Out For Blood
There’s no argument to be had; fanged undead, satanic blood rites, unholy castles, and ancient evil makes for some gripping storytelling. In 1897, Bram Stoker perfected the formula with his original gothic tale of vampirism and seduction – after all, Dracula is considered the quintessential work on the subject. Though the story has been told in numerous ways over the years, the core elements and players remain largely untouched.
Such is the case with Dracula: Origin. Certain liberties taken with the plot give the vampire-slaying adventure a fresh angle, while it doesn’t veer too far from the basic framework. Those whose taste for blood rivals their desire for a good point-and-click adventure will find Frogwares’ latest endeavor a dark delight indeed. Loosely following some key elements from the classic, the game branches off to focus on Van Helsing’s diligent efforts to slay the Prince of Darkness before he can fully claim the innocent Mina as his latest victim and imbue her with the soul of his long-lost, scorned love. The good professor is alerted to Mina’s imminent danger by an ominous letter indicating her betrothed Jonathan Harker has succumbed to the perils of Dracula’s abode. Van Helsing immediately sets off on a journey to discover how to destroy the sinister creature. As it’s billed, the ensuing adventure explores the nature of Dracula’s origins in a relatively short but satisfying jaunt through London, Cairo, Vienna, and Transylvania. Most adventure games are nothing without a good story, and this tale is intriguing enough to carry player through to the end. A smattering of tasteful (yet substantial) gore and the highly detailed gothic backdrop doesn’t hurt either.
Dracula: Origin doesn’t do anything to reinvent the point-and-click adventure genre; it doesn’t need to. The old-school formula is left fully intact: you’ll search numerous environments to obtain important clues, pick up anything that’s not bolted down, find ways to combine and use obtained items to your advantage, and solve reams of increasingly challenging puzzles. The game’s lack of innovation in these areas is actually more of a positive note than a complaint.
The basic tenets are so solidly implemented there’s little to take issue about in terms of the mechanics. Van Helsing’s movement can be a tad slow at times, but everything else runs smoothly. Inventory and relevant documents can quickly be accessed with a simple right-click of the mouse, and item combinations are fairly intuitive. More importantly, a quick tap of the spacebar will reveal all hotpots within view, saving time from agonizing over a missed crucial interactive element. Players are also graced with reasonably short load times, and the loading screens themselves feature excellent scenic artwork that’s quite pleasant to view. The game clearly possesses a certain flourish and style that sets it apart from its adventure brethren.
From the eerie graveyard outside Godalming Manor to the sandy crypts in Cairo, every single location is teeming with intricate detail. Dracula: Origin is easily one of the better looking adventure titles of late. The scenery and environments you’ll explore are extremely realistic, and they play right into unearthly energy of the story. Some of the game’s horror-infused imagery may be a bit unsavory to some – pentagrams drawn in blood amidst piles of human remains and nasty dripping meat carcasses hanging from hooks are among plenty of other gruesome scenes – but it lends an edginess to the adventure that’ll keeps things from getting dull. All of the characters, both classic and new, are believable and their movements are pleasantly realistic. The voice acting for Van Helsing and a few other main roles is good, though some of the lesser parts are a bit wacky. The character models themselves are fluid and impressive, even with the graphic detail dialed to nominal settings.
All of the puzzles have been integrated into the storyline and appropriately matched with the creepy settings with great care. Of course, you’d expect this would be a necessary feature of any decent adventure game. Surprisingly, this is not always the case, but Dracula: Origin accomplishes it to a greater degree than most. The challenges you’ll face vary widely, and more than a few are particularly clever. Additionally, there’s the requisite combining of items to use on the appropriate hotspot, a few tricky key hunts, and plenty of written clues to decipher and piece together.
The numerous interactive puzzles scattered liberally throughout the journey are the most intriguing, and occasionally brutal, of all. Some require you to search elsewhere in the current area for clues to form the solution. In such cases, it’s usually not overly difficult to locate the elements necessary to put things together, and the detective work is actually reasonably entertaining. The trouble sets in when you reach complex puzzles that do not appear to have any sort of rhyme or reason. A handful of these conundrums are painfully unintuitive, though they’re eventually solvable with time and a touch of patience. It’s highly likely most players will hit a wall with at least one or two of the puzzles in the game. Fortunately, the game instills a desire to progress in the enthralling story that should be strong enough to push players past these frustrations. Don’t feel bad if you have to resort to a walkthrough; a few challenges are insidious.
Van Helsing’s dark journey runs a comfortable length – not quite as long as the average adventure game, but long enough to leave player’s feeling satisfied by the end. Dracula: Origin favors quality over quantity, yet there are plenty of challenges to sink your teeth into. The slightly shorter length could potentially be due to the reduced need for backtracking. Player’s shouldn’t find themselves too far out of sorts, since the game won’t let you progress to the next major portion of the adventure until you’ve wrapped up all there is to do in a given location. By the same token, getting stuck at a particular puzzle can stop you dead in your tracks. Fortunately, this shouldn’t be much of a problem for seasoned gamers until later in the game.
All around, Dracula: Origin is a strong adventure title that gives an excellent, updated treatment to the vampire hunting classic. It looks amazing, plays well, and the quality storytelling is bound to suck you in immediately.
RATING OUT OF 5 RATING DESCRIPTION 4.8 Graphics
Superbly detailed environments, strong character designs, and an excellent visual cohesiveness. 3.8 Control
Basic point-and-click controls with a few minor improvements. Controls for some puzzles are unintuitive. 3.5 Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
Background music is solid. Voice over work is hit or miss. 3.7 Play Value
An excellent, mid-length gothic adventure. A few extremely tough puzzles may set you back. 4.0 Overall Rating – Great
Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.
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