Vampire Legends: The True Story of Kisilova

About

In "Vampire Legends: The True Story of Kisilova," players investigate a series of disturbing deaths in 18th century Serbia, said to be the first documented case of vampirism. As imperial emissaries, players must explore the town, question witnesses, and solve puzzles to uncover the truth. With 62 hand-painted areas and elements of horror, this adventure game brings a chilling true story to life.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Vampire Legends: The True Story of Kisilova screenshot

84%

Audience ScoreBased on 303 reviews

story93 positive mentions

grinding8 negative mentions

The game features an intriguing historical background based on real events, enhancing the immersion.
The artwork and graphics are visually appealing, contributing to the overall atmosphere of the game.
The inclusion of a bonus chapter with multiple endings adds depth and replayability to the experience.

The puzzles can be overly simplistic, lacking challenge for experienced players.
The voice acting is subpar, detracting from the overall quality of the narrative.
The game is relatively short, with a playtime of around 3-4 hours, which may not justify the full price.

story
284 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
62%
6%
The story of "Vampire Legends: The True Story of Kisilova" is a mix of intrigue and predictability, centered around vampire lore and based on real historical events. While some players found the narrative engaging and atmospheric, others criticized it for being clichéd, linear, and lacking depth in character development. The bonus chapter is often highlighted as a stronger addition, providing more content and a twist to the main storyline, though the overall execution leaves room for improvement.
- “The story is based on real-life events and has been adapted to a very clichéd whodunit murder mystery, but I still found myself quite engrossed by it.”
- “The story keeps you going and is well based in the 18th-century vampire hysteria period.”
- “The story was interesting indeed and the game was easier than I expected (played it on expert).”
- “The story itself was very slow.”
- “The story is cheesy and predictable.”
- “The story is acceptable but offers nothing new compared to other vampire stories.”
graphics
104 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
47%
41%
12%
The graphics in the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising the beautiful artwork and atmospheric backgrounds, while others criticize the dated quality and poor resolution that can hinder gameplay, particularly in hidden object scenes. Many players appreciate the unique art style and detailed character animations, but note that the visuals can sometimes blend items into the background, making them difficult to find. Overall, while the graphics are generally considered nice, they may not meet the expectations of players who prefer modern, high-quality visuals.
- “The graphics are surprisingly good with very nicely-drawn backgrounds which are pleasing to look at and detailed character art which is actually animated during some cutscenes.”
- “Beautiful graphics, a nice story with good voice acting (rare for these games), a great amount of hidden object scenes that work well, the item solutions all make sense, the puzzles are good, and the side story is just perfect.”
- “The art style and scenery in this game is very vibrant and beautiful.”
- “The graphics are poor quality and this makes the hidden object sections especially challenging, and not in a good way.”
- “Because of dated graphics, it's hard to find some items in hidden object scenes.”
- “The graphics are dull and boring.”
music
40 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
43%
8%
The music in the game is widely praised for its atmospheric and relaxing qualities, enhancing the overall experience with a lovely and fitting soundtrack. While some users noted that the music can be repetitive, it effectively blends with the gameplay and graphics, contributing to the game's ambiance. Additionally, the inclusion of a music player and bonus content, such as concept art and interviews, adds value to the overall package.
- “The music and atmosphere make this game.”
- “The soundtrack is amazing and I did enjoy listening to it all the way through the game.”
- “The music is lovely, the tones are dulcet and atmospheric.”
- “The music is purely atmospheric in nature and you probably won't even notice it while playing the game.”
- “Music and sound effects are repetitive.”
- “A huge downside is the fact that the soundtrack cannot be downloaded.”
gameplay
31 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
65%
10%
The gameplay is characterized as standard for the hidden object genre, featuring a mix of object gathering, straightforward puzzles, and hidden object scenes that provide a casual and enjoyable experience. While some players appreciate the simplicity and fun of the puzzles, others note the dated graphics and lack of innovation, suggesting that the game may appeal more to fans of classic titles rather than those seeking modern gameplay experiences. Overall, it offers a solid but unremarkable gameplay experience, with a playtime of around 3-5 hours.
- “The gameplay is standard for the genre: you gather objects which you have to combine with other objects, or use in certain spots, in order to acquire key items and advance the story.”
- “The gameplay also has some added diversity due to the inclusion of hidden object scenes, which I found surprisingly fun and challenging, and various mini-games.”
- “The gameplay itself is very fun; you have puzzles that are challenging and puzzles that are less challenging but still fun to do.”
- “However, if older hidden object puzzle adventure (HOPA) games are not your cup of tea and you prefer more modern games with higher quality graphics and more intricate gameplay, then maybe you should pass.”
- “The gameplay is solid but not innovative, and its primary flaw is the mediocre writing.”
- “There's just nothing special here, and even the core gameplay is presented without flair or creativity.”
atmosphere
25 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
32%
12%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive and eerie qualities, enhanced by beautiful artwork and atmospheric music that complements the vampire theme. While many players appreciate the dark and mysterious setting, some express a desire for a more intense or frightening atmosphere, particularly given the vampire narrative. Overall, the game's atmosphere is a significant highlight, contributing to the intrigue and engagement of the story.
- “The theme of vampirism is not a cliché because the atmosphere is good and the development of the plot satisfies a detective story.”
- “Artwork is gorgeous, atmosphere is suitably creepy in the bonus episode especially, story keeps you going and is well based in the 18th century vampire hysteria period.”
- “The music and atmosphere make this game.”
- “Not even the ability to try to guess the guilty person can lend further tension to the plot, and this is only redeemed by the overall atmosphere.”
- “The beautiful art, with subtle animations everywhere and voice acting (though it was pretty bad voice acting), paints a dark but picturesque atmosphere.”
- “As someone else said below, I wish there was a more scary atmosphere since the story is about vampires.”
replayability
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
33%
33%
Overall, the game has low replayability due to its short length and lack of randomized puzzles and hidden-object scenes, making it less engaging for multiple playthroughs. While some players feel it could be revisited after a long break, the consensus is that it offers minimal incentive to replay shortly after completion.
- “I feel like it does have a degree of replayability.”
- “The game is somewhat short, and offers little replay value, maybe revisiting it once quite some time later.”
- “Unfortunately, puzzles and hidden-object scenes solutions are not randomized, so replay value is hurt by this.”
- “The game is somewhat short and offers little replay value, maybe revisiting it once quite some time later.”
- “Unfortunately, puzzles and hidden-object scene solutions are not randomized, so replay value is hurt by this.”
- “Replayability is low, unless you put it away for a few years so you forget it.”
grinding
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players frequently find the grinding aspect of these games to be tedious and frustrating, often due to an overwhelming number of objects to collect and poorly designed puzzles that lack context. The combination of subpar graphics and repetitive tasks contributes to a sense of irritation, leading many to feel that the gameplay is more of a chore than an enjoyable experience. Overall, the grinding mechanics are criticized for detracting from the overall enjoyment of the game.
- “I've played a few games in this genre so far and haven't enjoyed most of them because you collect far too many objects too quickly, which makes figuring out what to use where feel like a tedious chore, and because they expect you to combine seemingly esoteric objects together but provide few to no hints linking them together.”
- “I love Artifex Mundi games, but the logic in this game is so teeth-grindingly irritating that I can't play it for more than a half hour without wanting to rage quit.”
- “There's also a tendency to throw in tedious puzzles which make no sense in context and are really just there to pad the game.”
humor
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is derived from its intentionally poor graphics and voice acting, which many players found amusing. The protagonist's antics and the game's hilarious endings also contribute to its comedic appeal, making it a source of unexpected laughter despite its basic design.
- “It is quite a basic game, but it made me laugh :D”
- “What's funny is the way our hero goes about things.”
- “The graphics and voice acting are so bad I actually found it funny.”
emotional
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by a player's personal connection to the vampire-themed narrative, which enhances their enjoyment despite some gameplay flaws. However, others found the story lacking, leading to a mixed emotional response overall.
- “I especially enjoyed the extra chapter you unlock after the first game's playthrough. Overall, I'd personally give it a 6.5-7 out of 10 due to the emotional attachment I have as a fan of vampire stories.”
- “Boring story”
- “Boring story.”
- “- boring story,”
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The optimization of the game has been criticized for its lack of engaging vocal performances, relying instead on audio filters during key moments, which fails to enhance the overall experience. Additionally, the game's short playtime of 3 to 4 hours has led users to deem it overpriced, suggesting a more appropriate price point of $2 to $3.
- “The inclusion of the accents partly redeems the poor performances, but it's not enough to raise the overall quality of the voice acting.”
- “That is a poor performance for $8, and something I wouldn't do at any price. The game has very low playtime (around 3 to 4 hours, if you don't fall asleep on the game) and should be better priced at around $2 to $3, not more.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
Overall, the game is praised for its stability, with users noting a lack of bugs or glitches and a well-paced design that avoids unnecessary complexity in puzzles.
- “The game is plagued by numerous glitches and bugs that disrupt the experience.”
- “There are frequent crashes that make it difficult to enjoy the game.”
- “I encountered several stability issues that hindered my progress.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviewers note that the monetization strategy of o2d appears to prioritize advertising over game content, which was unexpected given their enjoyment of the hidden object game (HOG).
- “Based on their website, it looks like O2D specializes more in advertising than games, which surprised me because I did really like this HOG.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The reviews indicate a significant lack of character development, with users noting that both the lead and supporting characters are poorly characterized and that the overall story is minimal.
- “Basically no story, poor characterization; there is no character development for either the lead or supporting characters.”
- “The characters feel flat and uninteresting, lacking any meaningful growth throughout the game.”
- “I was disappointed by the lack of depth in the character arcs; they remain static and unengaging.”