This is not a game for everyone, and I say this because I think casual players of aRPGs (like myself) won't find as many issues as the more hardcore veterans. There are numerous changes to the aRPG formula that will be a matter of taste.

After 45 hours of the Story Mode, I think I can hopefully explain the game's merits and faults (for both casual and hardcore fans).

Keep in mind that I haven't tried out the multiplayer. My first character was an online adventurer going solo, so I am not aware if there are any issues with the multiplayer. I haven't had any crashes since the update nor had my character wiped.


I had no idea that a definitive edition was ever coming out. Thankfully, the devs were nice enough to let anyone who purchases the trilogy of games--at any date--to get the Final Cut for free. (They're looking for a solution for people who own the games on GOG and Steam.)

If you're wondering what is different, there is far too much to mention here. If you wish to read an explanation behind the development of the three games, here is a link to an article to explain what happened:

http://www.neocoregames.com/2015/06/the-incredible-development-of-van-helsing-iii/

The short story is the devs had never intended to release each game alone--they were to be episodic content. (Originally, the game had ONE class and no Katarina companion.) And because they completely revamped the later established three classes of VH 1 and 2, you couldn't transfer your save to VH3.

Many fans were rightfully upset, and I think what the devs did by giving the FC for free is an apology to them. Now all three games have continuity to the end, a higher LV cap to boot, and all six (finalized) classes from the start.

That is my take on it--I don't claim this as fact nor do I speak for NeoCore. You can still purchase the previous games if the format they provided--a more traditional aRPG experience--is more to your taste.

• No grinding for stats.

ALL enemies are scaled to your level, and the eleven difficulties change their percentages. (Some locked by level caps.)

• Building your character is key for the game.

The six classes have unique playstyles, even three unique attribute points to make it easier to distinguish the changes.

• Specializing your skills via passives and Rage perks to make them better.

But don't forget about your Auras. These passive abilities can be mandatory--like how I learned when I played the Constructor--because they provide essential bonuses to your playstyle.

• You can reset your skill and atrribute points for yourself (and Katarina, your ghostly companion) at any point in the game for a fee.

Your companion can compliment your playstyle if you play alone.

Katarina can play a melee, ranged or passive role with AI commands, and she also has a skill-tree and unique attribute system too.

The best thing about her role is that it's not cumbersome to juggle two characters at once, and she can even improve your character too with the right perks.

• Gameplay changes to genre.

Tower Defense missions and failure-states/alternative choices to quests. (Kind of like the Witcher with morally gray choices.)

• Memorable boss-fights.

Many have interesting gameplay challenges to not feel the same. For example, the General Harker fight has you battling two armies at once by weaking one side or teaming up with that side to even the odds.

All these changes feel great to play, and they make those 40+ hours of an adventure interesting. Except towards the end when the game begins to wane on with no new substance.

• Each class has one style to play. (Or it feels like it.) Each class has only one weapon type, and, to me, one build.

Experimentation is neutered compared to other games with at least some variation.

For example, I don't think you can play the Constructor as anything but a technomancer. Too many skills and auras are based around summoning things.

Compare this case, for example, to the Amazon class in Diablo 2. You could be an archer, a javelin and shield warrior, or something of your own choice. The skill tree accomidated all three, and it was all up to the player. The same goes for all the classes in that game.

• Specialization is strongly emphaiszed compared to previous games.

In VH1 and VH2, the original three classes were distinct, but they had some variation. You could be a melee and ranged Hunter, and people seemed to love that amount of diversity. But VH3 thought that those classes were too limiting, so the three became six distinct classes to ensure every class played differently.

• You remember those Baal Runs for grinding for loot? You won't be able to do that in this game. At least to my knowledge.

See, whenever you clear out an area, there is really nothing left to do. Except the quests you forgot to do. This is because the game wants to keep the scales in check.

So... There are no boss respawns. No grinding for rare loot. (Perhaps the coop mode will let you fight the boss again on someone else's save?). Instead, your means of finding extra loot is to feed this Chimera-dog thing and let it hunt for loot. I don't know if you get anything worthwhile as I never used it once, nor the gambling vendor.

• Weird story tone-shifts due to references. (Yes, there are memes.)

The story is something I like because these games tend to be less character driven. Van Helsing and Katrina do have character, regardless of what you choose.

I wish the game's "humor" would tone itself down a little... You can't have three Monty Python references in one game and think you're serious. Nor when you make a Scooby Doo reference at the final boss-fight.

Honestly, I imagine this game as a Tabletop Van Helsing game with Gruff McGruffyton, Wity Von Witterella and Dr. Claw all playing together. It makes for some funny off-screen ideas.

None of these, however, are the worst/lacking aspects of the game.

• You might think that, worse-case scenario, if you can't fight bosses again on the same run you can play NG+ mode... Right?

No. There is no NG+ mode. I hate this aspect because I wanted to play the game over with my first character to see how well he works at a higher difficulty. (Hard or Heroic is my recommendation for a challenge).

• Adventure Mode is... okay? But not an alternative.

I haven't played this mode enough to like it. They're randomly generated missions with different win-conditions and rules, and they can possibly be fun, but I don't think they were meant to play solo. (Which the end-game stuff is now available for offline characters--yes, just like Diablo 2 and 3).

But my problem is that it shouldn't be a substitute for NG+ mode.

• The Final Act... Remains the worst.

The problem is that the one new feature of VH3 is now at the start of the game. The six classes. Other than that addition, there is no new gameplay gimmicks, no new mission structures or anything wortwhile for the "epic" conclusion. Not even the Assassin's Creed-like resistance gimmick has any real pay off.

Worse, the bosses are much less interesting compared to any boss in VH 1 and 2. Only the final boss has anything different, but the slog of levels padded before the final fight does not make that fight any more worthwhile.


The FC is what the game was always meant to be, and I love it for what it offers. But holding on to bad conventions--the padding to the final boss--while removing the good ideas of old is not what should be innovated.

This is not a game for everyone, and I say this because I think casual players of aRPGs (like myself) won't find as many issues as the more hardcore veterans. There are numerous changes to the aRPG formula that will be a matter of taste. After 45 hours of the Story Mode, I think I can hopefully explain the game's merits and faults (for both casual and hardcore fans). Keep in mind that I haven't tried out the multiplayer. My first character was an online adventurer going solo, so I am not aware if there are any issues with the multiplayer. I haven't had any crashes since the update nor had my character wiped. [h1]Why Is This the Definitive Edition?[/h1] I had no idea that a definitive edition was ever coming out. Thankfully, the devs were nice enough to let anyone who purchases the trilogy of games--at any date--to get the Final Cut for free. (They're looking for a solution for people who own the games on GOG and Steam.) If you're wondering what is different, there is far too much to mention here. If you wish to read an explanation behind the development of the three games, here is a link to an article to explain what happened: http://www.neocoregames.com/2015/06/the-incredible-development-of-van-helsing-iii/ The short story is the devs had never intended to release each game alone--they were to be episodic content. (Originally, the game had ONE class and no Katarina companion.) And because they completely revamped the later established three classes of VH 1 and 2, you couldn't transfer your save to VH3. Many fans were rightfully upset, and I think what the devs did by giving the FC for free is an apology to them. Now all three games have continuity to the end, a higher LV cap to boot, and all six (finalized) classes from the start. That is my take on it--I don't claim this as fact nor do I speak for NeoCore. You can still purchase the previous games if the format they provided--a more traditional aRPG experience--is more to your taste. [h1]What Stands Out[/h1] [list] [*]No grinding for stats. [/list] ALL enemies are scaled to your level, and the eleven difficulties change their percentages. (Some locked by level caps.) [list] [*]Building your character is key for the game. [/list] The six classes have unique playstyles, even three unique attribute points to make it easier to distinguish the changes. [list] [*]Specializing your skills via passives and Rage perks to make them better. [/list] But don't forget about your Auras. These passive abilities can be mandatory--like how I learned when I played the Constructor--because they provide essential bonuses to your playstyle. [list] [*]You can reset your skill and atrribute points for yourself (and Katarina, your ghostly companion) at any point in the game for a fee. [/list] Your companion can compliment your playstyle if you play alone. Katarina can play a melee, ranged or passive role with AI commands, and she also has a skill-tree and unique attribute system too. The best thing about her role is that it's not cumbersome to juggle two characters at once, and she can even improve your character too with the right perks. [list] [*]Gameplay changes to genre. [/list] Tower Defense missions and failure-states/alternative choices to quests. (Kind of like the Witcher with morally gray choices.) [list] [*] Memorable boss-fights. [/list] Many have interesting gameplay challenges to not feel the same. For example, the General Harker fight has you battling two armies at once by weaking one side or teaming up with that side to even the odds. All these changes feel great to play, and they make those 40+ hours of an adventure interesting. Except towards the end when the game begins to wane on with no new substance. [h1]What Remains Questionable[/h1] [list] [*]Each class has one style to play. (Or it feels like it.) Each class has only one weapon type, and, to me, one build.[/list] Experimentation is neutered compared to other games with at least some variation. For example, I don't think you can play the Constructor as anything but a technomancer. Too many skills and auras are based around summoning things. Compare this case, for example, to the Amazon class in Diablo 2. You could be an archer, a javelin and shield warrior, or something of your own choice. The skill tree accomidated all three, and it was all up to the player. The same goes for all the classes in that game. [list] [*]Specialization is strongly emphaiszed compared to previous games. [/list] In VH1 and VH2, the original three classes were distinct, but they had some variation. You could be a melee and ranged Hunter, and people seemed to love that amount of diversity. But VH3 thought that those classes were too limiting, so the three became six distinct classes to ensure every class played differently. [list] [*] You remember those Baal Runs for grinding for loot? You won't be able to do that in this game. At least to my knowledge. [/list] See, whenever you clear out an area, there is really nothing left to do. Except the quests you forgot to do. This is because the game wants to keep the scales in check. So... There are no boss respawns. No grinding for rare loot. (Perhaps the coop mode will let you fight the boss again on someone else's save?). Instead, your means of finding extra loot is to feed this Chimera-dog thing and let it hunt for loot. I don't know if you get anything worthwhile as I never used it once, nor the gambling vendor. [list] [*]Weird story tone-shifts due to references. (Yes, there are memes.) [/list] The story is something I like because these games tend to be less character driven. Van Helsing and Katrina do have character, regardless of what you choose. I wish the game's "humor" would tone itself down a little... You can't have three Monty Python references in one game and think you're serious. Nor when you make a Scooby Doo reference at the final boss-fight. Honestly, I imagine this game as a Tabletop Van Helsing game with Gruff McGruffyton, Wity Von Witterella and Dr. Claw all playing together. It makes for some funny off-screen ideas. None of these, however, are the worst/lacking aspects of the game. [h1]What Is Lacking/Worse[/h1] [list] [*]You might think that, worse-case scenario, if you can't fight bosses again on the same run you can play NG+ mode... Right? [/list] No. There is no NG+ mode. I hate this aspect because I wanted to play the game over with my first character to see how well he works at a higher difficulty. (Hard or Heroic is my recommendation for a challenge). [list] [*]Adventure Mode is... okay? But not an alternative. [/list] I haven't played this mode enough to like it. They're randomly generated missions with different win-conditions and rules, and they can possibly be fun, but I don't think they were meant to play solo. (Which the end-game stuff is now available for offline characters--yes, just like Diablo 2 and 3). But my problem is that it shouldn't be a substitute for NG+ mode. [list] [*]The Final Act... Remains the worst. [/list] The problem is that the one new feature of VH3 is now at the start of the game. The six classes. Other than that addition, there is no new gameplay gimmicks, no new mission structures or anything wortwhile for the "epic" conclusion. Not even the Assassin's Creed-like resistance gimmick has any real pay off. Worse, the bosses are much less interesting compared to any boss in VH 1 and 2. Only the final boss has anything different, but the slog of levels padded before the final fight does not make that fight any more worthwhile. [h1]Not All Change is Good, Nor Exchangable[/h1] The FC is what the game was always meant to be, and I love it for what it offers. But holding on to bad conventions--the padding to the final boss--while removing the good ideas of old is not what should be innovated.