2026 review

First of all, go install these mods:
Prometheus Enhanced
https://www.nexusmods.com/theincredibleadventuresofvanhelsingfinalcut/mods/2

No-Intro (Skip Startup - Splash Videos)
https://www.nexusmods.com/theincredibleadventuresofvanhelsingfinalcut/mods/4

If you're an ARPG fan, The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing: Final Cut is absolutely worth playing. Even though the game is a bit dated today, the gameplay still feels surprisingly good and addictive. Combat is fun, the skill system is solid, and there’s plenty of loot and character progression to keep you hooked for hundreds of hours.

One of the best parts of the game is Katarina, your ghost companion. Her dialogue is hilarious, full of personality, and the interactions between her and Van Helsing make the journey much more enjoyable. She easily becomes one of the most memorable companions in the ARPG genre.

Replayability is another strong point thanks to the multiple classes and different build possibilities. Trying new characters and experimenting with skills keeps the game fresh even after finishing the story.

The game also feels rewarding overall, leveling up, finding better gear, and improving your build always gives a satisfying sense of progress.

There is also an additional challenge called “Adventure”. It is a kind of endgame farming gameplay mode where you complete various quests and farm gear and experience.

The level cap is 100, but there is an overlevel system that lets you gain special points after reaching level 100, allowing you to further strengthen your character and push it even more. Overlevel is available only in Adventure mode.

If you love ARPGs and don't mind slightly older graphics, this game is a hidden gem that still deserves attention.

It runs perfectly fine on Windows 11 without issues, but sometimes I was experiencing some background texture flickering, which was a bit annoying. I was unable to fix it.


IMPORTANT:

The game has a save bug. Sometimes it doesn’t save your progress. There is no "Save Game" button, as progress is saved automatically while you play.

I googled fixes and tried everything, but nothing worked (you can try other fixes, maybe it will work for you).

The only solution I found was to "manually force" the game to save, and here is how to do it:

Before you start, on the main menu character screen, it shows your nickname, level, and location. Start the game, change location (go to a different map/location), and then exit back to the main menu. If you see that your location has changed, that means the save is working and you can safely play the game.

If you go to another location, exit to main menu and see that your location has not changed, that means the save is not working and you will lose progress if you continue playing. In that case, exit the game completely and repeat every step until it works, until you see that location name has changed on the main menu according to the location you went ingame. Sometimes the game needs to be restared multiple times.

The ingame location name is shown in the top-right corner.

Another way to deal with this is very similar. Take one item from your inventory and place it in a random spot in the inventory. Exit the game and then go back in. If the item stayed where you placed it before exiting, it means the save is working. If the item is not at that location, the save is not working.

DO NOT exit while playing Tower Defense Quests because that fix will not work and you will get stuck!!! If it does happen, you would have to go to Save Game folder and replace current save file with backup one, which is located in same folder.

Overall, it's a hassle and annoying bug, but if you are like me and you like the game, it is worth it.

IMPORTANT #2:

One of the main story quests sometimes gets bugged. The quest is to eliminate Infiltrator units at Viaduct Junction. When you eliminate all enemy units, the quest doesn't
recognize it as completed and leaves it unfinished and you get stuck and unable to progress the game. This is how to fix it (the quest will autocomplete):

1) Navigate to "<Steam Directory>\steamapps\common\The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing Final Cut\Cfg\Quests"
2) Open the file "Questlist_Gold_main_AktII.cfg" in any text editor.
3) Find the text "OnStoryData:general_activator,keep".
4) Go to the beginning of the line and hit enter. You should now have an empty line between "}" and "OnStoryData:general_activator,keep".
5) Paste the block below:

OnMapChanged:terep_Lair
{
AddStoryData=droppod_quest_done
}

6) Save the file.
7) Restart the game.

Warning: If you do not undo this change after you've completed the quest, future characters will end up autocompleting the quest.

OTHER:

The game sometimes randomly generates physics.txt with text "Static actor moved. Not recommended while the actor is part of a scene."
If you see that somewhere, it is not malware, it is generated by the game and it's safe to delete.

Fun! The improved graphics are pretty, though I'm a bit late to the party. I like his and Katarina's banter

Lots of easter eggs