Dracula: Love Kills
- October 29, 2013
- Waterlily Games
Get on Steam"Dracula: Love Kills" is an action-adventure game inspired by Bram Stoker's classic novel. Players control Dracula, navigating through gothic environments while battling enemies and solving puzzles. The game features a unique morality system, allowing players to choose between good and evil decisions that impact the story's outcome.
Reviews
- The game features a captivating story with interesting characters and a unique take on the Dracula lore.
- Puzzles are varied and challenging, providing a satisfying experience for players who enjoy problem-solving.
- The game has good replayability with multiple endings and the ability to revisit hidden object scenes.
- The voice acting is often considered cheesy and can detract from the overall experience.
- Players may find the hidden object scenes to be overly frequent and sometimes tedious, leading to frustration.
- Achieving all accomplishments requires multiple playthroughs, which can feel unnecessarily tedious and time-consuming.
- story84 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The story in the game is generally well-received, with many players appreciating its originality and engaging plot, particularly the unique take on the Dracula narrative and the inclusion of player choices that affect the ending. However, some critiques highlight dated cutscenes, tedious dialogue, and a lack of depth in character development, leading to mixed feelings about its overall execution. While the story may not be groundbreaking, it provides an entertaining backdrop for the hidden-object gameplay, complemented by decent visuals and well-designed puzzles.
“The story was interesting, and I enjoyed having in-game choices make some impact on the ending of the game.”
“The lore behind the Order of the Dragon and their battle against the Black Widow, who later is known as the Queen of Vampires, was a perfect story hook.”
“I loved how I could choose the fate of some characters on whether I turned them into a vampire or not, which changed the story ending!”
“Unfortunately, I found the story fairly light and inconsequential.”
“It's not a total waste, but on occasion it very much feels like an excuse plot that only exists to get the game moving along.”
“The story is nothing special, and not particularly true to any of the characters...but, the puzzle offers a fair challenge, and the pacing and presentation are well done.”
- graphics29 mentions
- 48 % positive mentions
- 41 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many players noting that while the artwork is often described as beautiful and detailed, the visuals can feel outdated, especially given the game's 2011 release. Some users appreciate the gothic atmosphere and the harmony between graphics and music, while others mention glitches and a lack of impressive visuals. Overall, the graphics are considered decent for a hidden object game, with a few standout elements that enhance the experience.
“Graphics are very nice and detailed, and the music fits the game nicely.”
“If you're a sucker for point and click adventure games with a spooky aesthetic, beautiful graphics, good soundtrack and some fun little logic puzzles, then you'll definitely enjoy this.”
“The graphics, the music and the atmosphere of the game all harmonize perfectly.”
“The graphics are outdated and it crashes in Windows 10.”
“The artwork and soundtrack were fine, but note that this is a slightly older game, so the graphics aren't perfect.”
“The graphics are just okay and look glitchy.”
- gameplay17 mentions
- 24 % positive mentions
- 59 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a blend of hidden object searching, simple exploration, and mini-games, offering a mix of originality and familiar mechanics typical of the genre. While it is generally easy to play, some puzzles present a challenge, and the influence of player choices adds depth. However, some players find the gameplay somewhat arbitrary and feel that it lacks the fast-paced action or character development found in other games.
“The gameplay features simple exploration, collecting objects and playing various mini-games.”
“Aside from that, the game is quite entertaining, with interesting puzzles and useful mechanics.”
“Good storyline...better gameplay than others of its type.”
“It sometimes resembles a streamlined adventure game, but a bulk of the gameplay is spent on pure hidden object searching, where you're given a laundry list of random items that must be discovered in a large, visually cluttered environment.”
“I've always found hidden object gameplay to feel a little bit arbitrary and pointless.”
“If you're looking for well-developed characters and plot or fast-paced gameplay, you may want to pass on this one.”
- humor14 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by its charmingly bad voice acting and quirky character interactions, particularly the comedic dynamic between Dracula, Igor, and Van Helsing. Players appreciate the sly humor and over-the-top accents, which contribute to a B-movie vibe that makes the experience both funny and enjoyable. Overall, while the storyline may be basic, the humor adds a delightful layer to the gameplay, making it a recommended choice, especially on discount.
“Dracula was a cool and funny character after you realize that he has to act like a dad to Igor and bickers like a married couple with Van Helsing.”
“But it is so, so charming - you know with the charm of B movies: naive, cute, full of hilarious dialogs, overdone accents, and caricature characters.”
“The storyline was pretty basic, but the voice acting was actually hilariously good.”
- music10 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its beautiful, melodic, and symphonic ambient qualities that enhance the overall atmosphere. Reviewers note that it fits well with the game's spooky aesthetic and complements the detailed graphics, although some mention that the voice acting detracts from the experience. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a strong point, contributing positively to the enjoyment of the game.
“The music is ominous but still quite melodic symphonic ambient, which goes along well with the game's style.”
“The graphics, the music, and the atmosphere of the game all harmonize perfectly.”
“I really enjoyed this game - while being primarily hidden object with a story, the art and music are lovely.”
“It has very bad voice acting, so if it was just music, it would be better, and the annoying 'slurrrp' sound every time you find blood... the storyline was a bit annoying.”
- atmosphere9 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 11 % neutral mentions
- 22 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is praised for its eerie, dark graphics, excellent voice acting, and harmonious music, creating a captivating gothic setting that enhances the experience. However, some players feel that despite the initial intrigue and challenging puzzles, the overall atmosphere is lacking compared to other casual adventure games.
“The painted artwork is lovely and the settings add a nice gothic atmosphere.”
“The graphics, the music, and the atmosphere of the game all harmonize perfectly.”
“I loved the atmosphere and the voice acting was really good.”
“While it started off in an interesting manner, and while it indeed has many challenging puzzles, I cannot recommend the game because I feel it completely lacks any atmosphere.”
“What do I mean when I say lacking in atmosphere?”
- grinding7 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 86 % negative mentions
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, particularly due to repetitive tasks like finding hidden objects and navigating through dialogue. While some appreciate the challenge, many feel that the frequency of these activities detracts from the overall enjoyment, leading to a sense of frustration.
“The game was supposed to be fun, but the number of times you play the same puzzle of finding hidden objects to get almost everything in the game makes it a little tedious.”
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“But honestly, if I could describe this game in one word, it'd be 'tedious'.”
- stability6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant stability issues, with frequent freezing occurring every few minutes, forcing players to restart their systems or log out to regain control. Additionally, cut scenes are reported to be buggy, contributing to an overall frustrating experience.
“Every time I get on this game to play, it freezes up.”
“This game freezes hard about every five minutes.”
“On my computer, I'm actually having to log out and log back in because the game freezes focus and won't let me switch to my task manager window.”
- replayability5 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The game offers significant replayability due to multiple endings, various difficulty settings, and randomized elements that enhance the experience. Players can revisit areas to improve their performance and pursue achievements, while bonus chapters and replayable hidden object scenes and mini-games further contribute to its longevity. Overall, it provides ample opportunities for players to enjoy the game multiple times.
“At the regular price, buying this game is worth it as you have replayability value because of the different endings and difficulty settings.”
“For what it's worth, the extras are well-made, and the randomization ensures that the game has nearly endless replayability, at least for anyone who can derive endless satisfaction from hidden object searching.”
“It has a lot of replayability since you'll often want to retry areas to improve your time or chase achievements.”
“There is a bonus chapter along with replayable hidden object scenes and mini-games/puzzles.”
