V RISING – Review

In recent years, the video game industry has been characterized by an ever-increasing number of independent developers who, thanks to their creativity, have given birth to some titles capable of finding great success in a very short time with both critics and the public. Some of these titles are released early on PC in an early access period that allows developers to take advantage of player feedback to improve the quality of the content and correct possible problems, thus giving players the opportunity to become an integral part of the development process. After two years of early access, the highly acclaimed V-RISING.

The title developed by Stunlock Studios is now available on PlayStation 5 thus also allowing all players on the platform Sony to have fun with this very interesting Action RPG characterized by a strong survival component. Prepare your cloak and sharpen your fangs, let’s set off on a new adventure in our review of V RISING!

The world is in the throes of a terrible conflict. After being driven out by humans, vampires have been hiding in the darkness for centuries, falling into a deep sleep. But their thirst for blood is now too great to continue sleeping, and it is time for vampires to regain the glory and splendor they once possessed. Before the great war, in fact, they managed to co-exist harmoniously with humans, protecting them from the horrors of the darkness in exchange for their blood. But all that went to pieces when one of them, Draculadecided to reign supreme over all Vardoran. The turmoil among the vampire clans has given humans the opportunity to gain the upper hand, but now it is our turn to take back what is ours.

Dracula’s Curse

From a gameplay perspective V-RISING mixes action RPG elements with survival mechanics, creating a multifaceted hybrid. Immediately after creating your character, the player will wake up in the world of Vardoran with really the bare minimum to survive. It will therefore be necessary recover materials and resources not only to feed ourselves, but also to create weapons and equipment suitable for defending ourselves from the dangers scattered throughout the game world. The title features a day and night cycle that we will have to pay particular attention tosince exposing ourselves directly to the sun’s rays will consume our energy quickly. By completing the objectives present or eliminating certain enemies we will go to unlock new powers for our vampire and new structures that we can build.

One of the fundamental elements of the game will in fact be the possibility of build our castle and customize it with structures that can make our lives easier, such as workbenches for processing materials and even coffins that can transform humans subjugated by our power into servants that we can send to hunt for raw materials in our place. By exploring the gigantic game map we will unlock new areas where we can find different materials, but we will have to pay attention to the increasing difficulty level of the enemiesThe game does not feature an experience-based growth system, our parameters will in fact be established by the equipment in our possession.

I found the survival component of V-RISING really well balancedwith an increasing difficulty capable of testing the skills of each player without being too punitive. One of the elements that I appreciated the most is undoubtedly the freedom offered by the game, although there are objectives to follow to unlock certain structures and skills we will have the opportunity to freely explore the world of Vardoran testing our abilities even in the most difficult areas since the early stages of the game. I also found the amount of objects and structures to customize our castle very interesting, even on an aesthetic level, giving us a huge possibility of choice.

Rondo of Blood

The combat system of V-RISING It is quite simple but well structured. In combat we can choose whether to attack with one of the weapons at our disposal or whether to exploit the spells unlocked during our adventure. By defeating certain bosses in fact we can get the V BLOODgranting our character new abilities and the ability to learn new spells from six distinct categories. Spells and abilities will require the use of blood, which is why we should always try to keep our thirst at bay by using consumables or feeding from enemies. Once their HP has been reduced, it will be possible to consume their blood, thus obtaining temporary bonuses based on the opponent’s category.

But the most interesting element of V-RISING it is without a doubt the ability to play online in three different modes. By choosing the PvE we will be able to create or join a server where players will collaborate to restore their role within the kingdom of Vardoranhelping each other to defeat enemies or to obtain materials. By choosing the PvP we could instead face players from all over the worldtrying to raid their castles to expand our dominion and block their growth. Finally in PvP Duos we will be able to join forces with another player and create a small clan to face other player clans and the dangers that lie within the world of Vardoran.

Although perhaps a little too simplistic I appreciated the possibility of choice offered for the combat system, especially regarding spells. I also think that the ability to play both in cooperative and competitive mode makes V-RISING a really interesting title. This is a way to satisfy all types of players without taking anything away from the game itself, thus allowing anyone to choose the difficulty level that best suits their needs. In fact, PvP will put even the toughest players to the test, but Surviving an attack from a rival vampire clan will prove truly satisfying..

Symphony of the Night

From a technical point of view V-RISING It’s a fairly enjoyable experience, albeit with some small problems. Graphically the game is really appealing, with a very interesting artistic direction. We will have a myriad of aesthetic content to customize our castle as we like, as well as many possibilities to customize our character. In addition I really appreciated how the software house exploited the day/night cycleeven though during the day we will be exposed to the damage caused by the sun’s rays, we will be able to take advantage of all the shadows present to shelter ourselves and avoid losing energy.

The sound department is also very interesting, not only the soundtrack that will accompany us throughout the adventure will be intriguing but the ambient audio has been made with great care. The lack of Italian localization could turn up the nose of those players who are a little less accustomed to the English language, furthermore I found the description of some objectives is a bit confusing present in the various missions that we will have to face.

The game’s narrative is really minimalistalthough we will be able to delve into some details about the world of Vardoran thanks to the descriptions of the bosses and other clues scattered along our path. For some of the additional content, the software house has thought well to turn to perhaps the most famous title dedicated to vampires, namely Castlevania. Thanks to the package “Castlevania Legacy“we will in fact be able to obtain tons of items inspired by the KONAMI franchiseas well as some of the most famous music of the saga. Also within the game we will be able to challenge none other than Simon Belmontbut it is a challenge that will test even the most experienced players!

Who do we recommend V RISING to?

If you like action RPGs and you’re not afraid of having to collect tons of materials to survive, V RISING is definitely the game for you.. With very interesting settings and very well structured mechanics, the title is truly fascinating, and without a doubt deserves to be played. Furthermore The ability to play both with and against friends from all over the world makes it even more excitingSure, there are some issues, but it’s still a very good title.