Unveiling the world of vampires and mental health.
Vampire Therapist is a visual novel that was developed and published by Little Bat Games. Little Bat Games is a studio based in Berlin, Germany. Vampire Therapist is the studio’s only game released so far.
Vampire Therapist is very different from normal visual novels regarding gameplay and theme although it is geared towards mature audiences. While it is based on Vampires, it explores Mental Health and brings it up using a lot of historical and modern references.
Visual Novels have been around since 1983 with the release of The Portopia Serial Murder Case and are a form of adventure games. There are two types of visual novels. Narrative branches have non-linear branching stories that have multiple endings, good examples are Zero Escape: Virtues Last Reward and Volcano Princess.
The second visual novel type is Kinetic Novels, these don’t have branching non-linear stories and usually have a set ending, examples would be Digital: A Love Story and Higurashi When They Cry.
Vampire Therapist’s protagonist is Sam, a Vampire who had been turned during the time of the Wild West, who sets off to Germany to meet with Andromachos who is a 3000-year-old vampire therapist. Sam wants to learn how to do what Andromachos does. To be able to help the vampires in America see they don’t have to be monsters just because they’re vampires.
Vampire Therapist does have a warning when you load into the game. It explains that the game goes over several sensitive topics. Readers who do have a history of trauma to any of the topics that are mentioned in-game should approach Vampire Therapist with caution and that it isn’t a substitute for therapy in any way or form.
Vampire Therapist features an amazing and eye-catching art style. This art style allows for a lot of variety in the designs of many of the characters and all the other vampires and humans you encounter.
Sam, the protagonist of Vampire Therapist, treats four vampires who are all very different in appearance and personality: a Shakespearean actor, an Italian Renaissance aristocrat, a scientist who wants to develop an artificial substitute for human blood, and an 1800-year-old vampire streamer.
Vampire Therapist brings up Cognitive behavioral therapy or CBT which is about identifying unhelpful thought patterns so that you can change them and the behaviors associated with them.
Andromachos, or Andy as Sam calls him, is there to teach Sam about different types of distortions and unhealthy thinking and to help Sam recognize them in his patients. One technique you learn early on is “labeling.” which is when you describe yourself negatively: “I’m a fake, useless, or in the case of vampires, a hopeless mass murderer.”
The idea is that although you’ve killed a lot of people in the past, being a mass murderer isn’t all you are, and you don’t have to continue killing people in the future or that’s the conclusion Sam eventually comes to after going through sessions with Andromachos.
Once you label yourself, it’s hard to eliminate that label. Another example is “should statements,” which include telling yourself you must behave in a certain way, pressuring yourself if you don’t, or turning something fun into a chore.
The trick to playing is to recognize these when someone is talking to you. Drain went through a few in one conversation. He felt he should have made more progress in developing a synthetic blood substitute.
He didn’t want to take the time to relax and rest, and he was angry at himself for taking drugs that would allow him to sleep or attend fun parties. The biggest mechanic focuses on what Sam’s clients say to determine what type of cognitive behavioral therapy they are working with.
Whether or not you agree with cognitive behavioural therapy is less relevant when playing Vampire Therapist, since you won’t be thinking about it while playing. It seems obvious in hindsight, but the game doesn’t include a crash course in cognitive behavioral therapy theory or a mini-lecture on cognitive behavioral therapy.
And what it is exactly although Andy does go into detail about each CBT as it’s introduced to you now what to look for when Sam speaks to his Clients. When you talk to another character, there’s no big neon sign flashing in the corner that says “This is a CBT.”.
Of course, the story and characters are great, but what’s great is that every line is voiced and it brings the characters to life. Sam’s wholesome, folksy western charm is a nice contrast to the more aristocratic vampires, and to Andromachos himself, who speaks in a very low, booming voice.
The story depicts how Sam becomes more confident and how he develops into a gifted therapist. It’s also often very funny, as some vampires display some pretty serious delusions of grandiosity. You can’t go wrong here.
If you accidentally choose the wrong option when assessing a patient’s cognitive distortions, Andy will contact you spiritually and advise you to think again. There is no penalty for choosing the wrong option.
In this world, vampires do not necessarily have to devour living humans to get food. However, players must take part in short and very simple point-and-click bite mini-games and a sort of point-and-click meditation sessions which add a little variety to the usual gameplay.
Vampire Therapist was developed with the help of real psychologists, but players should be aware that it is based on classic methods of cognitive behavioral therapy. Perhaps this is the main reason why it is the easiest to build both a decent storyline and simple mechanics around it.
However, in the real world, therapy is a complex process involving a variety of other approaches. Vampire Therapist simplifies things and resorts to frequent jokes so that it never feels tedious.
Listening to the client’s problems and finding the best way to guide them to healthier thought patterns is a good way to provide a solid story and some solid real-world references to build the story of the world.
The Vampire Therapist is very classic in terms of presentation. Although the action takes place in a few small locations, the developers paid attention to the characters and added many small but nice details to highlight their personalities. Their subtle movements and the way they react to certain lines and revelations are the most noticeable difference. The interface is user-friendly and not overly complicated or cluttered.
The sound design of Vampire Therapist is great and done tastefully especially the voice acting. Most of the characters were voiced by Cyrus Nemati who had voiced characters in HADES. There is also music playing almost constantly throughout the game, mainly from the club downstairs.
The music selection is well chosen to ensure you don’t get bored during the game, and the music fits perfectly with the gothic nightclub scene that provides the loud backdrop for much of the game.
It certainly helps that it’s toned down when you’re upstairs during a therapy session. The club music is great for attracting attention, but not so much that it becomes distracting or annoying because you’re listening to it all the time.
Overall, Vampire Therapist is a unique visual novel developed by Little Bat Games, featuring an eye-catching art style and diverse character designs. The game focuses on mental health, incorporating vampire characters who fit different tropes and introducing CBT concepts showing that even vampires need a little therapy and TLC sometimes. It also includes engaging mini-games and maintains an enjoyable storytelling experience through voiced character interactions and a humorous storyline.
