[1] The game is not set strictly in the same fictional universe as Bram Stoker's novel Dracula, but rather a similar one in a twisted 19th century Europe with "monsters, magic and weird technology".

[10][11][12] Patrick Hancock of Destructoid gave the game a 5.5 out of 10, writing, "A forgetful story, performance issues, and an unexplained tower defense element hold Van Helsing back from living up to its true potential, and what’s left meanders the line between standard and boring.

"[13] Christian Donlan of Eurogamer found the genre to be a good fit for the franchise and wrote, "Van Helsing isn't a polished game, or even a particularly thoughtful one for most of its campaign, but it has scrappy charm and schlocky character, and it benefits from leaning on one of those design templates that is ultimately really, really difficult to screw up too badly.

"[14] GameSpot liked the clever writing, atmospheric setting, and combat mechanics, while deeming the clumsy interface and sparse number of multiplayer matches as minor hindrances.

[17] John Cal McCormick of Push Square disliked the uninteresting battle system and narrative and praised the lighthearted tone for helping the game stand out from other titles in the same genre.

[22] IGN's Leif Johnson called Van Helsing II "...a considerable improvement over its predecessor" and noted that though balance issues and multiplayer bugs remained, the game's variety in tower defense scenarios and classes made up for it.

[28] Daniel Starkey of GameSpot praised the character interactions, action, and pacing, and stated that the recycled assets, lack of content, and technical stability was disappointing.