Reviewed: July 29, 2010
Reviewed by: Kyle Hilliard

Publisher
Chillingo

Developer
Anuman Interactive

Released: July 17, 2010
Genre: Adventure
Players: 1

7
8
8
7
7.5

Game Info:

  • 597 MB Download

    App Store Price: $5.99

    		•  Dracula The Path of the Dragon -- Part 2 HD, or as I like to refer to it, Dracula: Not Quite The Rest of the Game, picks up right where part 1 left off. If you have played part 1 you know exactly what to expect of the gameplay. This is not a sequel; it’s a continuation of the story from part 1. The game, when it was originally released on PC, was not broken into three parts as it has been for the iPad. Perhaps it was a size issue, as the file size of each part is rather large, but I fear it may have simply been employed as a way to make you shell out more money. Part 1 is only one dollar, and it is certainly a bargain compared to some of the other app store drivel that costs significantly more, but it serves almost exclusively to encourage you to empty your wallet for the other parts.

    Now of course, all of that aside, Dracula is a good game, and after buying all three parts, you have still spent a whole lot less than you would have purchasing a game on almost any other platform. My only gripe is how they have decided to go about charging you for the game by breaking it apart. It should have been sold as one game.

    As in part 1, you are playing a point and click adventure game, and as it was in part 1, it works perfectly with the iPad. You click your way through the assorted towns and areas, talk to people and solve a couple puzzles here and there. The real focus of the game is the conversations and character interactions. There really are some interesting and educated conversations to be witnessed here. You will hear the priest you are playing as, Father Arno Moriani, come to grips with the idea that not only may the existence of vampires be real, but he may also be the last line of defense against them.

    Moriani also struggles with his religious vows of chastity, and the attraction he feels for the local doctor. This isn’t the typical man versus Dracula sort of story we are accustomed to in the world of video games, and it is very much welcome. We really do see Moriani grow as a character in this second chapter, and it is engrossing to watch. The story really picks up here, and if you have come this far, I really doubt you will not want to continue on to part 3.

    The music really takes a step up in this chapter. You spend most of your time in the same areas as the first game, so you will hear the same music in those places, but the new areas, specifically the opening area, has some great music. It reminded me of the great music from the Professor Layton DS games. The voice acting is still well done, but still sounds a bit like it was recorded in a bathroom with garage band.

    The game looks good, despite the sometimes-dated animations that pop up every now and then. There is a lot of detail in all of the backgrounds, but very little of the game is actually interactive. In the one sense, this is a good thing. By limiting how much is available for you to point and click, you are not confused by what needs to be interacted with and what does not. On the other hand though, the lack of interactivity throughout the game makes the world seem kind of flat. The characters may be multidimensional, but the world is not.

    Part 2 has much more to offer than part 1. The game really picks up in the plot department, and you get to travel to some much more interesting locales. I still feel that the game should have been packaged as one title as opposed to three, but the saga has been enjoyable thus far, and I am excited to begin part 3.