A semi-autobiographical visual novel that explores themes such as mental health, sex, idealization and violence within the couple.
Love is one of the universal themes that allows easy connection in the user. It’s easy to relate to a fictional romance, and video games have explored romantic relationships in multiple ways. From creating a romantic interest that motivates an epic feat, as in Shadow of the Colossus; or a love triangle in which the player chooses their favorite partner, as in The Witcher 3, even dating simulators that allow us to live a passion story. However, few titles dare to expose a dark side of love that has little to do with the ideal that we usually see in the media. Lorenzo Redaelli and Eyeguys present the visual novel Milky Way Prince – The Vampire Star, a semi-autobiographical story that crudely explores themes such as spousal abuse, idealization and intimacy. Published by Santa Regione, we can enjoy it on Windows PC, PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch.
Santa Regione has acclaimed works such as Wheels of Aurelia or Saturnalia in its catalog, and this time it opts for a disturbing visual novel, which deals with a destructive story that flees from Manichaeism and superficial morality. Here we experience a doomed romance with two imperfect, deranged and fragile protagonists, and how reality destroys the concepts about love that fairy tales sell us.
The prince who came from the stars
Nuki is a lonely boy, without self-esteem and passionate about astronomy. Obsessed with a fairy tale about a fallen prince of the Milky Way, he meets Sune, on whom he projects all his ideals on love. Sune, for her part, also lives her own personal hell and immediately warns her new love that he is a dangerous guy who should not be involved with. However, attraction ends up overcoming reason. And this is how two broken souls plunge into a turbulent spiral of passion, dependence and violence.
Throughout about 4 hours of play, we will guide the romance through decisions and dialogue choices that will not always give the result we expect, and Milky Way Prince himself is in charge of dismantling habits acquired from a regular dating simulator. Thus, the expectations we place on stocks will not always give the result we want. Even the changes between the chosen option and how it plays out in the game are an effective metaphor for the difference between intention and action. In this way, a hyperrealistic idea about the couple’s relationship is transmitted to us, since feelings and circumstances are not always subject to our control.
On an aesthetic level, the scenarios start from a minimalism where the colors indicate the state of health between the relationship between the protagonists, but we will never see happy colors. Black and white are predominant in each interface, with pink as the distinctive tone during the idealization phase. The drawing seems to be a crude inspiration in Devilman Crybaby, but at the same time it creates an atmosphere of dark fantasy that serves to introduce us to a disturbed fairy tale, where we are reminded that there are no blue princes or knights to the rescue; simply imperfect humans and victims of their battered mental health. The melancholic soundtrack, with a predominance of piano and electro-chill, leads us towards each sensation experienced within the story of Sune and Nuki: idyll, fear, anguish.
Reality versus romanticism
Likewise, we will live scenes in which the dreamlike and the nightmarish are mixed to remind us of the bipolarity of Sune and Nuki’s story with its omnipresent sadness. Moths in the world of Sune, in constant search of the light; the stars as a symbol of Nuki’s idealistic obsession. It is also worth mentioning the mini-games that represent the intimate encounters between the couple, in which we can choose which of his senses Nuki concentrates more on during sex. Thus, we will receive information that can direct us to other routes and interactions. We can also explore the environment of Nuki’s room, in which each element has its own evolution throughout history.
Just as in other visual novels we have very marked routes that do not touch each other, in Milky Way Prince we have three paths that constantly touch each other, and the final result will depend on the sum of actions that we have previously taken and where we are going. directing. Also, we may feel a bit betrayed with some script twists, even though we understand the author’s intention. On the other hand, the interest in knowing the other destinies of the couple is stimulated by experimenting with other decisions, in which trivial factors such as wearing perfume, brushing teeth daily or chosen topics of conversation enter.
It is also appreciated the location of the texts, with a generous font and a translation that includes very naturalistic current expressions such as fillers. On occasion, we will come across texts without translating, which we hope will be corrected in future updates.
A fleeting fairy tale
In any of the three routes, Milky Way Prince – The Vampire Star will leave us a bitter and logical residue before a story that does not have the sweet ending of “and they were happy and they ate partridges.” Perhaps because we still have certain expectations about what a romantic visual novel is, even if it explores abuse, or because deep down we seek a direct and satisfying consequence to the decisions we make. In this summer adventure, we will remember that love cannot always take everything, and that there are no knights in shining armor who can rescue you from mental illness.
And, despite his stark portrait of toxicity in a couple, and the elegance with which he makes the player a participant in the intimacy between the protagonists, Milky Prince sins of being excessively abstract at times, as well as precipitating abrupt some events and consequences. A greater depth is needed in the portrait of Nuki and Sune, as well as a more gradual evolution in their relationship. With an extra hour of play, and well used, our empathy for both characters would finish solidifying. From this all, a narrative that, on the other hand, stands out for its maturity and courageous honesty would be round.
This game has been analyzed in its version for Windows PC.
CONCLUSION
Milky Way Prince – The Vampire Star surprises with the maturity with which it exposes sensitive topics such as toxicity within the couple, erotic intimacy and mental health. With a minimalist aesthetic, a beautiful soundtrack and an aesthetic that combines the dreamy and the nightmarish, this visual novel dismantles customs learned from other dating simulators. With three routes between which we can fluctuate according to our decisions, we will not reach a usual happy ending, but an outcome that will leave us behind. However, a greater depth in the characters and a more staggered evolution of the story are missing.
THE BEST
- The maturity with which topics such as abuse, eroticism and mental health are treated.
- A beautiful soundtrack.
- Relevant decisions are not reduced only to the choice of dialogues.
WORST
- The roughness of the drawings.
- The precipitous development of history.
Okay
It meets the expectations of what a good game is, has quality and does not have serious flaws, although it is missing elements that could have taken it to higher heights.
