Where to get it

2008 · Frogwares · Adventure · Historical

Dracula: Origin

Dracula: Origin reveals the dark origins of the Dracula curse. Once the ardent defender of Christendom, Dracula loses his faith in God when he is abandoned by his one true love after she marries. Dracula then makes a pact with the Prince of Darkness, and becomes a vampire.

Released: 29 May 2008
Platforms: Windows
Genres: Adventure Historical Indie Point-and-click adventure Puzzle Vampire
Developers: Frogwares
Publishers: Frogwares
Modes: Single-player
Perspective: Third person Bird view / Isometric
Themes: Horror Mystery
Country: Ukraine
Age ratings: CLASS_IND 12 ESRB T PEGI 12 USK 12
Languages: Czech, English, French, German, Italian, Polish, Russian, Spanish (Spain)
Time to beat: 6hmain story8hcompletionist

About

Dracula: Origin is a point-and-click adventure game for the PC based on the novel Dracula by Bram Stoker. Released by Frogwares in 2008, it follows the company's catalogue of adventure games such as the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes series.

The game follows Professor Abraham Van Helsing as the protagonist through a unique take on the origin of Dracula. His adventures span several locations, such as London, Egypt, Austria and Transylvania, through puzzles and logic problems, individually interacting with over 40 characters.

›Story

How did Dracula become a vampire?

He was a passionate, deeply religious man, but was broken by his wife's suicide; the soul of the woman he worshipped was damned! Crazy with grief and rage, he damned himself by choosing the Devil. He hid the profound suffering of the loss of his love and became an immortal monster, devoted to destruction.

His inconsolable sorrow and his infinite hate carry him to search eternally for revenge; thus, he discovers that there exists somewhere an antediluvian manuscript with the details of a ritual, a ritual that would show how to awaken the infernal souls.

At last, Dracula thinks he has found the way to bring back to life his love from beyond… for starters

Players say

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

The game is played in third-person, following Van Helsing, in a point-and-click style. Using collected objects and puzzles, the player advances through the story interacting with characters to go through the adventure.

The game has a progressive help system, providing players stuck on puzzles with increasingly detailed clues to help them advance.

Story

The plot follows the story of Bram Stoker's Dracula, with some variation in characters and plot detail.

At first a zealot of Christendom, Voivod Dracula forsakes his faith at the loss of his unrequited love, who opts to commit suicide rather than give in to him. As his embitterment boils, Dracula begins to delve heavily into demonic practice. Unsatisfied with mortality, he drinks the blood of a rival in a pact with the Devil, placing upon himself the curse that transforms him into the first vampire. In exchange for immortal powers, Dracula becomes a servant of the Devil, bent on the destruction of humanity, finding his only solace in feeding upon human blood and seeking revenge for his lover's death: He feels partly responsible for being unable to save her.

Reception

Dracula: Origin received "mixed or average reviews" according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. PC Format complimented the game's atmosphere and mood. GameRevolution was more negative to the game.