Dracula 4 & 5: Special Steam Edition
- May 29, 2014
- Koalabs
"Dracula 4 & 5: Special Steam Edition" is a narrative-driven adventure game involving stolen artifacts and the mysterious brotherhood of the Shadow of the Dragon. The game offers unique puzzles, high-definition graphics, and an original soundtrack. In Dracula 4, players must investigate a sunken cargo ship and find a stolen painting, while Dracula 5 follows Ellen Cross as she uncovers new information about the Shadow of the Dragon and Vlad Tepes. The game also features an interactive inventory system for creating new items.
Reviews
- Modernized graphics and gameplay features are solid compared to previous titles in the series.
- Puzzles are numerous and moderately difficult, providing a good challenge for players.
- The game has a captivating story that deviates from typical love narratives, adding new elements to the Dracula lore.
- The game is short, linear, and feels like it was cut in half, lacking a satisfying conclusion.
- Many players found the story dull and poorly paced, with a lack of meaningful character development.
- The medication mechanic is poorly implemented and does not contribute to the gameplay or narrative in a meaningful way.
- story34 mentions
- 12 % positive mentions
- 76 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The story aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it lackluster and poorly executed, particularly in its latter half, which detracts from overall engagement. While some appreciate the initial plot and atmosphere, others criticize the lack of meaningful narrative progression and closure, leading to a sense of incompleteness. Overall, the storytelling is seen as inconsistent, with some elements praised for their uniqueness, but many feeling that it ultimately fails to captivate or satisfy.
“It has a nice story, nice atmosphere and the puzzles are of moderate difficulty, which is really good.”
“The initial cutscene presents us with a plot different from the standard, which adds new elements that are not usual in games.”
“The story is captivating and runs away from a love story.”
“The story is a bit lackluster; I never really felt intrigued or fascinated. The ending(s) suck hard, but most of all this game lacks scares and atmosphere.”
“It's a 'might as well play it when you can get it on the cheap' sort of game, but you won't miss anything if you don't. While it somewhat continues the series' overall story, it doesn't conclude it in any way, so if you wanted some closure... this will not give it to you.”
“The narration is extremely bad, while the story is also dull and way too short, which makes these two games feel like an incomplete demo of a real Dracula game.”
- gameplay16 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with some praising the modernized graphics and solid new features, while others criticize the clunky interface and the poorly integrated "medication" mechanic that feels forced and unnecessary. Overall, while the game runs smoothly and offers an interesting story with logical puzzles, many players find the gameplay experience to be lacking and frustrating.
“Modernized graphics and new gameplay features look solid compared to previous titles of the series.”
“No bugs, smooth gameplay, interesting story, great graphics, logical puzzles, convenient interface.”
“Gameplay is mostly alright.”
“The weirdest thing is certainly the tacked on 'medication' mechanic.”
“They probably wanted to emulate survival horror healing items management, but there's no gameplay that would require it, so they literally just randomly tell you 'you're sick now, eat some pills' in preselected moments, you do it and play on.”
“Interface / gameplay is a bit clunky, but it's expected for this genre.”
- graphics12 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game have received praise for their modernization and beauty, particularly in comparison to earlier titles in the series. However, some players noted that while the visuals are impressive, many scenes feel sparse due to a lack of 3D assets, and the overall number of locations is limited. Despite these criticisms, the graphics are generally considered a significant improvement, contributing to a smooth gameplay experience.
“Modernized graphics and new gameplay features look solid compared to previous titles in the series.”
“The first evolution noticed is the quality of the graphics that has increased a lot; it is very good.”
“No bugs, smooth gameplay, interesting story, great graphics, logical puzzles, convenient interface.”
- atmosphere8 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Overall, the atmosphere of the game is criticized for being lackluster and failing to evoke intrigue or suspense, with many reviewers noting a significant absence of scares. Comparisons to other titles highlight that while some games successfully create a compelling atmosphere, this one falls short, leaving players wanting more in terms of content and emotional engagement.
“I recently (re)played Darkness Within, and although that game has some problems of its own, it is better written and vastly superior at building suspense and atmosphere, proving that it can be done, even on these slowpoke engines.”
“It has a nice story, nice atmosphere, and the puzzles are of moderate difficulty, which is really good.”
“The story is a bit lackluster; I never really felt intrigued or fascinated. The endings suck hard, but most of all, this game lacks scares and atmosphere.”
“Not bad, but lacks content and atmosphere.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is consistently praised, with players reporting that it elicited laughter throughout their entire experience.
“I found myself laughing through this one the whole way.”
- monetization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game appears to be lacking, as the developer is not promoting or planning further content related to the Dracula series, leaving players feeling uncertain about the future of the franchise. This has led to disappointment among fans who were hopeful for additional games.
- stability2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Users report that both games demonstrate strong stability, functioning without any glitches or issues.
“First, I would like to say that these two games actually work and have no glitches.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious and frustrating, as the puzzles are perceived as overly complicated rather than genuinely challenging. This repetitiveness detracts from the overall enjoyment of the gameplay experience.
“The puzzles are annoying and complicated, not because they are hard, but because they are tedious.”