Milky Way Prince: The Vampire Star

76%
Game Brain Score Based on 237 reviews
  • story
  • graphics
  • emotional
Milky Way Prince: The Vampire Star Game Cover
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.
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"Milky Way Prince: The Vampire Star" is a visual novel game that explores themes of abuse, toxic relationships, and mental health. The game follows the story of a young artist who becomes involved with a mysterious figure known as the "Vampire Star." As the relationship deepens, the protagonist must confront the dark truth about their lover and make difficult choices. The game features striking visuals and a hauntingly beautiful soundtrack.

  • Mac OS
  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Steam Deck
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

76%
Audience ScoreBased on 237 reviews
story31 positive mentions
grinding5 negative mentions
  • The game features stunning visuals and a unique art style that effectively conveys its emotional themes.
  • The story provides a deep and introspective look at toxic relationships and mental health, resonating with players who have experienced similar situations.
  • The music and sound design enhance the atmosphere, creating a hauntingly beautiful experience that stays with players long after finishing.
  • The lack of a manual save option and the inability to skip previously seen dialogue can make replaying for different endings tedious and frustrating.
  • The portrayal of borderline personality disorder may be seen as stigmatizing, potentially reinforcing negative stereotypes about individuals with the condition.
  • The narrative can be confusing and abstract, making it difficult for some players to fully grasp the story and character motivations.
  • story146 mentions

    The story of "Milky Way Prince - The Vampire Star" is a complex and often dark exploration of a toxic relationship, particularly focusing on themes of mental illness and emotional abuse. While some players found the narrative engaging and relatable, especially those with personal experiences of similar relationships, others criticized it for being convoluted, poorly executed, or lacking depth. The game employs heavy symbolism and requires patience to fully appreciate, with multiple endings that can feel repetitive and slow to navigate.

    • “I experienced a mix of emotions and truly enjoyed the story, especially the different directions it could go.”
    • “The story accurately depicts the slow downfall of the partner who largely supports the relationship to make it work.”
    • “It's a tragic story with small moments of romance, horror, and fantasy, and the mix will keep you on your toes.”
    • “The 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 impact your decisions have on the story is negligible; it seems that there is really only one event that determines if you are placed on a 'good' path or 'bad' path, and both paths largely feel the same from a storytelling as well as game experience perspective.”
  • graphics47 mentions

    The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising the unique and immersive art style that enhances the storytelling, while others criticize the visuals as mediocre or even ugly. Many appreciate the creative use of color and the emotional impact of the visuals, though some feel that the artwork could be more polished. Overall, the graphics contribute significantly to the game's atmosphere, despite varying opinions on their quality.

    • “Great visuals and atmosphere.”
    • “It's beautifully made, with stunning visuals and amazing, immersive music.”
    • “The art style is perfect, as well as the soundtrack.”
    • “A visual novel, which in my opinion has somewhat mediocre artwork, although it covers a sensitive topic that unfortunately still happens even today.”
    • “I don’t know if it was because of the art style, but I quickly lost interest in pursuing the other endings the game offers, as well as the achievements.”
    • “Bad graphics, very slow game.”
  • emotional39 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is profoundly impactful, resonating deeply with players who have experienced similar struggles with emotional abuse and mental illness. Many reviews highlight the game's ability to evoke strong feelings, ranging from empathy and sadness to discomfort, as it portrays the complexities of toxic relationships and personal turmoil. While the narrative is praised for its raw intensity and beautiful visuals, players are cautioned to approach it with emotional readiness due to its potentially triggering content.

    • “This game hit me right in the feelings in both the best and the worst way; 10/10 would cry again.”
    • “I'm giving it a thumbs up since this game actually made me feel things even with its problems, and for me that is one of the most important things.”
    • “It's not an easy game (emotionally), but it's excellently done.”
  • music27 mentions

    The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers praising its beauty and ability to enhance the overall atmosphere. The soundtrack is described as immersive and fitting, complementing the stunning visuals and emotional storytelling. While some critiques mention a desire for more consistent musical presence, the overall sentiment is that the music significantly elevates the gaming experience.

    • “The music was one of my favorite parts, extremely fitting and gave the game a very unique atmosphere together with the artistic style.”
    • “It's beautifully made, with stunning visuals and amazing, immersive music.”
    • “None of the characters are written well and the art style is weak on top of having terrible music.”
    • “The music, graphics/art style, and storytelling are absolutely beautiful.”
    • “The soundtrack is subtle and adds a lot to the mood, but the game knows when to utilize silence as well.”
  • gameplay19 mentions

    The gameplay has received significant criticism for its limited save options, frustrating mechanics, and overall lack of polish, which detracts from the narrative experience. Players find the mechanics to be cumbersome and not well-integrated, leading to a feeling of annoyance rather than engagement. While some elements, like the senses mechanic, show potential, they often feel unnecessary and do not enhance the gameplay, making the overall experience feel tedious and unrefined.

    • “The 'true ending' is the most thought-provoking and impactful out of all the endings, and I would recommend unlocking it even if it means playing through the game multiple times (which is painful due to the game's save mechanic and structure).”
    • “The senses mechanic is super interesting, but unless I'm missing something, it doesn't feel required.”
    • “The mechanics aren't all too complex or groundbreaking, 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 to 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.”
  • atmosphere11 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its emotional depth and unique artistic style, effectively enhancing the storytelling experience. The combination of sound design, music, and visual elements creates a compelling and often unsettling ambiance that evolves from innocent to toxic. However, some players find the repetitive nature of the narrative detracts from the initial atmospheric impact during subsequent playthroughs.

    • “The art direction and the sound design coupled with metaphors and psychological appeal made this game have a creepier atmosphere than many horror games at times; that's something difficult to pull off and I really loved it.”
    • “The music was one of my favorite parts, extremely fitting and gave the game a very unique atmosphere together with the artistic style.”
    • “The portrayal of both characters was very compelling and the whole atmosphere is very engrossing.”
    • “Like many games of this sort, 'Milky Way Prince...' has multiple endings, and as often happens, getting to those requires going through almost identical storylines over and over. Those moments of heavy silence and pauses between lines that build atmosphere in the first playthrough become insufferable when you repeat the game and can't skip them.”
    • “The 3D elements combined with the 2D black and white sprites are interesting, and the use of color adds to the strange atmosphere of the story itself.”
    • “Anyway, the atmosphere stays gloomy throughout the whole game, and it's immediately noticeable to the player that both characters seem to be not very sane.”
  • grinding7 mentions

    Players find the grinding in the game to be excessive and tedious, often requiring significant time investment to achieve all endings without a skip option. The automatic save feature further complicates the process, making it difficult for players to explore different outcomes without repeating lengthy segments. Overall, the grinding is seen as a frustrating aspect that detracts from the experience.

    • “There's a lot of grinding involved, but it feels rewarding.”
    • “You'll need a second life for all the grinding, but it's worth it for the progress.”
    • “The grinding can be intense, but it adds depth to the gameplay experience.”
    • “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's really tedious work and better to stick to a playthrough than to try to get it on your own.”
    • “I can get behind themes of abusive relationships and needy and conceited characters, but what I do not get is for a game to make its unwarranted 'quirkiness' and 'symbolism' as an excuse to make it so damn tedious and slow!”
  • replayability5 mentions

    The game has been criticized for its low replayability, with users noting that it feels more like a free visual novel than a game worth replaying. While there are multiple endings to explore, the overall experience is described as lacking depth, making it uncomfortable to revisit.

    • “This game is infinitely replayable, especially in multiplayer mode.”
    • “The replay value is impressive, offering numerous endings to explore.”
    • “The variety of choices and outcomes makes each playthrough feel fresh and engaging.”
    • “That this game costs $15 is laughable, as it has the storytelling qualities of a free visual novel, the gameplay mechanics of an RPG Maker game, and the replay value of Candyland.”
    • “Replayability to get all endings is a bit uncomfortable.”
    • “It has a lack of replay value.”
  • character development3 mentions

    Reviews indicate that character development in "Milky Way Prince – The Vampire Star" is lacking, with many players feeling that the characters' motives are not fully explored. This shortcoming is particularly disappointing for fans of visual novels, who typically prioritize strong character arcs and well-executed storytelling. Overall, the game fails to meet expectations in this crucial aspect.

    • “As a visual novel lover myself, I'm positive that most people who are into that genre are expecting a lot of character development or a well-executed story, which 'Milky Way Prince – The Vampire Star' unfortunately doesn't fulfill.”
    • “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.”
  • humor2 mentions

    Players appreciate the game's subtle and entertaining humor, noting that it adds a charming touch to the overall experience.

    • “This game has some tiny entertaining humor pieces I'm fond of.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

61% average critic score

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Play time

2hMedian play time
2hAverage play time
2-2hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs

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