Dracula 5: The Blood Legacy

Dracula 5: The Blood Legacy
Developer(s)	Koalabs Studio
Publisher(s)	Anuman
Producer(s)	Franck Berrios
Designer(s)	Marianne Tostivint
Programmer(s)	Xavier Bigand Bruno Deligny
Artist(s)	Olivier Train
Writer(s)	Marianne Tostivint
Composer(s)	Pierre Estève
Platform(s)	Windows,iOS,Android,OS X
Release	Windows WW:November 2, 2013 iOS WW:April 24, 2014 Android WW:April 29, 2014 OS X WW:May 30, 2014
Genre(s)	Point-and-click adventure
Mode(s)	Single-player

Dracula 5: The Blood Legacyis a 2013point-and-click adventurevideo gamedeveloped byKoalabs StudioforMicrosoft Windows,iOS,AndroidandOS X.It was published on all systems byAnumanunder theirMicroïdsbrand. In 2014, the game was released onGOG.comandSteam,bundled with its prequel,Dracula 4: The Shadow of the Dragon.

The game follows 2000'sDracula: ResurrectionandDracula: The Last Sanctuary,2008'sDracula 3: The Path of the Dragonand 2013'sDracula 4: The Shadow of the Dragon.The plot is unrelated toResurrectionandLast Sanctuary,but is instead the second of a two-part loose sequel toPath of the Dragon,continuing the story ofMetropolitan Museum of Artart restorerEllen Cross and her investigation into a mysteriousportraitofDracula.Ellen's journey leads her fromNew YorktoIstanbulto theChernobyl Exclusion Zone,bringing her into contact with an ancientsecret societyfounded byVlad Tepes' brotherRadu,and placing her in the middle of a 500-year-old conflict between the society and Dracula's followers.

The Blood Legacyreceived very little attention in the mainstream gaming press, with limited coverage from professional critics, and what reviews it did receive were negative. As withShadow of the Dragon,the biggest criticism of the game was its length, but critics were also unimpressed with the plot, thegraphics,and the identicalgameplayto the previous game.

Gameplay

Agameplayimage fromThe Blood Legacy.Note the quick-access item holder in the bottom right corner (it is currently empty).

GameplayinThe Blood Legacyis identical toShadow of the Dragon.The game is afirst-personpoint-and-click adventure game,with a minimalistHUD;a quick-access item holder, which allows the player to use an item without entering their inventory.The main inventory is accessible by clicking on the hand icon beside the quick-access holder. As well as the inventory, the player has access to a list of objectives, records of all conversations, records of all documents seen and collected, a summary of relevant information acquired, and options for the player to quit their game, or load a previously saved game. The game employs anautosavefeature, which is activated at certain predetermined spots, or whenever the player quits to the main menu.

The game uses a basic point-and-click interface to move the player around and manipulate the game world, with player's perspective controlled by themouse,although the game is also fullytouchscreenoperable on compatibleoperating systems.Within each screen, the player is free to look around 360 degrees. As the player moves thecursoraround the screen it can change into different styles depending on the situation; neutral cursor (no interaction is possible), an arrow (the player can move in the direction indicated), a mouth (the player can speak to the character over whom the option appears), an eye (an area or object can be examined in more detail), a hand (the player can take the object), a cog (the player must use an inventory item to initiate interaction with the object), a left-right horizontal arrow (the object can be moved left and right), and an up-down vertical arrow (the object can be moved up and down).

A gameplay mechanic not seen in the previousDraculagames (untilShadow of the Dragon) is ahealth system.Theplayer character(Ellen Cross) suffers from a rare blood disorder which must be managed with medication. During the game, Cross' health continually decreases, and if it goes below a certain level, she becomes unable to move or perform tasks. The player has access to various types of medication throughout the game and can experiment with combinations to continually top off her health.

The game can be played in either "Adventure Mode" or "Casual Mode". In Casual Mode, interactive zones are automatically shown on-screen. Also in Casual Mode, after a set period of time elapses, players are given the option to skippuzzles.The game also features a points system and a series of in-gametrophies,both of which are inactive if the player is playing in casual mode.

Plot

See also:Dracula 4: The Shadow of the Dragon § Plot

The game begins with the final scene fromShadow of the Dragon;Ellen Cross, anart restorerfrom theMetropolitan Museum of Art,opening the uncatalogued sixteenth painting from the Vambery collection, which she believes to be aportraitofDracula.Ellen is shocked, however, to instead see a portrait of Vambery's assistant, Adam Stoker,Bram Stoker's great-grandson, which suddenly comes to life, as Adam grows fangs and lunges at Ellen. However, this is revealed to have been anightmare.In reality, Ellen has returned toNew Yorkwith the painting unopened. Back at the Met, Phillips tells her the Turkish police found no body at Yanek's, who probably cleaned out his apartment after discovering Ellen had broken in. As such, they still have no idea who Yanek is working for, and why he was in possession of several of the lost Vambery paintings. Meanwhile, Ellen opens the painting to find it has beentarredover with a black cross. Her colleague Gerry Berowski tells her people used to paint crosses in black tar on their doors to ward offvampires.As Vambery seemed to have been afraid of the painting, Gerry speculates Vambery himself may have painted the cross.

Ellen removes the tar, revealing the portrait of Dracula. She puts the painting in storage, and then reads an unpublishedbiographyofVlad Tepes,which portrays him in a more positive light than usual. The book says Vlad's brother,Radu,was responsible for the suicide of Vlad's wife, telling her Vlad had been killed in battle and giving her a knife with which to kill herself. Vlad never recovered from her death, and turned toevilsoon thereafter. The book explains Radu hated Vlad because when they were held prisoner bySultan Murad II,Vlad had been released fourteen years prior to Radu. The book also reproduces a letter written by Radu in which he says "since you've refused to give me the gift you have thanks to me, my death is only the beginning of your torture. My blood will remain restless for as long as my vengeance goes unsatisfied, and throughout your lifetime, danger hangs over you."

Adam arrives to see Ellen, and back in her apartment, they sleep together. The next day, she finds a note from Adam promising to see her soon. She heads to the museum, but the painting has been stolen. Checking the surveillance footage, she sees Adam taking it. Meanwhile, alibrarianfriend of Gerry's leaves him a message telling him whilst she was researching Radu, she found a poem he had written called "The Shadow of the Dragon." Ellen reads the poem, which seems to offer instructions on how to find the headquarters of asecret societyformed by Radu with the express purpose of gaining revenge against Vlad. Ellen realizes the poem is a guide to the headquarters of the society, and leads to theBasilica CisterninIstanbul.She then gets a phonecall from a woman telling her Gerry is dead, and advising her to be careful, as powerful agents are working against her investigation. The woman also says her master knows the painting is missing, and would be very grateful if Ellen could bring it to him.

She heads to Turkey, and finds the headquarters. In display cases, she finds several items, including the diary of Fr. Arno Moriani (the protagonist ofPath of the Dragon) and notes on a series ofeugenicsexperiments called "Operation D" (referred to in the final scene ofPath of the Dragon). The dagger used by Vlad's wife to kill herself, allegedly one of the few items capable of harming Dracula, is also supposed to be there, but is missing. Ellen learns the present day leader of the society is Adam, who is a direct descendant of Radu. She concludes Adam plans to kill Dracula using the dagger, and stole the painting as a way to draw Dracula out. With no other leads to follow, she returns to see Yanek.

He reveals he is a vampire, serving Dracula, who has forbidden his followers to harm Ellen. Yanek explains he is really Kaneyek, the painter of the portrait, which is more than just a painting. In fact, it allows Dracula to see through it, which was why Vambrey was so afraid of it, and why he covered it with tar. He tells her Dracula became a vampire by drinking his dead wife's blood, but because all vampires originate from Dracula, no vampire can harm him. Only a vampire born independently of Dracula can destroy him, and the only way for the creation of such a vampire is if someone else were to drink his wife's blood, which he wears in a vial around his neck. He also tells her she is pregnant with Adam's child. Yanek and Ellen conclude this must be Adam's goal, and with Yanek's instructions, Ellen heads to theChernobyl Exclusion Zoneto meet Dracula.

In an underground castle, he tells her Adam is imprisoned nearby, and asks her to retrieve his portrait. She goes to Adam, and tells him about the baby. He promises that if she saves him, he will give her the portrait, and they can escape together. She opens his cell, but faints. Adam carries her body to Dracula, and tries to stab him with the knife. However, Dracula avoids the attack, and knocks Adam out. Impressed with Ellen, he offers her his wife's blood to drink. The player is given the choice as to whether to accept it or not. If the player does so, Ellen becomes a vampire. If the player does not, Dracula kills her. However, unseen by Dracula, Adam is able to drink some of his wife's blood.

Development

The Blood Legacywas first announced on August 23, 2013, atGamescom,whenAnuman Interactiverevealed the game was under development byKoalabs Studioand would be published under Anuman'sMicroïdsbrand.

In relation to the game's story, the character of Professor Vambery was partly inspired byÁrmin Vámbéry,aTurkologist,who stayed withBram Stokerin London prior to the composition ofDracula,and is said to have influenced many elements of the novel, including the depiction ofDraculahimself.The concept of Dracula's wife killing herself after being tricked into thinking he had died was taken primarily fromFrancis Ford Coppola's 1992 filmBram Stoker's Dracula.The captivity ofVlad Tepesand his brotherRadubySultan Murad II,with Radu remaining with the Sultan longer than Vlad, and their imprisonment driving a wedge between the brothers, is very loosely based on historical fact.In reality, in 1442,Vlad II Dracultook his two eldest sons, Vlad and his half-brotherMircea,to meet Murad, who had supported Dracul in securing the throne ofWallachia.However, Murad took them prisoner. Both brothers were released in 1448, by which time their younger brother, Radu had earned the nickname "Radu cel Frumos" ( "Radu the Handsome" ) and become friends with Murad's son,Mehmet,earning Vlad's enmity, due to his hatred of the Turks. Radu eventually converted toIslamand enteredOttomanservice, alienating Vlad even more.

Reception

Reception

Aggregate score

Aggregator	Score
GameRankings	45%

Review scores

Publication	Score
Adventure Gamers
Adventure Classic Gaming
GameBoomers	C

The Blood Legacyreceived little attention in the gaming press, garnering very limited coverage from professional critics. What reviews it did receive were negative, with the PC version holding an aggregate score of 45% onGameRankings.

Adventure Gamers' Rob Franklin scored the game 1.5 out of 5, calling it "simply the second half of a game that should have shipped as a completeDracula 4."Of thegameplay,he wrote "Puzzlesare painfully obvious from the outset, with little to no challenge as you proceed. "He concluded" For anyone who enjoyedDracula 4,the final half of this two-part adventure is more of the same.The Blood Legacywon't give you any sense of closure in its own right, but it will at least resolve the unsatisfactorycliffhangerfrom the previous instalment. For everyone else, this is merely a second incompleteDraculagame that can only be taken seriously when paired with its predecessor. "

Adventure Classic Gaming's Mervyn Graham scored the game 3 out of 5, writing "Dracula 5: The Blood Legacyplays neither as a standalone game nor as a true sequel to the series. Instead, it plays more like the second part of a full game that begins with the previous game. "He was critical of several aspects, including the linearity of the gameplay, and thegraphics,calling the character animations "abysmal," and criticising the lack oflip syncing.He concluded "despite being better thanDracula 4: The Shadow of the Dragon,Dracula 5: The Blood Legacystill leaves much to be desired. "

GameBoomers' Jenny100 gave the game a C, making a similar point about the length of the game; "It's essentially Part 2 ofDracula 4,takes about the same time to play, and has the same shortcomings. BothDracula 4andDracula 5together are still shorter than the games we used to get fromKheopsand older companies that used to make first person games. "

External links

• Official website