I know what you're thinking. Yet another co-op/PvP survival crafting game in an early access state?! Yes. It's one of those.
This time, you're a vampire. Set in a dark fantasy world in which vampires ruled for centuries before being overthrown and imprisoned, your character wakes up and chooses bloody violence. This one is a bit different from other survival crafting games: the camera view is isometric. The camera is a little wonky during combat, but manageable if you're familiar with Diablo and its cousins. This game very much doesn't play like Diablo. It is much slower than that.
Your character starts with two abilities and the knowledge to craft simple bone weapons. The different weapon types are useful for gathering different resources. Swords for vegetation (plant fiber), axes for trees (lumber), hammers for minerals (stone/ore), and spears for creatures (bones/hides). The weapons do the same amount of damage as every other weapon of the same level. It doesn't look like enemies have specific weapons types they are weaker to, and you can use any weapon to gather any resource type. It will just take longer to cut down a tree with a spear than with an axe.
There are two types of character progression. Your level is your gear level; you don't get XP for killing enemies. There are powerful named enemies that you can track. Killing them grants your character a power, as well as new crafting blueprints. I had to kill one of these enemies in order to unlock the building that let me turn animal hides into leather. That enemy kept kicking my ass, so I tracked down another enemy that granted the blueprint for the crossbow, which I then used to take this other enemy out.
As is common in these games, I've run into resource bottlenecks. The basic resources are readily available and respawn. But I've now spent a couple of hours hunting down a single item I need to construct a building that will then let me utilize a bunch of other resources.
Enemies of your level or higher can be tough. This game is definitely balanced for co-op. There is a day/night cycle. You can stay in the shade or sleep during the day. Direct sunlight will eventually damage you. It will kill you quickly if you don't move into shade. The way the blood/health mechanic works is pretty neat; feeding on different enemy types gives you a different blood type that affects your passive stats. As is befitting a game with such a title, the architecture and aesthetic of your castle is decidedly Gothic.
I'm about 8 hours in and I am enjoying it for the most part. Is anyone else checking this out?
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