Victor Vran: Overkill Edition PS4 Review

Victor Vran is a Diablo like isometric Action RPG, that has you fighting legions of enemies and by doing so you’ll grow increasingly stronger by acquiring new equipment and levelling up. All of that is typical stuff for the genre, but the game isn’t without its own ideas that sets it apart from the crowd.

For starters, there are no classes in Victor Vran. Instead your character build is determined through your equipment. You can have two weapons equipped at a time of which you can shift between at will. Each different type of weapon has two skills that you can employ and you can equip potions, bombs and such with them as well, allowing for two distinct loadouts. It works really well, with a level of flexibility that means you’re free to, and are actively encouraged to, experiment whenever you desire.

Another nice idea that the game has are optional challenges in each area, which tasks you with doing such things as killing a certain amount of enemies, finding things or taking on a tougher enemy without using potions. They’re really satisfying to complete, not only because some of them are challenging, but also for the fact that a chest drops from the sky filled with beautiful loot. Hexes meanwhile allow you to increase the challenge of the game in various ways, such as increasing the damage you take from enemy attacks and you’ll also earn more loot and XP for your efforts.

Speaking of loot, armour is surprisingly rare, but Destiny cards give you something else to pore over. These offer various bonuses, such as increasing the amount of gold that enemies drop, improving your critical hit probability. To begin with you can’t equip many of these, but as you ascend through the levels more options gradually open up to you.

Weapons on the other hand consist of the likes of swords, rapiers, hammers, shotguns and mortars. As usual for the genre these have contrasting stats and benefits and are divided into colour groups. There’s also a transmute system, which has you combining items to enhance equipment, and can get pretty deep.

Dungeon layout is satisfying with plenty of secrets to seek out, which along with the challenges really encourages you to meticulously explore areas to discover everything. The combat, which of course is one of the main things you’ll be getting up to whilst playing the game is excellent fun, particularly when fighting alongside others in the co-op mode (which can be played by up to four players, both online and offline) action is seriously chaotic and moves along at a satisfying enough pace and the typical flow of the Action RPG is just as satisfying as it should be, though slightly let down by a lack of enemy variation, which makes things feel a bit too repetitive from time to time. There’s an Overdrive ability which allows you to unleash demonic abilities such as raining down meteors from the heavens.

The story of Victor Vran isn’t all that interesting and is easily the worst aspect of the game. It sees Victor travelling to city of Zagrovia to seek out his friend Adrian. Some of the humour is quite amusing and the voice acting is strong ( Victor himself is voiced by Doug Cockle, who is best knowing for voicing The Witcher’s Geralt of Rivia) but there’s a lack of depth and characters are bland, with the most appealing being a disembodied voice, that constantly taunts Victor throughout his journey, mocking his hat.

The main game might not be the longest, though also included are the two pieces of DLC Fractured worlds and Motorhead: Throughout the Ages. In terms of longevity, Fractured Worlds is the standout. This additional campaign, changes the dungeons daily, granting an endless level of longevity for as long as you’re able to stomach the core gameplay loop. Motorhead: Throughout the Ages on the other hand is themed around the famous rock band and it’s just as crazy as it sounds. With such a premise, you’d expect a more light hearted tone than the main game and that’s exactly what you get. Locations, music and such are inspired and themed around the band and there are plenty or references for fans, though it is to be said that you don’t need to be into Motorhead to be taken in by the crazy nature running rampart throughout.

Victor Vran is a well made game, which mechanically speaking is excellent, but let down slightly by its problems, which just holds the game back from being something truly special, but nevertheless its unique spin on genre conventions is very much worthy of applauding and experiencing.