V Rising | PS5 Review

V Rising, may or may not be what you expected. At first glance you might assume it's an arpg akin to Diablo or Path of Exile. That's not really the case though. From experience I found it to be more of a customized castle building and combat oriented MMO with co-op, solo, and pvp options. 

V Rising is not unlike ARK, or Citadel: Forged With Fire outside of it's graphic design. The main difference being the vampire theme, and mechanics tied to vampirism. It includes, at it's core, day and night cycles, crafting, blood draining, survival elements, and even pattern based boss fights. It can be played solo on a local server without invites or on a local/online server with a populated density of players out to conquer or co-op with those who participate.

Going in there's a lot to get used to in 'V Rising'. With it being originally a PC release the translation over to console seems to have ported over most of the menu systems of the original build. The UI, and menu system takes some getting used to as there are multiple ways to access, and utilize each menu's offerings. Once you've adapted to the UI you'll be able to make use of the vampirism skills, MMO abilities, crafting options, and castle building. 

The game eases you in, at first, through a fairly detailed custom character creator that takes in account both male and female vampire types. Complete with hairstyles, facial hair, eye color, and face presets. From there you'll begin the initial tutorial grind unlocking and learning about key features and functions of the menu systems. This tutorial is drip fed through character leveling done through combat. Killing enemies, and wildlife will level your vampire up, unlock their abilities, and enable new evolutions in crafting. Letting you craft more powerful and durable gear and structures needed to setup a solid base of operations within V Rising's world. 

As a vampire you'll need to mind the day and night cycles as you go about farming for materials. Your only reprieve being the shade of the forest, a wooden coffin, or rare flasks that negate some sunlight damage. Overexposure to sunlight will kill in a short amount of time making it imperative to prepare accordingly. You'll need to either seek shelter in your castle sanctuary or stay out and about carefully moving in and out of the shadows. 

The world of 'V Rising', itself, is vast and expansive with named regions that each house various points of interests. All of which is connected by winding and branching paths with gateways and teleport portals. It includes a living and breathing ecosystem with enemy strongholds, bandit camps, and plenty of creatures to whet your insatiable appetite. Vampirism, of course, is a necessity in this gothic untamed world, and doubles as a means to both power up your castle through the castle's heart as well as earn you new abilities like transformations through a quota of creature specific blood acquisition. All the things a returning and rising vampire lord needs to dominate.

The Presentation ...

Visually 'V Rising' is like a cell shaded action-rpg with an isometric POV which can be rotated to change perspective. It features highly detailed, and more realistic environmental set pieces with mostly cell shaded characters and creatures. At night the game takes on a gothic appearance through shaded blue hues, and in the daytime that gothic appeal still remains, albeit highlighted by the auburn glow of the sun. The soundtrack is as one might imagine. Orchestral, symphonic, and ambient. Fitting of the dark fantasy it compliments.

The Verdict ...

While I'm only part of the way into my standard edition playthrough I see promise in 'V Rising'. It is an MMO experience with an arpg aesthetic. Complete with a competent combat system that incorporates crafted weapons and gear. The only downside I find to the game is the fact that it is an always online experience. Meaning without server access you cannot play what you paid for. 

I do not prefer always online games as a gamer as it effectively means you do not own what you paid for. Seeing games like 'Warhammer 40K: Inquisitor Martyr' get an offline mode later on in it's life's cycle gives me some hope though. I do hope the developer doesn't let the legacy of 'V Rising' fade away by taking away ownership of an offline version of the game. All things considered I find 'V Rising' to be worth the money if you don't mind online only access, and a complex system of menus.