightly heavy menus, the game adapted well to the device.
I can easily recommend V Rising. It is well built and well designed throughout, but you have to know what it is and what it isn’t. Although fighting is fun, it is not enough to be boring if you are not interested in building and managing your castle. But if you want an action RPG ala Diablo where you can become a dark lord and build your own kingdom, V Rebellion is the most obvious choice.
