Australian studio Fine Feathered Fiends has officially released a new game demo for Draculesti, its Victorian-era romantic visual novel inspired by the tale of Dracula. In the game, you are Roger M. Renfield, a lawyer who is trapped within Castle Dracula, at the mercy of Dracula and his Brides.
The game’s demo charts the first stages of this journey, as Renfield comes to grips with his new reality, and begins to unravel the secrets of Castle Dracula – and the secrets of his own heart. As you wander, you’ll meet Dracula and his Brides, and discover there’s much more to these “villains” than first appears.
During SXSW Sydney 2023, GamesHub was able to get hands-on with Draculesti, and found it to be a layered visual novel elevated by the intricacy of its stylised artwork, and its lush prose. Like most visual novels, it’s the writing that largely defines the tale – and in the game’s demo, you can see glimpses of how strong it really is.
In our initial preview of Draculesti, we wrote:
“In Drăculești, a slow-burn flirtation may melt to reveal frightening and surreal imagery, as Renfield’s anxious state of mind begins bleeding into the game’s overarching romantic plots. There are moments of sweetness and romance in the text – but equally, Drăculești leans heavily into its horror roots (developer Mads Mackenzie cited 2004’s Van Helsing as a core inspiration) with the appearance of apparitions, and the constant threat of death looming.
The game leans into this strange, gothic imagery to weave its story, frequently entering the dream realm to heighten the terror facing Renfield, and depict the consequences of his forbidden love. There’s a wonderful balance between these elements, with the artwork and writing equally flowery and descriptive, elevating the horror and romance at the heart of this tale.”
Those keen to begin their gothic romance with Dracula (or another of the game’s tortured souls) can now dive into Draculesti via itch.io.
For now, the game doesn’t have a firm release date, but we can expect to hear more from developer Fine Feathered Fiends over the coming months.
