Fallen London, and by association Sunless Sea and Sunless Skies, are full of all manner of strange characters both human and otherworldly. So, naturally, it's about time a game came along that explores the love lives of the Unterzee's hottest (and slimiest) bachelors.
Enter Mask Of The Rose, a new story in the Fallen London setting that Failbetter Games successfully crowdfunded earlier this week. Less dating sim and more "romantic visual novel", the developer's latest is self-described as an adventure concerning love, mystery, the restructuring of society after profound change, and bats.
While pitched as a visual novel, the gameplay also seems to extend far beyond conversations. There are locations to visit, jobs to pick up, disguises and outfits to collect and a good dose of resource management to boot. Failbetter also promise a variety of endings, and it sounds like playthroughs may wildly branch in unexpected directions.
"In one playthrough of Mask of the Rose you might romance a partner, or help your friends find love; untangle a poisoner's motives, or uncover the fate of poor, drowned Parliament; house some of London's new, not-so-human inhabitants, or help establish the new Feast of the Rose, a festival that will be celebrated in London for decades to come!"
Achieving its £90,000 goal in just two days, Mask Of The Rose is now reaching for two new story beats as stretch goals. The first, a new origin story called the Housebreaker’s Heir, has already been passed, while an enigmatic "Clay Man" will be added at the £120,000 mark.
