Sections
Vampyr is a third-person action role-playing game that excels in making its mechanics, systems, and presentation mirror its protagonist’s inner struggles. It associates vampirism with disease and corruption, immersing the player in a hostile and claustrophobic city, whose inhabitants are at the mercy of predators of every kind – including the protagonist.
The game starts with a discussion on mortality, with death being described as a relief and a blessing. This immediately frames the protagonist, Dr. Jonathan E. Reid, as a damned character: his vampire condition is not a superpower, but a curse. This notion is further reinforced by the tragic events of the opening: a young [...]
—> The following article contains spoilers of the entire novella.
The novella Carmilla, written by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, presents a female vampire who begins a peculiar relationship with her victim: instead of treating the young Laura just as prey, Carmilla tries to befriend her. For the female vampire, sucking blood is not enough; she must enter her victim’s private life, becoming a part of it. However, that intimacy, homosexual in its nature, is considered the most egregious crime by the male figures of the narrative, who don’t hesitate to violently reject the vampire’s behavior, fighting her to maintain their hold on the feminine.
The plot of the [...]