Summary
- Vampire heroes make compelling protagonists with complex character arcs.
- Games like Vampyr and Legacy of Kain provide players with moral choices.
- Characters like Kain and Alucard bring depth to video game vampire narratives.
Since the old days of Castlevania, vampires have been a mainstay in the video game world. However, they’re less often seen as the heroes of stories, which is a shame, because the curse of vampirism is a fascinating challenge for a hero to grapple with.
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8 Strongest Vampire Hunters In Games, Ranked
The strongest vampire hunters in video games dedicate their lives to hunting down the undead, though many are themselves vampires.
However, some games take on the challenge of making the vampire the hero to startling success. From resident doctors in Victorian London to vampires willing to rebel against their society, there are plenty of great video game vampire heroes to choose from.
7
Vampyr – Dr. Jonathan Reid
Victorian Vampirism
After the success of the Life is Strange franchise, few expected Dontnod Entertainment to delve into the tonally opposite world of Gothic horror, but their follow-up Vampyr showed that the studio had wide tastes and skills, even if Vampyr in the end turned out to be a touch janky.
In the game, players inhabit the role of Dr. Jonathan Reid, an unwilling vampire convert who must manage his hospital in dismal conditions in Victorian London while trying to uncover the vampire clan stalking the streets and murdering civilians. Players have the choice to resist their vampiric urges or go the evil route, resulting in different combat abilities and story outcomes.
6
Serana – Skyrim
The Prodigal Daughter
Skyrim
- Released
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November 11, 2011
When it was announced that one of Skyrim‘s major DLC expansions would be about vampires and vampire hunting, it’s no surprise that many players were ecstatic to embrace their blood-sucking side. However, the Dawnguard DLC also added Serana, one of the best hero NPCs Bethesda has ever written.
Serana is introduced with a bang, holding an Elder Scroll, and having doubts about her family’s role as a vampire tyrant. Players can slowly turn her against her family and have her experience the joys of humanity, making her a fan favorite and one of the best followers in the game.
5
The Fledgling – Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines
Undead Of Its Own Making
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines
- Released
-
November 16, 2004
- Developer(s)
-
Troika Games
- ESRB
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M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language
Though Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines didn’t do commercially well upon its release and Troika Games had to shut as a result, in the years since it has picked up a massive cult following, with the game gaining a reputation as one of the best vampire games ever made full of memorable great characters.
Set in a supernatural version of LA where vampires, werewolves, and more stalk the streets, the player Fledgling is a new vampire convert and must determine how to navigate the complex politics of vampire society while satisfying their new urges. Though the Fledgling itself doesn’t have much character, the player’s ability to shape the Fledgling into whatever shape they like cements their place on this list.
4
Gabriel Belmont – Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 1/2
The New Dracula
- Released
-
February 25, 2014
Castlevania is one of the most important franchises in gaming history, but its most modern incarnations in Castlevania: Lords of Shadow and its sequel have a somewhat mixed reputation from broadly dropping its Metroidvania roots for more generic third-person action game mechanics.
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Castlevania: Strongest Belmonts, Ranked
All members of the Belmont clan are skilled vampire hunters, but who is the strongest of them all?
However, Gabriel Belmont is an undeniably great main hero. He starts off as a warrior of God but slowly becomes corrupted, destroys ancient demons, and becomes the vampire Dracula, becoming one of the most powerful creatures in all of existence, taking the fight back to the God he once served. It’s incredibly metal, and a really fun arc for a vampire hero character.
3
Kain – Legacy of Kain: Defiance
The Anti-Hero
Legacy Of Kain: Defiance
- Released
-
November 11, 2003
Though Dracula in the Castlevania games is probably the most famous video game vampire, the title for the best original vampire created in a video game is almost certainly Kain, the sometimes villain, sometimes anti-hero of the Legacy of Kain franchise, where his machinations and singular ambition has made him a compelling persona to follow throughout.
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Every Legacy Of Kain Game, Ranked
The Legacy of Kain is one of the industry’s most impressive franchises, and here’s how each one ranks in the overall series.
Kain is a ruthless ancient vampire who is always plotting to restore the world of Nosgoth to its original vampiric rule. He’s a bad guy who does a lot of bad things, but throughout his games he engages in a slow redemption arc that turns him into an anti-hero, and one of the best vampire heroes in the process.
2
Alucard – Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Son of Evil
Alucard (yes, that is the word “dracula” spelt backwards) may not be the original vampire hunter that the Castlevania franchise started off with, but his half-vampire, half-human lineage became the basis of one of the most compelling characters ever made in video games, so much so that he’s a fan favorite in the TV show as well.
A shape-shifter, master swordsman, rebel to his father’s dreams of world domination, and protagonist of the best Castlevania game ever made, Alucard is the sophisticated protagonist of countless Castlevania games that acts as a counter-part to the villainous vampire, while still having all the fun tools that vampirism has to offer.
1
Raziel – Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver
Back From the Dead
Legacy Of Kain: Soul Reaver
In the most technical sense possible, Raziel is no longer a vampire in the Legacy of Kain games, but a revenant, an ex-vampire who surpassed his master Kain and was subsequently betrayed, executed, then returned to the world of Nosgoth to exact his vengeance.
Raziel may be simple in his desire for vengeance, but he is so single-minded about cutting his way through the vampire world that it’s hard not to love him for it. Throughout the games, he develops from a revenge-filled maniac to even a partial ally of Kain himself, developing character growth over several games that few other video game characters can claim to have had.
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The Best Vampire Games (That Aren’t Castlevania)
Castlevania might be the most iconic vampire gaming series out there, but there are plenty of other great vampire games.