Dracula: Origin
- August 7, 2008
- Frogwares
- 33h median play time
Get on Steam"Dracula: Origin" is a point-and-click adventure game that follows the story of Van Helsing, a legendary monster hunter, in his quest to defeat Dracula. Players must solve puzzles, uncover clues, and engage in dialogues to progress through the game. The game utilizes a gothic horror setting inspired by Bram Stoker's classic novel, "Dracula." Although it follows the storyline, the game offers unique characters and an original plot that adds a new layer to the vampire lore.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Engaging story that closely follows the original Bram Stoker's novel.
- Challenging puzzles that require attention to detail and critical thinking.
- Beautiful gothic visuals and a compelling atmosphere that enhance the gameplay experience.
- Many puzzles are overly difficult or counterintuitive, leading to frustration.
- The game can be tedious with pixel-hunting and unclear objectives.
- Technical issues such as bugs and a lack of intuitive mechanics hinder the overall experience.
- story90 mentions
- 44 % positive mentions
- 52 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The game's story, while rooted in the classic Dracula narrative, is described as both engaging and somewhat clichéd, featuring familiar tropes like the damsel in distress. Players appreciate the historical lore and the character of Professor Van Helsing, though some find the plot lacks depth and originality, with a few noting that it can feel dragged out or generic. Overall, the story is seen as a decent complement to the gameplay, providing enough intrigue to keep players invested despite its shortcomings.
“The protagonist of this story is Professor Van Helsing, hunter of vampires and Dracula’s nemesis, who must save his friend Mina from the nefarious depredations of the vile count, discover Dracula’s vampiric origins, and stop him once and for all.”
“The story is a continuation of the classic Dracula novel with a few reinterpretations as well and provides a healthy satisfaction to the vampire legends itch.”
“Overall, I enjoyed how the story added to the historical lore of Dracula.”
“The story is old news.”
“Generic story, no real reason to see what happens next.”
“I admit I never read the original novel, but the game's story is bland (the thousandth iteration of damsel in distress - yawn) the characters are not even two-dimensional, but one-dimensional.”
- graphics44 mentions
- 59 % positive mentions
- 34 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game, while reflective of its time, are generally considered decent, featuring a gothic aesthetic that enhances the atmosphere. However, many reviewers note that the visuals are somewhat dated and can be janky, with some areas being too dark, making it difficult to see important items. Overall, while the graphics contribute positively to the game's mood, they are not the primary draw for players.
“The game uses the sort of 3D graphics common for adventures of the 21st century’s first decade, both in the game and in accompanying cutscenes.”
“Although the delightfully gothic visuals and audio still fare pretty well even to this day, the level and puzzle design without a doubt get pretty clunky and bizarre at times.”
“Even more than other Frogwares games, Dracula: Origin has a wonderfully unique 19th century European mood and aesthetic.”
“The graphics of the game are a little bit older than 2008 when the game was launched.”
“The interface is lousy, it runs slow, and the graphics are so dated that it looks like something you or I could probably put together solo.”
“Despite looking graphically okay and sounding pretty decent, the experience of the game is lacking.”
- atmosphere26 mentions
- 54 % positive mentions
- 31 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its endearing cheesy gothic elements, complemented by fitting music and quality voiceovers. While some note the older graphics, many appreciate the intense and immersive settings, particularly those inspired by 19th-century European locations. Overall, the sound design and ambient noise effectively enhance the creepy atmosphere, making it a standout feature of the game.
“One could even argue that the game's main strength is its endearingly cheesy gothic atmosphere.”
“The sound design is great, with different background music playing in different areas and ambient noise creating a creepy atmosphere which suits the overall theme of the game.”
“Good design, creepy atmosphere, compelling story, and challenging puzzles.”
“No atmosphere.”
“It is older so the graphics aren't great but I love the atmosphere.”
“Puzzles were of a medium challenge, the main voice actor was convincing of the part, and the atmosphere/levels were fitting for vampire lore.”
- music24 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- 13 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally well-received, with many praising its ability to enhance the atmosphere and fit the various locations. However, some players noted that the soundtrack is limited, leading to repetitiveness during extended play in certain areas. Overall, while the quality of the music and voice work is highlighted, opinions vary significantly, with some finding it excellent and others criticizing it as subpar.
“The sound design is great, with different background music playing in different areas and ambient noise creating a creepy atmosphere which suits the overall theme of the game.”
“The music is good and the voice work is excellent, particularly for Van Helsing.”
“The puzzles were great, the settings were beautiful, and the music was top notch!”
“Excluding the well-designed backgrounds and the decent puzzles, everything is awful, the ghastly excuse of a Dracula storyline, the laughable characters, the god-awful music that will make you turn the volume all the way down, the low-rez cut-scenes... just skip it, especially if you're a Dracula fan.”
“Though, I would say it has very few music tracks.”
“And the other thing is the music.”
- gameplay18 mentions
- 22 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 22 % negative mentions
The gameplay is generally well-structured, ensuring players cannot progress without solving all local puzzles, which helps avoid future stuck points. However, many users found the mechanics frustrating and the overall experience dull, particularly in terms of horror and action elements, despite the easy-to-learn controls and decent story and graphics. The game offers about 10 hours of playtime, but some players expressed disappointment with the direction taken in the sequel.
“Gameplay is well designed in the way that it will not let you leave the current location until you’ve solved everything that is there to solve, preventing stuck points later because of missing key items.”
“There are about 10 hours of gameplay.”
“Easy to learn mechanics.”
“While the story and puzzles are pretty good, and the graphics held up well, the mechanics were very frustrating.”
“The gameplay itself was boring as hell.”
“Also, some of the game mechanics were extremely annoying, like sometimes you had to put together items in a certain order to get them to work or re-examine a certain object after a certain event.”
- humor4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by its absurdity, particularly in the nonsensical item combinations and solutions that can lead to hilariously frustrating moments. Players often find that once they overcome the initial confusion, the absurdity becomes a source of amusement.
“Those who play the game will understand, but for others: when the solution and the item combo makes absolutely zero sense, that it falls into hilariously absurd (once the frustration of being stuck has passed).”
“Vladimir drinks blood for money and it's funny.”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant stability issues, with frequent bugs causing essential items to disappear, often leaving players unable to progress without restarting. This has led to a frustrating experience for many users.
“Very buggy and had to restart it constantly because things you needed to progress wouldn't appear, leaving you stuck until you find them.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding in the game to be tedious, often involving repetitive shopping-list quests that can feel overly short and lacking in excitement, as much of the action occurs off-screen.
“The grinding feels like tedious shopping-list quests that never end.”
“The grind is a bit too short, leaving me wanting more depth.”
“Most of the excitement happens off-screen, making the grind feel even more pointless.”
