It may not be the best selling point, what with Milky Way Prince – The Vampire Star telling a story about an abusive relationship, idealization and intimacy. But seeing as it is giving us the opportunity to delve deep into a rather psychedelic visual novel, it just about swings it.
Available to purchase and download today on Xbox Series X|S, PS4, PS5 and Nintendo Switch, after spending the last year or so populating the PC scene, Milky Way Prince – The Vampire Star is Lorenzo Redaelli’s autobiographical and psychedelic visual novel, helped along with production by the award-winning indie studio Santa Ragione.
It comes to consoles just as we expect, focusing on a story and narrative that covers a multitude of sins; an abusive relationship, idealization, and intimacy. But it also has us living out life through a summer of dysfunctional love, picking and choosing branching storylines with plenty of twists, sudden changes, and a special mechanic where you choose which senses to use with your boyfriend. Play through Milky Way Prince – The Vampire Star and you will learn about him, his personality, and his past, making you question everything in these moments.
After over a year on Steam, picking up some Very Positive acclaim in the process, and also having been selected for international awards including the Tokyo Game Show, there’s much hype about the arrival of this one on console, particularly as it arrives with some exclusive features in tow. You can thank Fantastico Studio for adding in Highres artworks, HD rumble (on compatible platforms), native versions for new-gen consoles, 120fps (on compatible platforms) and controller sounds.
When you consider the key features of the game which are also present, and things get even more appealing…
- Semi-autobiographical dark romance story
- Branching narrative paths with multiple endings
- Intimate new sensory gameplay system
- Character art inspired by Suehiro Maruo and Masaaki Yuasa
- 3D environments influenced by the stage design of Robert Wilson
- 30+ minutes of baroque electropop original soundtrack
We’re currently working through review of Milky Way Prince – The Vampire Star on Xbox Series X|S and will let you know how it plays very soon.
For now you can grab the game and the download you need from the likes of the Xbox Store (£12.49) for Xbox Series X|S, the PlayStation Store for PS5 and the Nintendo eShop for Switch.
Remember, it’s on PC through Steam too.
Game Description:
A visual novel about an abusive relationship, idealization, and intimacy. Live a summer of dysfunctional love through branching storylines, twists, sudden changes, and a special mechanic where you choose which senses to use with your boyfriend. In these moments, you will learn about him, his personality, and his past, making you question everything. Milky Way Prince is a semi-autobiographical story entirely designed, programmed, illustrated, and scored by a young author, Lorenzo Redaelli. “During my experience with a borderline partner, I thought that falling in love with him was like becoming part of a binary star system. It’s the rarest, most precious thing in the universe – but the closer they get the more unstable they become.” “My idea was to create an immersive experience where the player is asked to try to understand the dynamics of this unusual relationship. The character you interact with adapts their behavior to yours – using academic terminology, they could set up “rage tests”, “love bombing”, or otherwise guilt trip you. The plot’s branching storyline is guided by variables such as “submission” and “interest” that fluctuate at each interaction.”
