Developer: CBE Software
Publisher: CBE Software
Platform: PC, Mac
Tested on: PC
Vampires: Guide Them To Safety! – Review
Vampires: Guide Them To Safety! has been out for quite some time, since 2012. Only just recently it hit Steam though so a great opportunity for us to test this game. The developer of the game is CBE Software whom you might know from J.U.L.I.A. Among the Stars. Let’s take a look and see if we can get those vampires to safety.
Story
The story is probably the weakest element of the game. While the little cut-scene when starting the game looks promising, there’s nothing else in the game which gives any sort of meaning or background. It’s a shame because just a little bit of a story backbone would help the game a great deal.
Graphics
It’s an older game and it shows. Graphic-wise, the game would probably fit in better on a mobile device. It does however have a very unique art style which helps to overcome the lack of graphical quality. When playing you don’t really get that much time to admire the view anyway.
Sound
Vampires: Guide Them To Safety’s soundtrack is crazy but glorious. In its madness, the music captures you and sets the mood for the whole game. It doesn’t just play in the menu but also while solving the puzzles and together with the art style, it’s what gives this game its own unique identity.
Gameplay
Vampires! Is an action puzzle game in which your goal is to, and you’ll never guess it, guide vampires to safety. One or more vampires start at a certain point in a maze and it’s your job to help them reach the entrance of their tomb. You can help them by rotating certain sections of the maze to create a clear path. Sections can also be rotated while a vampire is on them to allow for quick adjustments. Of course it wouldn’t be an action puzzler without any action. The maze is filled with traps like beams of light which vaporizes the vampire instantly. Later on you’ll encounter cannons whose bullets you’ll have to try and avoid by cleverly timing your section turning. There are also map specific items you can use, for example some maps allow you to use a spider web to slow down vampires to help you time their movement to get past a cannon or garlic which when placed before a vampire, will make them turn around. There are also different kinds of vampires. The default one will always try to go straight at an intersection while the blue vampire prefers going left and the red vampire likes the right side more. The black vampire will always pick a random side so you’ll have to be on your toes for that one. There is also the vampire queen who is slower than the normal vampires but destroys traps as she gets close to them. Allow her to enter the light however and the puzzle is lost.
As mentioned before, it starts of easy with nothing much to worry about except making a clear path for the vampires to reach their tomb. Traps and different vampires get added quickly though as you progress through the first couple of puzzles. Soon you’ll be facing large mazes with multiple vampires and traps requiring some careful planning before you start the actual puzzle. Successfully completing a puzzle will earn you a bronze medal while silver and gold medals can be earned by fulfilling additional objectives: complete the puzzle within a certain amount of time, collect extra items, get all vampires home safe (sometimes the puzzle doesn’t require all vampires to get home safe but a medal does) and more.
An issue from time to time appeared when having to deal with a large maze combined with the busy art style. There were too many things cramped into a small space. It did make finishing the puzzle all the more exciting though. Admittedly, at moments I felt like smashing my keyboard against the wall. Action puzzlers often can make you feel that way. I did find myself wanting to go back into the game for more which is mainly thanks to the great atmosphere it creates as stated before. In total there are 65 puzzles to complete with the first ones being quite easy but difficulty ramping up fast. Completing all of them on the normal difficulty will take you at least a couple of hours and then you can try to get all silver and gold medals too, suffice to say you can spend quite some time inside Vampires: Guide Them To Safety’s universe.
Conclusion
While being frustrating at times, Vampires: Guide Them To Safety! will have you coming back for more. While the PC version of the game feels a bit outdated, the whole experience is still satisfying enough to overcome that. Get ready for multiple hours of puzzle fun!
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