Vlad Voievod Dracula. Episode 1 Manhunt

Updated review after completing the game. T.L.D.R. What this game is and isn't. This is NOT a vampire game, it also is NOT a product that simply uses a well known name in order to get sales. It's a game that follows historical evidence about Vlad the Impaler and it also has great gameplay, and it gets does both great. Can also be replayed for different combat styles. Press Buy. The story and artwork. You are introduced to the political situation in Wallachia after the assasination of Vlad Dracul (Vlad the Impaler's father), relations with surrounding powers, and what the motivations of each character and faction are. Then you follow the story of Vlad the Impaler as he tries to get back his father's throne, with the help of the Ottomans. I suppose future episodes will progress the story further. The art fits this great as the characters are dressed historically accurate, and the level backgrounds feature buildings from the actual location where each level takes place, in the form they most likely had during that period. Now for the gameplay. It's really good. Everything registers perfectly and feels great. You have to get past a series of enemies and bosses, using terrain, your main weapon or secondary weapons found along the way, but usually a combination of all of the above (and also think about saving ammo). It's a difficult game, having to progress slowly as each enemy can kill you if you aren't careful and also because you have to plan ahead. Most encounters are well thought out. There is also an easy difficulty, though I doubt it's all that easy and clearly the game is supposed to be played on the other difficulty setting anyways. You will play multiple characters in order to progress the whole story and they are very different, each one his own completely unique play style. Took me about 5 hours to finish my first run. It may take you significantly less or more, depending on how good you are. This is not the end though. The game has great replayability because you can choose Voivode Vlad's sword when you start a new game. This might seem like a minor detail but the weapons are different enough that almost every encounter has to be approached differently from the previous playthrough. You can replay with each different combat style. All in all I am really impressed. Cons (really only nitpicks). The story is written text and it just appears way slower than I (and probably you) can read. I can either wait for the text to slowly appear or just jump straight into the game. I wish I could just scroll and read at my own pace. Options like music or filter can only be switched on or off form the main menu, not while pausing the game, but this doesn't really affect gameplay either way.

If you enjoyed NES games like Castlevania, Ninja Gaiden 3, Mega Man, Shatterhand (Tokkyū Shirei Solbrain), Batman the video game etc, most likely you will enjoy this game. It's immersive and requires your full attention and focus, but if you don't take it seriously, it will punish you brutally (though it has an "easy" mode). Not for the faint of heart, but it's a Classicvania game - what do you expect? At this time it doesn't run too well on old GPUs (especially if you turn on the old TV filter) but hopefully this will improve in future updates. I would give it an 8/10

Metroidvania + challenging + weapons = Master the timing and movements to pass each stage. Try again and again to pass difficult areas. Utilize different weapons and watch out for traps. [h1][url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/35180752-3-point-play/] Follow our curator for similar games [/url][/h1]

Very fun game so far! We need more games/movies/tv shows featuring Vlad. The real Dracula's life is far more interesting than Count Dracula imo.

Got sent this key for free by the developer! Tried it out and couldn't get past Level 1-5 as there was no way to get to the next screen. In my opinion this game is NOT ready to be on Steam yet, I think a lot more development needs to be done to make the game more polished. My reasons and feedback are as such: 1. Enemies aren't a threat, you can just run through them to the end of the screen. 2. Combat is incredibly slow and movement is overall not great as you slide when changing direction. 3. The title of the game itself is not only a mouthful but also forgettable, it would work much better as "Vlad Dracula" I do see the potential of this game as a metroidvania fan, however I think that in it's current state it is WAY too early in development. Keep working on it and change direction from being an "episodic game" and I'm sure that over time this game could get better!

A nice little Indie platformer, The game isn't to difficult and the platforming is solid for the most part, The music kind of is lacking though, Now for the one thing I didn't like.... the whole gimmick of switching characters mid levels, while some where alright to deal with the majority made the game way more difficult to play with the change in their movement speed and "slipperiness" while moving and some just not having the best methods of attacking. That being said I still think the game was good and would recommend picking it up on a sale and also recommend checking out the other games in the series which improve on the gameplay way more.

I played through the casual mode, and had a good time. The artwork is all really great, and I liked the music, although I wish there was more of it. The platforming is about as slidey a platformer as I've ever played. It feels like Dracula has ice shoes on, but it is learnable and increases the challenge of the gameplay. A lot of the platforming was pretty satisfying, it had good difficulty and progressively got harder. The characters you could play as were also pretty cool, and each changed the gameplay in some way that was significant enough to not just feel like "it was the same character but now he has an axe instead of a sword". I'm curious to see how future episodes evolve and grow!

Bought the game for its strong attracting identity without testing the demo first, what i should've done first. The game is a very tough Classicvania (not Metroidvania) and is not for everyone! But if you love very hard, demanding retro gameplay, you should give a go to the demo!

Vlad Voievod, is a 2D Metroidvania, based on the life of Dracula. Intended to be more historically correct, the game will showcase Dracula as known in his homeland Romania. No powers, no vampiric shenanigans, just pure and simple Vlad Tepes. Described as a Soulslike Metroidvania, I tried it also on Steam Deck and it run perfectly, although my skills are lacking. You can check some gameplay by pressing the link below: https://youtu.be/NkCDECYgSHo

[h1]The monster rises...[/h1] [b][u]PROS[/u]:[/b] Vlad Voievod Dracula Episode 1 Manhunt is a throwback title to 8-bit styles of games. Though the visuals are an improvement of that era, the gameplay sits firmly in that camp. The game has a variety of different characters that get swapped out through the campaign, & though some play in similar styles, some do have a range different from Vlad. Vlad also has access to secondary, long range weapons for assistance. The story is a psuedo-fictional retelling of the age of the dragon, though can easily be skipped over for those uninterested in it. The visuals have a very clear pop to them, with each enemy's different appearance a clear indicator of how they both move & attack. The backgrounds also have that nice touch of additional personality with each new location. [b][u]CONS[/u]:[/b] The controls have a bit too loose of a feeling, with each character moving as if they were on ice. Some of the characters also feel incredibly unfun to play as, uniquely heavier characters having far more limits in how they both move & attack. The game is a little short, those it seems to be gearing up as an episodic series. While a minor note to end on, the soundtrack is also fairly forgettable, with nothing standing out, though this may be to keep a darker feel to the titles rather than holding them to a video gamey standard. [b][u]FINAL[/u]:[/b] Vlad Voievod Dracula Episode 1 Manhunt is an interesting title. Though fans of older styles of games may find it fun, several aspects of it would feel unwelcoming to newer fans. In fact, if it wasn't for the game's developer reaching out to ask me to play it, it would have completely gone under the radar for me. Still, it does scratch that itch for those looking for a very specific style of game, & I'd like to stay hopeful for the upcoming episodes. If curious, wait for a sale to judge for oneself.