Vampire’s Fall: Origins (Nintendo Switch) Review

What is instantly apparent in this neat and compact RPG is that it is unafraid to shake off the shackles that seem to bind many of its mobile contemporaries. Firstly, there are zero microtransactions on this Switch version, an omission that manages to feel like a wholesome blessing in the modern mobile gaming sphere. Vampire's Fall: Origins tells a story whose scale belies its humble conception, resulting in an engaging trek through the fictional land of Vamp'Ire as a… well… vampire. Turned into a blood-sucking fiend by the dreaded Witchmaster as he rolls through town with his massive army, your custom character finds him/herself on the cusp of death. You vow to avenge your near-death at the hands of the Witchmaster and set off after him, a taste for blood accompanying your taste for vengeance.

The story is engaging and well-scripted despite a few spelling and grammar errors here and there in the scripted dialogue. The open world is large and filled with beasties to best and a healthy dose of quests. If anything, the map is too big - much of it is sparse filler that would benefit from being more densely designed. Running through the vast swathes of nothingness between key locations quickly grows tiresome, a shame given that the action is enjoyable and addictive. The combat is at times challenging and requires careful marshalling of the available skills as well as a small dose of turn-based luck. While it may not look as grand as a good non-mobile RPG, it nevertheless nails the feel of one.

All the basic RPG systems are present: there's character creation, skill trees to populate, an array of weapons and armour, potion crafting, deep enemy variety, and some rudimentary but serviceable turn-based combat. None of these mechanics boast any degree of depth but for what they are, they're very impressive; for a mobile game, Vampire's Fall punches well above its weight and what's on offer never feels insubstantial. There's an impressive amount of content for a game of this type, with upwards of 15 hours of gameplay. While it has been adapted to make use of the Joy-Con buttons, it also offers full touchscreen support which is a nice touch, no pun intended.

The experience does unfortunately suffer from occasional crashing and freezing to load, which is odd for a graphically undemanding game. However, Vampire's Fall's most noticeable flaw is its abundance of fetch quests. The plot falls into the the trap of being overly reliant on them, a great shame as with more of a deft touch on the level design, it could have been a showstopper. Regardless, it remains a rare treat: a port of a mobile game that often makes you forget it's a port of a mobile game. At the bargain price of £8.99 / $12.99 on the eShop, it makes for a great distraction for those looking to scratch that retro 2D RPG itch on their Switch.