Vampyr’s autosave screwed me over – but I’m glad it did
It’s been nearly two years since Vampyr was first released, so you could say that I’m very, very far behind. But now that I’m playing, I finally understand why people were so angry at Vampyr’s autosave. I understand, but I don’t necessarily agree with that anger.
The reason is that the very start of the game, the DONTNOD team warn you about the autosave feature, about choice and consequence, and why that matters in Vampyr. It’s a little over the top, yes, but I can see why. This is a game where you play a vampire, and everyone you meet? You can either kill or show mercy.
The game becomes a lot harder if you don’t kill as you barely get any EXP, instead you end up scraping by through what you earn in side-quests. I often found myself going against enemies many levels harder than myself, relying on my dodging to survive an encounter. DONTNOD wants you to feel underpowered in being altruistic and not feeding, and it makes your choices feel that much more compelling.
However, sometimes not embracing can be just as bad as I later found out during chapter 2. In this chapter, you’re sent off to figure out why the head honcho of the hospital you work at is being blackmailed. This ultimately leads you to a character called Nurse Crane, who works at a dispensary in Whitechapel. Nurse Crane helps the sick in that area, particularly those who are immigrants and cannot speak English. She’s a kind person, and even when I found out she was the blackmailer, I found it hard to disagree with her methods.
Only, I ended up breaking the poor nurse’s mind during the latter stage of that chapter. I was fooled by that blue text that said CHARM and thought ‘phew, a safe option!’
I was so very wrong. There are no safe options in Vampyr, and I was left with my choice after the game auto-saved – a feature that has led to many making mods to try and counter it. I can see the appeal, and ultimately you should play the game in the way that best suits you, but it feels wrong.
Vampyr is a game about choices and consequences, and that never felt truer the moments after I turned Dorothy Crane insane. I felt sick knowing that her patients would no doubt die, and that the trust I’d built with another character, Darius, would be forever wasted. It sucked, but it kept the fervour, the desire to play, going strong. I’d messed up, but I’m glad I did. It makes me want to play again and that’s one of the biggest compliments anyone can give to a video game.
So thanks, Vampyr’s autosave. You’re a real one.
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