People who play Vampyr will “write their own stories”

I’m an absolute sucker for open worlds where the NPCs actually act out stories. It’s one of the reasons why I’m still playing Hitman, stalking the streets and eavesdropping on conversations to get the full picture. There’s a certain richness towards dipping into the lore of the world around you, losing yourself in the environment and learning more about the people whose heads are about to receive a lead injection from you.

It’s also an idea that’ll be circulating through the veins of NPCs in Dontnod’s upcoming Vampyr game. Yes, you can refrain from taking a life, but sometimes the chance to do so will be too tempting. Just remember, actions have consequences. Especially when you’re exploring a world that houses 60 NPCs who have lives of their own to lead.

Called “Citizens” within Vampyr, these digital people come with distinct identities and backgrounds that connect them to each other. “Tom is a bartender,” Dontnod CEO Oskar Guilbert explained to Glixel as he cited examples of this.

And Sabrina is his waitress. They know lots of secrets about their clients at the bar, and they both have their own secrets to hide, too – for example, Tom is teaching Sabrina how to use a gun. If you choose to feed on Tom and kill him, Sabrina will inherit the bar. But if you feed on Sabrina, Tom will lose his cool and start to reveal information on his clients. And if you kill them both, the bar will end up closing, making life harder for the people in the area.

People who play Vampyr will write their own stories.

That’s fascinating stuff, this idea where your fangs can start a butterfly effect within the game. According to Guilbert, the citizen system can be used to your advantage. Eliminate a certain NPC and you’ll actually receive new connections to new advantages within Vampyr. Which should make for some interesting paths to follow when the final game is out later this year.

Last Updated: February 20, 2017