Released in 2014, now three years ago, on PC via the Steam platform, The Incredible Adventures Of Van Helsing 2 arrives on Playstation 4 e Xbox One a few months after the port of the first chapter, released in March of this year. We have tested the version for you Playstation 4.
Inserted in the vein of revival of Diablo-clone, The Incredibile Adventures Of Van Helsing 2 is an Action RPG with an isometric view that winks a lot at cornerstones of the genre such as Diablo by Blizzard for the dark atmosphere but also Sacred, as regards a certain ironic vein and not taking oneself too seriously that characterizes some dialogues and some missions.
With a very particular setting, in balance between steampunk, dieselpunk and the most classic nineteenth-century horror, the game tells the adventures of the monster hunter born from the pen of Brahm Stoker in his attempt to free Borgovia from monsters of any kind, in a plot not striking but absolutely enjoyable and above all very rich in characters at the limit of the absurd but always fascinating, among which our trusted ghostly companion, Lady Katarina, whose sarcasm will keep us company even in the darkest moments of history often with the function of talking cricket. We will be dealing with a plethora of very particular characters, with various references to films, television series and books - we will also go to save Private Bryan - that will break the routine. It will be possible to complete the game in about ten hours, which rises to twenty if you are a serial platinator, but the longevity is also greatly aided by the online multiplayer cooperative mode.
In terms of gameplay it is nothing different from a classic Diablo-clone, with close and ranged basic attacks through firearms and magical attacks that will consume mana, the latter will be possible to choose them from a fairly large list of skills to unlock and enhance with experience points. One thing that's a bit tricky about this genre of console gameplay is the layout of the controls. Having to translate something programmed to be played on a keyboard that has more keys than a pad on a small number of keys, sometimes the programming choices regarding the commands can be a little difficult, and to get used to the action key on L2 ce it takes time. For the rest, all in all the gameplay is enjoyable even though it is not in its ideal size (the PC) and never frustrating, although even the lowest difficulty presents a fair level of difficulty. However, it suffers from the fact that the combat is very slow and cumbersome, a far cry from certain fast and explosive styles seen in other Diablo-clones also recently ported to Playstation 4.
From a technical point of view instead The Incredible Adventures Of Van Helsing 2 looks very good with a very pleasant and detailed graphics at the right point thanks to the cartoon style that characterizes the game, with large environments - sometimes too much - but well congenital also in terms of planning, and, above all, various between them. Maybe too linear in some sections, but still very well done. The sound, on the other hand, gains half a point more than the graphics both for the management of the speakers of the televisions and 7.1 headphones but above all for the use of the small speaker contained in the controller for radio communications between the base camp and our character. In addition, the music, especially those of the most excited phases of the game, are very pleasant and appreciable, with that epic touch of some old film soundtracks signed by Hans Zimmer to make a comparison.
Unfortunately, although the porting was done in a more than excellent way, The Incredible Adventures Of Van Helsing adds absolutely nothing new or essential to the Playstation 4 playground, it is more a release for fans of the genre than for the public more generalist. During our test we did not encounter major problems, bugs or glitches of note, only some very short drop in framerate with many enemies on the screen but nothing that spoils the gaming experience, but this is not enough to shine or, speaking of more earthy things land, to sell. Of course, making revolutionary video games is not easy, but Victor Vran has also been brought to PS4 recently, who took a lot of inspiration from The Incredible Adventures Of Van Helsing, speeding up and spectacularizing the fight a little, and in some ways perhaps Victor Vran is more attractive, mostly thanks to the frenzy of the fight.
In conclusion, The Incredible Adventures Of Van Helsing 2 is not an essential title but it remains a well-made game, with a well-programmed PC port that does not detract from the gaming experience except perhaps for the control scheme - not modifiable. - slightly difficult. NeoCore Games did a great job, but it did it for the fans. The average gamer might find it a bit tricky if not downright boring.
