
Diablo III is coming to Switch this December. We all know this. You could spend the next few months gawping into space, imagining how great it'll be to play Blizzard's seminal ARPG on the go. Or, you could snap out of your stupor and get warming up those looting muscles with a highly creditable alternative. Victor Vran: Overkill Edition is just such a game. It isn't as slick, polished, or downright accomplished as Diablo III, but then few games of this sort are. But it does have an energetic spirit all of its own, as well as a few unique advantages that might better serve a broader, Nintendo-loving crowd.
Let's back up a little. Victor Vran: Overkill Edition is an action role-playing game, which means that it eschews complex turn-based battle systems in favour of instant hack-and-slash action. Hoovering up a near-constant stream of loot and experience points is the key driver behind the game. Waves and waves of supernatural enemies wade towards you as you roam through the open hubs and instanced dungeons of Zagoravia - a gothic city besieged by otherworldly forces. Each defeated enemy yields experience points and, often, shiny loot. That loot comes in the form of coins, ability-modifying cards, difficulty-altering hexes and completely new weapons.

Ah, the weapons. Victor Vran has a brilliant combat system, anchored by its clear and concise focus on weapon types rather than distinct character classes. There are scythes, rapiers, swords, hammers, shotguns and more. Each weapon class handles completely uniquely, and each has its use depending on the type and number of enemies that you're facing. The rapier, for example, can issue lighting-quick attacks and is particularly useful at getting through singular armoured foes. It's not much good against mobs of the regenerating undead, however, where a slow but wide-ranging and hard-hitting hammer might be of more use.
These weapons are even more specialised thanks to the fact that they are tied to special attacks. Where other ARPGs might give you completely separate magical moves that can be chopped and changed individually, here they're mostly tied to each weapon type. You do get one-off demon powers that work in a more traditional way, but for the most part, it's all about the hardware. It all feeds into Victor Vran: Overkill Edition's distinctly hands-on combat. Most ARPGs tend to be designed with a mouse and keyboard in mind, deploying a semi-automated form of clicky combat that doesn't always translate too well to a control pad.

Victor Vran: Overkill Edition is different. Here you have direct control of the titular demon hunter's movement and attacks via the left Joy-Con and fascia buttons respectively. There's a dodge-roll on the L button for nipping out of immediate danger. You even have a jump button (complete with a Mario-esque wall-bounce) for getting out of trouble and accessing hidden areas. As a result, Victor Vran: Overkill Edition feels like a half-way point between a traditional ARPG and a mainstream action-adventure game. It's uniquely appealing to a console crowd brought up on more direct fare.
This accessibility is mostly aided by the tone of the game. It might look grim and downbeat from the screenshots, but there's a strong line of cheeky humour running through everything - most clearly seen with the jokey disembodied narrator, who throws a constant stream of quips and insults your way. It's a shame Victor himself is such a humourless stiff by contrast, and the jokey stuff often grates up against the portentous tone of the overarching plot. But it makes the game lighter and more palatable to an audience less versed in this sort of thing, at least.

Less palatable will be the game's many rough edges. The menus here are downright clunky, overstuffed as they are with tiny text and unclear icons. Navigating them with the Joy-Con stick is a bit of a chore, to say the least, and simply looking to see how a new weapon compares to your current one - a core part of the gameplay, remember - feels way harder work than it needs to be. While this world certainly has some personality, the graphics are just a little ropey. There's some brutally basic texture work on display, and large chunks of the world frequently pop into view as your view shifts a little. It's clearly a result of this being a 3D world with a zoomed-out view, but console audiences are used to such things being handled far more smoothly.
Switch owners are also used to flexible multiplayer options, and here they're better served. Victor Vran: Overkill Edition features both online and local co-op, which really lends itself well to this kind of ARPG experience. Playing through the story with a buddy by your side is bound to increase the loot-grabbing fun. Rough edges aside, Victor Vran: Overkill Edition is a highly entertaining action RPG with an uncommonly tactile combat system. It'll keep you hacking and looting until Diablo III arrives, at the very least. Some of you might even prefer it, we dare say.
Conclusion
A surprisingly immediate, console-centric ARPG with a gleefully tactile combat system, Victor Vran: Overkill Edition has its fair share of rough edges and a slightly discordant tone, but is nevertheless a highly entertaining way for Diablo fans to while away the hours until the real deal arrives on Nintendo's console.
Comments 54
This game has been catching my eye. Good to see it reviewed well.
It's really amazing, I really recommend it.
Didn't know it was out yet! I think I'll buy it this week, gonna check out some of the gameplay but it looks like soooo much fun.
Anyone knows how it compares to Diablo?
Game looks good, gonna check this out.
Wait, when did we get a date for Diablo 3 in December??
I've been waiting for this title and it has a decent price of admission I have heard alot of good things about.
VV has been on my Steam wishlist for ages, but I've never quite pulled the trigger. Hmmm.......
"...until the real deal arrives on Nintendo's console". Is it just me or I find this offensive to the devs of Victor Vran?
@Danito It is exactly as you say: "offensive to the devs of Victor Vran."
@Spoony_Tech There is only a "later this fall" announcement. I don't know where the writer got the December launch of the title from.
And lastly, this review is way TOO short for a review with minimal information about the game.
I have to buy this but it is still not available in my country.
It is ridiculous because Heamimont games is based in Bulgaria … they should've thought to supply their home country at least
It really is a great arpg. Character control is spot on, skill use is easy, and the weapons system is quite fun and flexible. Tons of content and all the dlc just put a bow on it all. If you're a fan of the genre, this and D3 are some of the best you can play on console.
Expect to see some neckbeards in victor vran cosplay this year.
Fedoras, swords, heavy metal, questionable facial hair... its like a match made in hell.
This game looks much better than Titan Quest! Not sure if Victor will be as good as Diablo but I just might pick this up.
The december date for Diable is from 'placeholders' on Amazon and other on-line retailers. VV is really good, there is a story which you follow, loads of weapons and the combat feels good. You are always facing a ton of monsters and need to stratigise to win or they just overwealm you. Good upgrade system, you get to make VV how you want him.
This came comes highly recommended by several people I know.
My copy should be arriving tomorrow. Would have been sooner but, BB cancelled my in store pickup order for Victor Vran, MH Gen Ultimate and De Blob 2, and I had to switch all of them to shipping after they released.
I'm happy the game is doing well, as it was developed by fellow Bulgarians...too bad it's just not my type of game, otherwise I'd love to support them.
Checked it out further and bought it. Gonna enjoy this one:)
@erv Good. you'll enjoy it and you want more
This is one of my best eshop purchases. Lots of content and it's a lot of fun to play and upgrade. Seems paced in a real casual sort of way and is a great combination of mindlessness and strategy.
I never played Diablo, but the reviewer mentions that the control in Victor Vran is more action- adventure like. For those who have played both, is Diablo III more of a slog to control? That will tough to transition to after the agility of Vran's movements.
Sounds decent. I just wish there were more playable characters. A game like this excels when there are different character types to alter the experience, although it sounds like the varied weapons might serve that purpose well enough.
SOOOOOO What Motorhead tracks are included in the DLC?
I hope D3 doesn't kill the sales too much for this title.
This actually looks pretty good. I've never heard of it until now.
Loving every minute of this game so far. I’ve been playing it a lot over the weekend. Diablo fans should check it out.
@Toshiro_Baloney
Victor Vran plays just like Diablo III. For comparison sake, Titan Quest plays more like the older PC style ARPG’s.
I prefer the style of Victor Vran and Diablo III.
@sirdystic
I’m hoping Diablo III gets a surprise release along side Nintendo Switch Online.
So is this better than that other Diablo clone Titan Quest?
Been meaning to try this one. I think I have it on Steam, though. If not, I'll holod out for the Switch version, though, since I have Diablo III and all of its expansions on PS4 already.
Im securing a physical copy this payday. they selling out on ebay big time..
@JayJ By miles. And I was a huge TQ fan back in the day. This is just so much better, control wise, content wise, and especially in handheld mode.
@PhilKenSebben Thanks, glad I waited!
The interface sounds atrocious, yet you still award the game an 8 out of 10? I think you were being a little overly generous. It's a fun game — I play it on my Linux PC — but having to wrestle with a clumsy and inscrutable interface is a deal breaker for the Switch in my opinion.
I think Blizzard is going to show everybody how it's supposed to be done. Bring on Diablo 3!
Just like Titan Quest, this game is a poor man's Diablo. Don't be fooled by the score, you will be disappointed.
Just picked it up and its great fun. The titular character is voiced by non other than Doug Cockle. It's a joy to listen to him say, well.. anything.
I have only played on handheld mode and visually the game is just fine. I had no issue with tiny text at all. Everything is perfectly clear to my peepers.
What this review completely skipped over was the gameplay. No mention of how costumes affect your play style, nothing about bounty hunter quests, being able to switch weapons on the fly which makes things incredibly dynamic once you unlock a second weapon slot...
This is more a snippet than a review to be honest and there's nothing here that couldn't be gleaned from reading guides.
No offence Jon, but this could certainly use a bit more meat on it. Nothing about the sound, the fully voiced character cutscenes, the types of Demon Powers you can use..
@Nincompoop the notion of buying a game expecting to play another is totally absurd. What issues do you have with VV personally?
Is this much better than Titan Quest?
@Mountain_Man I'd watch some videos. I've no problem with the UI in handheld, and my eyes are garbage.
@Jawessome You have to ask NL why they didn't called this a Diablo-wannabe?
Until the real deal arrives eh? That Motorhead logo on the box seems pretty real deal to me. Lots of people seem to be praising this one too. Nothing against Diablo 3 and it’s womderful Simon Bisley fueled imagery, but don’t make a potentially great addition to a genre out as a wannabe. Thats like saying an Iced Earth album is inferior to a new Judas Priest album. Or that the new Tokyo Blade is inferior to Iron Maiden. One must enjoy all of it equally and too much.
@Nincompoop again - with all due respect, there exist a ton of differences between both dungeon crawlers. Have you honestly played the game or are you refusing to answer my question because you haven't?
@Jawessome Why eat snacks when the dinner is coming? It will ruined your appetite. Why waste money on this inferior game when you know the 'real deal' is coming?
@Kang81
Fingers crossed dude, we are going need some bucks if that happens £20 for online and then £35? for the game
"The menus here are downright clunky, overstuffed as they are with tiny text and unclear icons"
This is a big concern to me, increasingly with Switch games. I happen to be near-sighted in the extreme and can pretty much see sub-pixels at my average viewing distance, but I tried to play Titan Quest the other day and noped out of it fast. The text was just small and irritating making simple things too frustrating. I adore Octopath but the text is inexplicably small. Fine for me, but several other people have been turned off playing it because they simply can't read it with less than 20/20 vision, yielding frustrating eyeglass rearranging to try to make it work....but it's a no-go. This is Switch's achilles heel. I can accept ports of old games like TQ having issues, it's what it is. But Switch really needs a scalable text interface like modern PCs/tablets have. Games shouldn't be crippled by UIs on small screens. Especially when Ubi, EA, and MS keep talkinga bout streaming console games to phones....if it's that small at 6.3" on Switch, what are they going to do with 4-5.5" screens on phones?
This game is great! I'm having a fun time with it, the one thing I didn't realize is that I guess I'm used to arpg's auto-leveling up your character and in this game I got to the first boss and was having a hard time beating him and noticed I'm still on level 1. I had to figure out how to level up my character by trial and error . If you hit the - button it levels up you character. I went from level 1 to level 13 LOL and it made beating the "first boss" much easier.
Drat! It sounds good, but it's rated M, so I'll have to pass.
By the way, I should not have to look up a game on GameFAQs just to check its ESRB rating. You need to put that kind of basic information on a game's profile page here.
Have this on Steam way back. Double dipped since day 1 on Switch. Love it.
@Nincompoop so without having played the Victor Vran, you've made automatic assumptions saying its a Diablo clone. That must make Sonic a Mario clone too then. Thanks for sharing a completely uninformed opinion on a game.
Got to love it when people make completely uninformed decisions on things.
If you're on the fence about getting VV - don't listen to baseless opinions like this one and get it.
@NEStalgia I found the menus and text clear and I have myopia. No issues at all with reading them.
@Jawessome Don't worry, no one listens to me LOL.
You should ask NL, they were the one who said Diablo is 'the real deal'.
This game runs at 30 fps, Diablo 3 has better graphics and it runs at 60 fps. Why is this game sold at full retail price? Save your money for Diablo 3, it has more content and is more fun.
£24.85 (base.com) at launch for the cartridge (which includes two former dlc packs) seems like a great deal to me. I'm in!
The authors should start taking into consideration the framerate in their reviews. In every game review the performance MUST be included.
I feel like this game obliterated D3. Also, bonus...I don't have to buy anything from Blizzard.
@Nincompoop it isn't sold full price. It was $24.99 for the cart...
Show Comments
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...