Milky Way Prince: The Vampire Star (2020)

Milky Way Prince – The Vampire Star is an artistically impressive visual novel that compliments the darker narrative and theme. A theme that is rare to come by, that many people will relate to on some level. Unfortunately, this narrative is presented with a lack of depth, and the slow pacing harms the user's overall experience. Additionally, the 'sex sense' sections could have been presented far better, and just come across a little hollow.

With some creative mechanics and interesting subject matter, Milky Way Prince - A Vampire Star was good but I wish it had been done better and handled with more care.

‎Milky Way Prince - The Vampire Star is a strange game. It mixes visual novel with point-and-click elements and psychological horror to represent a toxic relationship. Many of his ideas work, but he has serious problems with pace and interest despite their short duration.‎

Even considering its minimalist intention, Milky Way Prince: The Vampire Star is too simple in some of its visual aspects, such as the backgrounds, and the story could have been a little longer and more polished to better develop characters. Its senses system is interesting and offers a unique experience, but could have been more developed. Generally speaking, the game design is coherent and well made to represent a dysfunctional relationship, giving it strong personality, expression and immersion in a work with dense symbology and psychological themes of great relevance. The title is recommended for fans of experimental and reflective games, especially fans of romance VNs with a focus on psychological aspects.

That, above all, is the reason to play Milky Way Prince, and the reason why it exists. Games of this subject matter can at times feel like a kind of development-as-therapy, where the creator exorcises a daemon through the retelling of a personal trauma. That can be an almighty powerful experience; it can also, on occasion, feel a little crass. Milky Way Prince moves somewhere beyond that, to a place where it can resonate with, and ideally also challenge its audience. But subject matter aside, you should play this for the same reason you might watch the early, uneven short-features of great directors, or read the first scrappy, hundred-page novels of a favourite author: to experience a prodigal talent, just as they begin to discover what they can do.