Milky Way Prince: The Vampire Star

With some creative mechanics and interesting subject matter, Milky Way Prince — A Vampire Star was good but I wish it had been done better and handled with more care.

70%Game Brain Score

story, graphics

gameplay, grinding

76% User Score Based on 262 reviews

Critic Score 61%Based on 6 reviews

Platforms

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About

Milky Way Prince: The Vampire Star is a single player simulation game with horror, romance, drama, anime and others themes. It was developed by Lorenzo Redaelli and was released on August 9, 2020. It received mostly positive reviews from both critics and players.

A visual novel about an abusive relationship, idealization, and intimacy. Live a summer of dysfunctional love through branching storylines, twists, sudden changes, and an innovative mechanic where you choose which senses to use with your boyfriend.

Milky Way Prince: The Vampire Star screenshot

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76%

Audience ScoreBased on 262 reviews

story33 positive mentions

grinding5 negative mentions

Visually striking art style with unique, symbolic use of colors and a mix of 2D/3D elements that enhance the atmosphere.
Compelling and emotionally deep story exploring toxic relationships, mental illness (especially BPD), and the complexities of love and self-identity.
Powerful and fitting soundtrack and sound design that strongly contribute to the immersive and unsettling mood.

Slow pacing and lack of quality-of-life features (no manual save, no effective fast-forward, no skip for previously read dialogue) make replaying for multiple endings tedious and frustrating.
Some players found the characters underdeveloped or the writing at times cringy, pretentious, or confusing due to heavy symbolism and abstract narrative style.
Portrayal of BPD and toxic relationships can feel one-sided or stigmatizing, which may be upsetting or not resonate for all players; not suitable for those sensitive to trigger content.

story
149 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
73%
5%
The story of "Milky Way Prince – The Vampire Star" is a raw, emotional, and often dark exploration of a toxic relationship involving mental illness, particularly bipolar disorder (BPD). While its heavy symbolism and slow pacing can confuse or frustrate some players, many appreciate its honest, thought-provoking narrative and multiple endings that evoke deep reflection on love, abuse, and vulnerability. However, the story's abstract presentation and repetitive structure may limit its accessibility and emotional impact for some audiences.
- “It’s raw, emotional & unafraid to tell a difficult story about love, vulnerability & control.”
- “The story is initially told from Nuki’s perspective - the boy who believes he has found his milky way prince and would do anything to save him - and shows us the naive idealism that comes with (assumed) first love, and the lengths Nuki would go to to try and save his doomed relationship with the man he believes is his one true love/soulmate/whatever.”
- “Phenomenally executed story line that will leave a poignant impression long after finishing the experience.”
- “Story starts to fall apart and become uncompelling right after the demo finishes.”
- “After three times going through his story you feel psychologically traumatized by boredom.”
- “The story confuses me.”
graphics
48 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
35%
52%
13%
The game’s graphics are distinctive and artistically bold, often described as surreal, unique, and atmospheric, effectively complementing the story’s emotional intensity. While some players find the art style beautiful and fitting, others consider it unpolished or odd, with occasional critiques of its simplicity or lack of polish. Overall, the visuals contribute significantly to the game's immersive and thought-provoking experience despite divided opinions on their aesthetic appeal.
- “I really enjoyed the experimental storytelling of this game and the visuals were absolutely beautiful.”
- “The music, graphics/art style, and storytelling are absolutely beautiful.”
- “The stark, claustrophobic visuals and changes to the main character's apartment throughout the story were effective in conveying the emotional intensity of the relationship depicted.”
- “I figured I could live with the bad graphics, because the premise of the story seemed really interesting.”
- “A visual novel, which in my opinion has somewhat mediocre artwork, although it covers a sensitive topic that unfortunately still happens even today.”
- “Bad graphics, very slow game.”
emotional
43 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game delivers a deeply raw and emotionally intense experience, especially resonating with players familiar with toxic relationships, emotional abuse, and mental illness like BPD. Many found it painfully relatable, often triggering strong feelings such as sadness and empathy, while praising its honest, unflinching portrayal of complex emotional struggles. It is highly recommended for those seeking a powerful, heartfelt story but cautioned for players to approach it when emotionally stable due to its heavy and sometimes disturbing themes.
- “Uncomfortably accurate depiction of what it's like to be emotionally close with someone who has BPD or an adjacent disorder, to the point that specific details I had assumed were unique to my experience were captured and relayed back to me perfectly.”
- “It's raw, emotional & unafraid to tell a difficult story about love, vulnerability & control.”
- “The stark, claustrophobic visuals and changes to the main character's apartment throughout the story were effective in conveying the emotional intensity of the relationship depicted.”
music
33 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
46%
9%
The music and soundtrack are widely praised for their beauty, emotional depth, and strong synergy with the game's visual style, significantly enhancing the atmosphere. Some users wished for more consistent background music during quieter scenes, but overall the sound design is considered a standout and integral part of the experience, often described as subtle yet impactful.
- “But most definitely my favorite part of the game is the sound design and soundtrack.”
- “The music was one of my favourite parts, extremely fitting and gave the game a very unique atmosphere together with the artistic style.”
- “The soundtrack is subtle and adds a lot to the mood, but the game knows when to utilize silence as well.”
- “The soundtrack suited each part of the novel pretty well, but in some scenes I would have liked more consistent auditory feedback, not only during key moments.”
- “A few times in the story I had zero sound for 3-5 minutes while reading, and I would have definitely liked at least slight background music.”
- “None of the characters are written well and the art style is weak on top of having terrible music.”
gameplay
21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
72%
14%
The gameplay introduces an intriguing sensory exploration mechanic that adds a unique layer to the visual novel format, but overall it feels simplistic and underdeveloped. Save system limitations and repetitive, sometimes frustrating mechanics hinder fluidity and enjoyment, making replaying to achieve all endings tedious. While the narrative and themes are compelling, the gameplay often acts as a distraction rather than an enhancement.
- “The gameplay is a new take on a visual novel, the story is really heavy and the style is beautiful.”
- “Third, it's simplistic but the gameplay is captivating (choosing which sense - visual, smell, touch, etc - you want to explore the story).”
- “The mechanics aren't all too complex or breakthrough, simply being more of a point and click style visual novel, though the concepts are interesting from a story perspective.”
- “Gameplay wise, you only have three save slots and the game doesn't let you save whenever you want due to the auto save after each chapter.”
- “The chosen mechanics felt like speed bumps in the progression of the story; they took away from my experience of the narrative.”
- “Mechanical complaints pretty much boil down to: 2x speed is not fast enough for replaying to 100% completion without it feeling like a chore, and not being able to save at any point leads to frequent total resets, which can be annoying.”
atmosphere
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
25%
25%
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its emotional depth, compelling art style, and immersive sound design, which together create a unique, often heavy and sometimes eerie mood. The blend of visuals, music, and psychological elements effectively enhances storytelling, making the experience engrossing and atmospheric, though repeated playthroughs may lessen the impact of certain atmospheric moments. Overall, the atmosphere is consistently gloomy, intense, and integral to the game's appeal.
- “The art direction and the sound design, coupled with metaphors and psychological appeal, created a creepier atmosphere than many horror games at times, which is difficult to pull off and truly impressive.”
- “The music was one of my favourite parts, extremely fitting and gave the game a very unique atmosphere together with the artistic style.”
- “I would say the game does a remarkable job of building a heavy atmosphere.”
- “Like many games of this sort, 'Milky Way Prince...' has multiple endings, and as often happens, reaching those requires going through almost identical story sections repeatedly. The moments of heavy silence and pauses between lines that build atmosphere during the first playthrough become insufferable when replaying, especially since they cannot be skipped.”
- “It starts off so innocently, and you barely notice how the atmosphere changes and becomes toxic until it hits you in the face.”
- “The atmosphere stays gloomy throughout the whole game, and it's immediately noticeable that both characters seem to be mentally unstable.”
grinding
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
15%
71%
Grinding in the game is notably tedious and slow, especially due to the lack of a skip option and the need to replay for multiple endings. Automatic saving prevents using multiple save files, making achievement hunting and replaying more frustrating and time-consuming.
- “A lot of grinding is involved.”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “I do have to complain though because there was no skip option, so if you want to get all the endings it becomes a really tedious task; it's better to stick to one playthrough than to try to get them all on your own.”
- “This might be tedious for those who are hunting for the other endings, as this game saves automatically and, therefore, it's not possible to load different save files.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
50%
The game has limited replayability, with some players finding the effort to achieve all endings uncomfortable, and an overall lack of incentive to replay.
- “Infinitely replayable multiplayer mode offers endless fun.”
- “High replayability due to multiple endings encourages multiple playthroughs.”
- “Replayability is enhanced by various game modes and challenges.”
- “Replayability to get all endings is a bit uncomfortable.”
- “It has a lack of replay value.”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
Character development in Milky Way Prince – The Vampire Star is widely regarded as underdeveloped and lacking depth, which detracts from the overall story. Fans of visual novels, who prioritize strong character growth and motives, may find this aspect particularly disappointing.
- “However, the plot fell flat for me since the character development and motives weren’t fully fleshed out.”
- “Character development is one of the most important aspects in a visual novel for me, which saddens me even more that it's not in the foreground here at all.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users find the humor in the game to be subtle but enjoyable, with small entertaining moments that add charm.
- “Humor!”
- “This game has some tiny entertaining humor pieces I'm fond of.”

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61%Critics’ scoreBased on 6 critic reviews

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2h Median play time

2h Average play time

2-2h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs

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Frequently Asked Questions

Milky Way Prince: The Vampire Star is a simulation game with horror, romance, drama, anime and others themes.

Milky Way Prince: The Vampire Star is available on Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, PC, PlayStation 5 and others.

On average players spend around 2 hours playing Milky Way Prince: The Vampire Star.

Milky Way Prince: The Vampire Star was released on August 9, 2020.

Milky Way Prince: The Vampire Star was developed by Lorenzo Redaelli.

Milky Way Prince: The Vampire Star has received mostly positive reviews from both players and critics. Most players liked Milky Way Prince: The Vampire Star for its story but disliked it for its gameplay.

Milky Way Prince: The Vampire Star is a single player game.

Similar games include Missed Messages, When the Darkness comes, Milk outside a bag of milk outside a bag of milk, Always Sometimes Monsters, The Cat Lady and others.

Milky Way Prince: The Vampire Star

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