Van Helsing II video unveils The Beast in the Lair

We enjoyed The Adventures of Van Helsing quite a bit, as you can see in our review, so you can bet that we’ve got our eye on the sequel from Neocore Games.  Today we’ve got a video showing off the Beast in the Lair – the Chimera.   Not just a foe, but after taking it down, can even become a companion.   Let’s dig into how you’ll be able to unleash the Chimera:

♦ The Chimera can be summoned during battles as another helpful companion (let’s face it, what is a hunter without a dog… or even better, a dog-like, hulking and loyal monster).
♦ You can send it to the Ink, where it can gather gold, enchanted objects, even special potions and essences (without giving you a hard time about it, like Katharina does).
♦ The Chimera will evolve: it gets stronger and more experienced, but it needs to be fed in order to be useful.
♦ The Chimera has its own summoning chamber in the Lair, where you can enhance its strength along with additional skills, or improve its scavenging abilities (it will probably never learn to sit, but there is no harm in trying).

Where did it come from?

You can set the Chimera free during a particular quest. However, it won’t follow you everywhere like a permanent companion, you just gain the ability to summon it during battles. The beast gains levels that influence its battle stats among other things. The “dog” will also have a Hunger rating that affects its scavenging and battle stats like HP and Damage. The Hunger increases with every treasure hunt and when dying in battles, and also with every minute it spends summoned anywhere. By feeding it Essences, the Hunger will decrease…

The game is shaping up nicely, and the previous title can be had for less than a cup of coffee on Steam.   If you want a solid clicky-clicky loot collection adventure, you’ve got it right here.