Vampire Rain

"I love the Night, I hate the Rain"

Vampire Rain is a true hardcore gamers game that combines Splinter Cell stealth tactics with gun-blazing action. Developed by Artoon (creators of the magnificent and revolutionary Blinx and Blinx 2) and AQ interactive, Vampire Rain casts you as a member of a covert black ops elimination squad whose duty it is to rid the rain soaked city of the fiendish blood-sucking Nightwalkers.

The game starts off slowly in tutorial fashion but soon the missions take a frantic pace that will have your jugular throbbing and heart pounding. Any gamer that enjoyed Clock Tower on PSOne will appreciate the brilliance of Vampire Rain and when it's all over your gaming life will have been enlightened and enriched. Games that offer the hardcore experience that Vampire Rain does are few and far between nowadays. A perfect comparison would be that Vampire Rain is the Gunstar Heroes of this gen. A game so revolutionary and intense that only true hardcore gamers are qualified to partake and savor its challenges.

Game Play:

As Anti-Nightwalker Mission Team Member John Lloyd, you're the only person to have ever survived a Nightwalker attack. Your experience, skill, and heroism will be tested to the maximum as the war against the Nightwalkers proves a wicked challenge. These fiendish horrors are much faster and much stronger than humans and can leap up and across buildings effortlessly. You must rely on stealth and striking from a distance until you recover the games more powerful and ingenious weapons. Even though you have the benefits of modern technology and heavy weaponry you don't stand a chance if the Nightwalkers get within claws reach. Fortunately you are equipped with Necrovision scanning that allows you to identify if a human looking figure is indeed mortal or the sharp-toothy, blood-thirsty type. Necrovision and stealth are vital to your survival but neither can prepare you for the many shocking moments in Vampire Rain.

Imagine climbing a ladder towards what you believe will be rooftop safety when suddenly out of nowhere a Nightwalker leaps past what was to be your next step! There's only a moment to hide before it sees you and brings certain death. You must hide. I actually froze and held my breath during several encounters, feeling that I needed to be absolutely still and quiet. Can you imagine?!

Nightwalkers have a field-of-vision cone similar to that in the Metal Gear Solid and Splinter Cell series's. However Vampire Rain adds a revolutionary feature that improves stealth game play dynamically. When your character is too close to a Nightwalkers vision range a pair of devilish eyes fill the screen for a second with the sound of hunger and blood lust. You've been sensed. You have only a few heartbeats to find cover before the eyes focus closer and faster. Unlike the horrible artificial intelligence found in the Metal Gear Solid games where guards ridiculously go back to their patrol path after a short time limit (even after having been shot by the player, duh!) the Nightwalkers stay in raged fury with their desire to feed. Once fully seen it's kill or be killed and it's a brilliant, hardcore design from the masters at Artoon.

"I love the night. I hate the Rain..." You'll hear this from the Nightwalkers when forced close enough to eavesdrop. It's a blessing as you learn that the rain dulls the vampires superior senses. This will aid your teams desire to stay concealed until later in the game when you're given the chance to hunt the hunters of the night.

As the story eerily reveals itself you're introduced to several Nightwalker bosses and their peculiar personalities and history. Developer Artoon has gone to satisfying lengths giving each character a complex and intriguing identity. Is it possible that events may not be as black and white as they appear to be concerning the Nightwalkers true objective? What mystery surrounds the young girl wandering the streets alone in the midnight hours, seemingly unafraid of the Nightwalker horrors? Why does her presence feel supernatural?

Multiplayer

Up to eight (8) players can compete on-line via Xbox Live in a variety of game modes such as Deathhmatch, Team Deathmatch, and more. It's fun and adds great replay value.

Graphics, Music and Sound:

Vampire Rain has the most impressive rain effects of any game I've ever seen and the city is built to epic scale. There are however certain boundaries you're not allowed to proceed past and your superiors will harshly remind you to stay focused on your current objective. Music and sound effects are perfectly fitting and reminiscent of the older Night Gallery series. Very creepy.

Extras:

Besides the twenty-four (24) story missions there are twenty-three (23) trial missions and fifty (50) collectible Medals hidden throughout the levels. Vampire Rain also introduces the most original weapon ever in the history of video games: the Ultraviolet Blade. A deadly weapon that must be refilled with anti-Nightwalker sunlight. It's absolutely brilliant and so satisfying to use!

Conclusion:

There's so much originality, depth, and fun in Vampire Rain. Developer Artoon has improved the stealth genre to near perfection and does so with a great sense of style. (You know you have a winner when your Command Vehicle is disguised as a pizza van!) As the story unfolds you'll witness plot twists beyond your imagination. Some leave more questions than answers and we can only hope and pray for a sequel.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 08/13/07