Romancelvania may struggle when it comes to its ‘vania side, but if there’s one thing I can’t deny, it’s that The Deep End Games has nailed depicting a bunch of horny monsters who want someone to cuddle up with. Nailing the eccentricities of dating around, especially sleeping with multiple partners, is something most games have struggled with to a ludicrous extent.
Sure, part of that is down to larger-scale audience not being used to the representation of more polyamorous, or just generally amorous, lifestyles. Yet there are also genuine logistical issues. BioWare has often cited the sheer logic tracking of a polyship being the main reason they’ve only so much as winked at the notion in two of their games – Jade Empire and Mass Effect: Andromeda.
Other studios have embraced the relationship dynamic but have only scarcely bothered depicting it. Fallout 4 acknowledges if you’ve romanced multiple NPCs, but it’s about as spicy as day-old radroach meat. However, there was an exception – The Witcher. Series protagonist Geralt is sterile due to the bodily enhancements he underwent to become a Witcher, and his primary paramour is also the type to just roll her eyes and make a catty remark if he has a casual fling.
And boy, does Geralt fling his thing everywhere he can. The original game actually had cards you collected for each… ‘conquest’, for lack of a better term. This continued into Witcher 2 and culminated in Witcher 3 having plenty of ladies for Geralt to woo. Yet if you did so with both of the primary love interests, Triss and Yennefer, it ends in the player – and Geralt – being made fun of and chastised by them with a prank.
No throuple for Geralt, and seemingly no purely boinking-related option for either of the two if the player just wanted to be ‘friends with benefits’ with one or the other. To be fair, NPCs rarely get that kind of agency when it comes to player romances, but it also runs counter to how the series has otherwise treated fooling around.
Then in comes Romancelvania, a game where, just by Drac’s adorkable flirting, it’s possible to fool around and finally get Drac some good-natured fooling around after a century of solitary gloom in the moonlight. After one particular evening, Grim comments with admiring astonishment. “Five times?” he has to ask. “Five times,” Drac reports proudly. This isn’t simply a scorecard of ‘conquests’ either, but an acknowledgment of Drac finally starting to move on from their lost love prior to the game’s events.
So much of Romancelvania is about Drac overcoming mourning their last love. They actually have to grapple with the icky feelings of a breakup while also getting out there again. Sure it’s under threat of the world ending by the evil overlords they answer to, but you know, everyone needs a push to get back out there.
This also applies to the dates. You aren’t just given simple things like dinner or a movie – you can take your potential paramour to a strip club in Romancelvania, and have a blast doing it. Gender stereotypes aren’t forced upon Drac or their romantic interests, letting you just be comfortable in your own skin, presenting yourself how you want.
So, if that self you put forward is an absolute playboy/girl, the game rolls with it. There are options that line up ideally, whether you’re seeking a challenge or gorgeous arm candy. What’s great is you can also have nuance in your answers while still getting around with folks. That’s outstanding to see in a Western-developed game, especially one where you can be either masculine or feminine presenting (and you can swap vocals to your preference as well).
I really wasn’t kidding when I said the romance makes the game worth it to some. It might not be as polished as The Witcher – goodness no, it certainly isn’t – but it’s got a dirty, charming heart where it counts.
