V Rising is an online survival hack-and-slash game similar to notable titles such as Diablo and Rust. The game takes place during an uprising of near-extinct vampires after losing a war against humans. The vampires have returned to the crypts after being banished for centuries. Players must awaken their characters just in time for revenge against the humans. Participants can join a public server, or host a private one and play alone or with friends. If the participant chooses to join a public server, there are four types of servers to choose from.
As far as the in-game story goes, it is sadly absent in this Stunlock title. After the opening cutscene does a great job of building this world for the player to explore, all of the details are sadly dropped the moment a game starts. The game portrays itself as having this epic tale to tell the moment it starts up, making it all the more disappointing when I discovered it did not. A quest log is open in the top left corner of the screen, letting the player know what they have to do to progress, rather than telling a story full of objectives. However, it has no quest markers or anything to help direct them. This leads to a bump in progress, making it difficult to play the game for short periods of time.
The combat is the biggest part of V Rising’s gameplay. Battles feel and play very similarly to that of Diablo. In comparison, every hit in Diablo has an impact behind it, with enemies staggering and wincing in pain. The hits in V Rising feature a sound effect and a number displaying the damage dealt. This leaves the combat feeling unsatisfying. The first boss the player is recommended to encounter rewards them with a wolf transformation. I personally could not tell a noticeable difference between the standard and wolf forms, so I stopped using them after a while. A base-building mechanic is also included in V Rising. Like Rust, this feature involves degrading constructed bases over time. In order to avoid this, players must feed their Castle Hearts. To feed the Castle Heart, Blood Essence is required. This resource is collected upon killing an enemy or creature.
Its music and sound are similar to those of other fantasy games like Witcher 3 and Skyrim. I have found two of V Rising’s tracks to be the best in the game, especially Farbane Nights, which is very relaxing and calm. Although the battle music gets old at times, it serves as a high-energy fantasy fight theme. The violin, coupled with woodwind instruments, provide a sense of comfort and assurance that the player is safe in the moonlight. There is, however, another notable track. The in-game boss theme is carried out by one specific boss. It is Tristan, the Vampire Hunter, who will always have me remembering this track as a sound that fills me with panic throughout my gaming life. Tristan is a roaming boss who will often see the player before they see him, resulting in frequent death and jumpscares.
V Rising is a breath of fresh air from other mainstream multiplayer survival games like Rust and ARK: Survival Evolved. The game also manages to scratch the itch for a good dungeon crawler RPG with its form of gameplay and exploration despite not having many caves or dungeons to explore. While it has a surprising amount of depth to it, it lacks a campaign for the player to partake in. With such a powerful opening cutscene, the lack of a story is disappointing. This leaves the game lacking in terms of content and leaves the multiplayer experience to carry it in terms of enjoyment, but that only surfaces more problems. The game is not getting the attention it deserves, which may cause it to lose relevance. For survival and RPG fans, this is an enjoyable experience. Its graphics and calming soundtrack make it an enjoyable experience.