Vampyr, interview with narrative director Stéphane Beauverger

Vampyr is the latest game developed by Dontonod Entertainemnt, software house of Remember Me, sci-fi game set in a dystopian Paris, and Life is Strange, one of the best written adventures of the entire industry. The London of 1918, between Spanish flu and cases of vampirism, is the background to the events of Vampyr, action RPG with an innovative structure that combines moral choices and game building, where our actions change social relations between characters. To know better the genesis of the narrative aspect, we interviewed Stéphane Beauverger, narrative director on Vampyr

Look at the Gallery: Vampyr

Q. Vampyr is one of the most ambitious game developed by Dontnod Entertainment. Remember Me was a good action and Life is Strange an amazing adventure and narrative game. What was the influence of these titles on Vampyr?

A. I guess it is fair to say we somehow tried to combine them both. The energy and action of Remember Me and the freedom of choice of Life is Strange. Dontnod has always wanted to deliver great stories to the public. By inviting the players to control a vampire hunted down by many hostile foes, but who is also a hunter tempted to kill innocent prey in order to survive, we tried to find a mix between a strong narration with many choices and consequences, but also deadly opponents that can only be defeated through good fighting skills.

Q. London, 1918: Spanish flu and vampires. Where the idea came from?

A. Since we wanted to create a hero who was a doctor and is now a vampire, we believed it would be great for the story to take place at a time of great medical discoveries but also during an era of high despair. The Great War, and the Spanish flu, was perfect for us. And London, with its foggy streets and rainy nights, was also perfect for the gloomy atmosphere we wanted to create. 

Q. Dontnod Entertainment is known as one of the most original software house in the last five years, especially for story-telling. Is this your first achievement?

A. If you want to know of the story-telling was our main objective for the company, yes, it is: since the beginning, we knew we wanted to create games with strong characters and compelling stories.

Q. Vampyr has a unique world where everyone have a story to tell. How much was hard to create this kind of social substrate?

A. It was not really that hard, it was mostly time consuming. We needed to read and watch a lot of material to get a vivid picture of the 1918 London, and reflect the truth of how it was to live in London at that time, during the Spanish Flu. Once it was done, all we had to do was to give all the characters we had in mind a position on that social substrate, from the poorest to the richest, from the most selfish to the most generous. And then give them all secrets to be discovered by the player, before choosing who to kill and who to spare.

Vampyr

Q. How moral decisions are shaped by player? Here we have to think and listen before make a choice. Do you believe that videogames should offer this kind of depth, particularly in a RPG-game?

A. I don’t believe the game tries to give the player a moral code. Actually, the game does not punish the player for playing a “good” or an “evil” way. There are no “good or bad ending”, but only logical endings, depending of the choices you made during the game. I believe it is more important to invite the player to think about the consequences of his actions. Most of the potential preys are not “all black or all white” in Vampyr. They have secrets and flaws. They can be selfish for good reasons or generous for bad ones. In the end, I believe each player chooses his prey, according to his own moral code and values. And I believe this freedom makes a good RPG.

© All right Reserved