Vampyr Story mode and Hard mode difficulty settings coming in summer patch

If you tried sinking your teeth into the vampire game... er, Vampyr from developer Dontnod and found it to be a little too difficult - or just the opposite and found the experience all too easy - you might want to give it another try after an update arrives later this summer. According to a post on publisher Focus Home Interactive’s forums, an incoming patch will add new Story and Hard difficulty settings.

As you might guess, Story mode is intended for those who aren't seeking challenging combat and would prefer to focus on the narrative about a doctor-turned-vampire who must balance his oath to save lives with his unholy thirst for their blood. On the flip side, Hard mode will make combat more difficult while simultaneously awarding players less XP.

You may be wondering why Vampyr didn't have variable difficulty settings up to this point. Though it's not spelled out by the developers in the announcement, I'd posit it's because Vampyr's difficulty is so intricately tied to its moral quandaries and Dontnod likely didn't want to mess too much with that balance.

In Vampyr, you gain XP and thus evolve your vampire powers by either fighting enemies or drinking the blood of civilians. By default, you'll gain a few abilities thanks to the occasional scrap, but not so much that you become unkillable. To become all-powerful, you'll need to feed off the populace - and yet, these are the same people you're trying to save. See the dilemma? It sounds like Story mode will make it easier for protagonist Jonathan Reid to be a good guy vampire, while Hard mode will not only make fights more difficult, but also tempt you more into preying on innocents.

Balancing your hippocratic oath with the sweet, sweet taste of human blood is no easy feat. Check out our Vampyr tips and how to water the plant in Vampyr so you can prowl the streets of early 20th century London with ease.