In theory, vampires and immersive sims go together as naturally as bats and caves. Immersive sims involve a balance of stealth, acrobatics, raw power, and cunning manipulation, and vampires are celebrated for all of these things. Yet true vampire-themed immersive sims are rare. My list begins with Vampire: the Masquerade: Bloodlines … and ends there, somehow. In a devastating betrayal, Arkane Austin's Redfall wasn't an immersive sim at all, but an open-world co-op shooter (a not-so-good one). The long-delayed Bloodlines 2 was recently downgraded from immersive sim to RPG by new developers The Chinese Room. Arkane Lyon's Blade adaptation looks promising, but it still has a long way to go.
Filling the immersive vampirism gap in the market is Trust, a “new first-person shooter with immersive simulation elements” from Byte Barrel. It's set in a world where vampires are hunted for their blood, and that blood has become an everyday human energy source, used for everything from car batteries to streetlights. Ironically, the ideal solution would be for humans to let vampires suck their blood, and in return, let vampires use their blood for electricity, but that wouldn't be a very exciting shooter. Anyway, here's the trailer.
Watch on YouTube
You play as a newly awakened, elderly vampire trying to survive in a quarantined Central European city. “On your path to regain your power, you can choose to openly fight humans using their technology and weapons, or you can stick to your vampiric abilities and reach your targets undetected,” the press release explains. “But remember, in either case, you need the most precious substance in the world to function. Hunt to obtain blood and satisfy your never-ending hunger.”
The press release doesn't give much insight into abilities and terrain setups, but vulnerability to sunlight is a factor. “Depending on the time of day, you'll need to accomplish a different goal in each given level,” the developers say. You'll also apparently be able to manipulate objects in the world. Levels are filled with gun-wielding henchmen and club-wielding ghouls, and the architecture looks faintly steampunk, with giant glowing silos filled with, I'd imagine, not-so-hot strawberry jam. “Each run offers a different experience, allowing everyone to find their own playstyle,” the developers promise.
Barrel Byte are the creators of the well-received Lovecraftian boomer shooters Forgive Me Father and its sequels, which from now on I'll call Cthulhoomer shooters or possibly even Cthulhooters, oh no no no no no no. You can see that shared DNA in Trust's comic book art direction.
I was disappointed that Trust’s announcement trailer didn’t show us more of the game’s action, but as a wannabe Vlad The Infiltrator, I’m still curious about Trust as a concept. Hopefully we’ll get a proper overview trailer soon, to say nothing of a release date. In the meantime, if there’s a blood-sucking immersive sim I’ve missed, please let me know. Can we kindly reclassify Vampyr as an immersive sim?