Van Helsing: Wrath of Dracula

Van Helsing: Wrath of Dracula is a survival horror game. Players control Ludwig Van Helsing, a Dutch doctor whose wife is suddenly kidnapped and taken to Castle Dracula, which is filled with monsters and other abominations. Taking inspiration from Resident Evil and Silent Hill games, the game has a heavy focus on resource management and exploration, with a heavy focus on atmospheric horror; and drawing heavy inspiration from classic horror literature.

Gameplay
The game sets the player on a third person perspective with fixed camera angles similar to the early Resident Evil games. To advance, the player must explore Dracula's castle and solve multiple puzzles while fighting against monsters. With a limited inventory, the player must plan out his exploration trips while managing scarce resources to survive. There is also a puzzle-like element in the monster killing aspect of the game, as certain monsters can only be killed with specific items and ingredients. (Werewolves can only be killed with silver bullets, ghosts can only be killed with special charms, etc).

Item and resource searching is critical to the player's success, as crafting is the only way a player can upgrade their weapons, obtain more ammunition and restore their health. Some monsters can also affect the player with different status effects that can lock out the player from different actions (The "cursed" status restricts the player from entering a safe haven, the "petrified" status restricts the player from using weapons, etc).

The game also features a multiple-ending system where certain actions in the game, such as retrieving specific items or sparing certain bosses, that can affect the plot and the flow of the game. Some actions can lead to a positive change that can make the game easier, or a negative change which can increase the difficulty of the game or restrict certain areas of the game.

Plot
Van Helsing: Wrath of Dracula takes place in 1876. The protagonist is Ludwig Van Helsing, a Dutch doctor living in Münich, Germany with his wife, Katerina, who operate a small medical clinic. The failing business and Ludwig's recent affair with one of his nurses has strained the relationship, and in the midst of a heated discussion, Katerina storms out and disappears. After 5 days, Ludwig begins to think Katerina has ran off and begins mourning the end of his marriage, until a mysterious gypsy woman arrives to his clinic one day, warning him that a great evil has taken his wife. Ignoring this, Ludwig's concern grows stronger until one night he dreams of his wife being trapped in a castle in Transylvania. Convinced about the gypsy's warning, he takes a train where he arrives at a small village at the border of Brașov.

Asking the nearby villagers where the castle is, they all warn him to stay away, as monsters and abominations live within it. Unconvinced and desperate to find his wife, the villagers arm Van Helsing with a cross and a few silver bullets for protection. Adventuring into the forest, the doctor encounters werewolves and zombies whom he evades until he arrives at the Castle's cemetery, where he fights off zombies, skeletons and a giant guardian gargoyle. After entering the main hall, Van Helsing explores the castle, fighting a greater variety of monsters that includes ghosts, vampires, mummies, witches, mermen, robo-zombies, living plants and Dracula's brides; alongside some famous characters from horror such as Dr. Viktor Frankenstein, Frankenstein's monster, Lawrence Talbot, the invisible man, the cursed priest Imhotep and Dracula himself. Progressing through the game, Ludwig discovers he is a descendant of Abraham Van Helsing, a famous monster hunter who killed Dracula back in 1431. Through Abraham's scattered journals and diaries, Ludwig learns how to kill and repell the monsters living in the castle.

After reaching the castle's tower, Van Helsing encounters Dracula, who reveals Katerina is still alive, planning to turn her into one of his brides and kill Ludwig to finally eradicate the Van Helsing bloodline as revenge for his first death. Depending on the player's actions, the game has multiple endings.

Plot points and characters that affect the ending
There are a total of sixteen different endings that depend on how much the player takes to complete the game, certain objects that the player has found and how certain boss fights happen. These include:

Saving Katerina on time
In order to save Katerina from becoming one of Dracula's brides, the player must reach the castle tower in 5 hours. If achieved, Katerina will be saved from Dracula and she will live. If the player fails to reach the castle tower in 5 hours, Dracula will turn Katerina into one of his brides and will be killed by Van Helsing to spare her from a gruesome fate.

Helping and exonerating Viktor Frankenstein
Viktor Frankenstein was recruited by Dracula after failing to capture the Frankenstein monster. Dracula promised Frankenstein to perfect the means to create life and help him revive his dead wife should he serve him in Castle Dracula. Viktor has now become a hesitant assistant who is helping Dracula perfect his zombies with mechanichal enhancements and is doubting if the count will ever help him, giving the player an opportunity to persuade him to turn on his master. For this, the player must find the "Wedding photo", a photograph of Viktor and his wife at their wedding.

If the player recovers the photograph, Viktor will turn on Dracula and help fight the Frankenstein monster at the end of the game. Viktor will die killing his creation and thank Van Helsing, who will in turn help in post-humously exonerating Viktor for his crimes in Germany. He will also give Van Helsing a special weapon designed to most monsters. If the player fails to recover the photograph, Viktor will continue to help Dracula and will become a new boss fight, leaving the Frankenstein monster unharmed for Van Helsing to fight. Van Helsing will also not exonerate Viktor if he fails to persuade him to help.

Stopping the invisible man
Thomas Marvel was once the assistant of Jack Griffin, the original invisible man, whom after his death became obsessed to replicate the formula to turn invisible. Taking note of the horror and fear Jack Griffin brought, Dracula recruited Thomas to help him become invisible to serve under him. At some point in the game, Dracula dispatches an invisible Thomas Marvel to stalk and kill Van Helsing for the rest of the game. In order to stop the invisible man, Van Helsing must find three objects: the "Life stone", the "Crooked lenses" and the "Cursed tome IV" in order to craft the "Magic lenses" which will allow Van Helsing to see the invisible man and kill him. This also gives the player the "

If Van Helsing fails to craft the "Magic lenses" and kill the invisible man before reaching the clock tower, Thomas Marvel will escape Dracula's castle and follow Van Helsing back to Germany, where a new reign of terror of the invisible man will begin.

Curing Lawrence Talbot
Lawrence Talbot was afflicted with the werewolf curse back in 1778 and has been captured by Dracula to serve as his alpha werewolf. He serves as the game's first boss fight in the Cursed forest, before reaching the castle cemetary. The player is gifted three silver bullets to kill him early in the game.

If the player spares Talbot and wounds him enough to run off instead of killing him, Talbot will continuously try to aid Van Helsing in his quest by giving him items and information on certain monsters as well as requesting his help at crafting the "Wolfsbane elixir" which should succesfully cure Talbot from his lycanthropy, but sparing Talbot will force Van Hellsing to face him off constantly at certain points in the game in his werewolf form. If Talbot survives by the time Dracula is killed, he will sabotage the castle laboratory which whill destroy the castle at the end of the game. Talbot will return to England a cured man. If the player simply decides to kill Talbot, the game will restrict certain objects from Van Helsing to obtain and Dracula's castle will remain untouched, still housing monstruosities that will haunt the nearby villagers.

In the best ending of the game, Katerina survives, Frankenstein will help Van Helsing, the invisble man dies and Talbot is cured. In the worst ending, Katerina dies, Frankenstein will help Dracula, the invisible man survives and Talbot is killed.

TO BE EDITED/