In the second part of the unfolding saga that could also be enjoyed independently, you can explore new corners of this unique world and experience the mix of old-school gothic and mad science.
Pros:
- Decent graphics.
- 14.91GB Download size.
- Platinum trophy with separate trophy lists for the DLC.
- Can import your character from the first game.
- Start as a new character character at level 30.
- Can convert your character to vetaran once you have one play through.
- Six classes-Blade, Gunslinger, Spellkeeper, Adeptus, Bombadier, Contraptionist or custom.
- Five difficulties-Casual, Normal, Hard, Heroic and Fearless.
- Hardcore mode. (One life)
- Brief tutorial pop ups.
- ARPG gameplay very akin to Diablo 3.
- Uses DS4 speaker for sfx and notifications.
- 4K setting also 1080p and 1620p.
- Online support, Can invite players.
- Earn EXP, Level up and get upgrade points for attributes, Perks, Abilities.
- Your companion also levels up and has her own set of attributes, Perks and abilities.
- Can swap out different powers from the menu.
- You have a constant companion who will fight alongside you. You can set here actions like melee,ranged or if she takes the attention of enemies or heals you etc.
- Unlock portals for fast travel.
- Main hub has your storage, Shop and blacksmith for crafting and an enchanter to buff items.
- Clear item description. Green for good and red for bad on stats.
- You can reset your unlock points at a vendor.
- Shrines can be found and activated granting timed effects.
- Map uncovers as you move.
- Mission markers.
- Onscreen HUD is tidy showing objectives, Health/rage and EXP bar.
- Main and optional side quests.
- Addictive game play.
- Loot is like Diablo with common, Rare, Legendary and set item drops all different colour for identification. So legendary is orange and set is green.
- Areas are a lot bigger than the first game.
- Mob sizes are bigger.
- You have a lot more quests on the go at the same time.
- Really nice cut scenes which are far more frequent than before.
- Much better experience with friends.
- Fun to play.
- Treasure goblin like beings that if killed will drop substantial loot but will try and run away.
- Huge massive open levels to discover.
- Hidden loot boxes, Chests, Totems and more.
- Wide cast of characters to interact with.
- Decent story.
- Monsters are varied and all have unique attacks and abilities. Monsters can be normal, Champions or elites which have a much stronger attack and bigger health bar but give better loot.
- You have two weapons on most classes. One melee and one ranged and its a click of the stick to change between them.
- Dark Gothic atmosphere.
Cons:
- Menu layout is still intimidating.
- A lot of man management time is needed. You have so many options/sections in which to spend your upgrade points that it gets a bit much. Then add on the fact you have to do this again for your follower.
- Loot for classes you are not playing as drops a lot.
- Small personal space and you have to spend valuable upgrade points to expand it.
- A lot of fetch quests.
- Some very cheesy voice performances crop up.
- Slow paced in single player early on.
- Due to the size of maps, Navigation can be hard on the eyes.
- Loot progression in terms of getting better loot is a slow path.
- Some performance issues on all three of the visual settings like slowdown or screen tearing.
- Can get a bit tiring fighting off wave after wave of monster for very little pay off.
- Slow down is more apparent.
- Enemies dont always spawn.
Summary
With sequels it is always hard to see if they can up the ante, And here we have a very mediocre approach. I mean yes you hvae bigger areas and more monster types, But once you get over that it is basically the same game with new locations. A lot of the issues from the first game are back and its just a huge shame. I like the Van Helsing world and the first game did scratch an itch but by the time I ploughed a few hours into this game I felt fatigued by it all. I just had no major wow moments and to be honest I forgot I was playing a sequel on more than one occasion. In short its more of the same so if you want more Van Helsing you are in luck.
