It was either after a strange dream experienced by their creative designer or after a particularly potent batch of magic mushrooms when Asmodev created Priest Simulator Vampire Show but either way it’s a masterpiece; accidental or otherwise.
Filmed in the poise of hit TV show, “The Office“, the “mockumentary” style paves the way for a magnitude of tasteless (yet hilarious) jokes that run the show and fit perfectly with the strange version of modern-day Poland and its bizarre, otherworldly inhabitants.
Playing the part of a somewhat hapless vampire priest, you want nothing more than to reclaim your “batoon” and escape to the familiarly torturous your home, Hell itself. However, things aren’t quite as easy for our newly-appointed priest and you will have to take on a variety of tasks if you are to find your way back to Hell. Renovate the church and grow stronger by battling “shatanistic” hordes to slowly reach your endgame and claim your ultimate victory.
A Disappointing Lack of Weapon Variety
Where other games are offering vast arsenals to inject a little variety, Priest Simulator Vampire Show offers you the grand total of just eight weapons, and even then there isn’t much distinction between them.
While the weapons are relatively well-balanced, the omnipresent thought that just a handful more weapons would have made the game far more fun to play. Furthermore, more tools with which to kill the shatanist hordes would have made the ideal dangling carrot to entice players into further exploration.
Sandbox Combat Quickly Grows Tedious
Anyone that has the experience of abject joy Doom: Eternal musters will find a lot of the game’s influence in the combat stages of Priest Simulator Vampire Show. Staged in sandbox arenas, the battles have all the hallmarks of the legendary FPS title. Heavy metal music blasts from unseen speakers as you take to battle against the shatanistic enemies that spawn in thick and fast. It’s reasonably chaotic but fails to quite hit in the same way as the iconic franchise’s final title.
If you have seen a little gameplay and feel compelled by the similarities, don’t be fooled. While the system is reasonably enjoyable at first, it doesn’t take long for tedium and monotony to rear their ugly heads.
Priest Simulator Vampire Show Shines in Unique Ways
Despite the rinse & repeat approach and meagre variety of weapons, Priest Simulator Vampire Show shines in it’s own way. There’s something about the humor and characters that offer a unique kind of charm that more than makes up for the game’s downfalls. It’s funny, it’s bizarre and it’s tongue-in-cheek; what’s not to love?
Lending an extra layer of humor onto their comedic lasagne, the English dubbing heard in the game is worth the price-tag alone. I’m not sure if this was accidental or a stroke of genius, but looking at the reviews it seems that many were captivated by this audial oddity.
Priest Simulator: Her Ghost DLC
Her Ghost carries additional dialog, laced with the same off-the-wall charm, and opens up brand new exorcisms. This time, the tooth fairy is up to her famously mischievous ways, and our hero is assisted by Cardinal Godspeed. New characters, cutscenes and dialog awaits as you continue the fight.
Her Ghost is available now on Steam and is priced at a lowly $10.
Summary
Priest Simulator Vampire Show provides the laughs from beginning to end and charms the audience with weird and wonderful characters that will stay with you…and possibly haunt your dreams.
Look beyond the combat and you will find a lot to enjoy here. Priest Simulator Vampire Show is available now on Steam.
REVIEW
OUR SCORE - 7
7
SCORE
Look beyond the combat and you will find a lot to enjoy here.