Dracula 5 picks up where Dracula 4
left off. Although Dracula 5 begins with a recap of the events in
Dracula 4, it leaves out some plot points. I wouldn't recommend playing
Dracula 5 without playing Dracula 4.
Story
The ending of Dracula 4 proves to be a
misdirection, and the story continues. Ellen continues her investigation
of what happened to the paintings Professor Vambery had donated to the
museum. But after locating a mysterious 16th painting -- rumored to be a
portrait of Dracula himself -- it's no surprise that Ellen ultimately
forgets about the other paintings and ends up tracking down Dracula. Her
motives for doing so are unclear. At one point she seems to have more
sympathy for Dracula than for the cult that is/was bent on his
destruction. But does that mean she'll ultimately side with Dracula?
Dracula 5 offers you the choice of two endings, one
of which is left somewhat open (and which I'm guessing is the "good"
ending since it offers the possibility of continuing the series).
In Dracula 4 there was some room for doubt about
whether you met Dracula or not. In Dracula 5, all doubt is removed and
Ellen actually does meet Dracula face to face. Apparently he's cleaned
himself up a bit for Ellen's visit because he looks much better than at
the end of Dracula 3. (The Dracula of Dracula 5 is more malevolent
looking than the hot tamale version seen in Dracula Origin (Frogwares'
version), but definitely better than in Dracula 3 where he looked like
he rotted. It's interesting to consider that the version seen in Dracula
3 was Father Arno's idea of what Dracula would look like, while the
version seen in Dracula 5 is what Ellen imagines he'd look like.)
Graphics, Sound, Game Controls, Playing Modes
Graphics, Sound, and Game Controls are the same as
in Dracula 4. (Check my review of
Dracula 4 for the nitty gritty details.) You also have the
casual-game-type features -- the autosave on exit, lack of manual save
capability, and casual-type "awards" for accomplishing certain goals
(some of which are necessary to progress in the game). As in Dracula 4,
you have the option to play in "Adventure Mode" or "Casual Mode."
Playing in "Adventure Mode" is the default selection, but can be changed
at any time through the game menu. I started out playing in "Adventure
Mode," but later switched to "Casual" to get the feature that reveals
hotspots.
You have five player profiles, just as in Dracula
4. If you wish to restart the game while keeping your autosaves, you
must create a different profile. As far as I can tell, the autosaves for
my version of the game were located inside C:\Users\<username>\Documents\My
Games\Dracula5\Profile0. If you choose a profile icon other than the
first one, you may get a different number on the end of the Profile
folder (e.g. - Profile3 instead of Profile0)
There are an options.xml, save.xml, and
trophies.xml file that are updated as you play the game, along with 9
numbered .xml files that appear as you get further into the game (0.xml,
1.xml, 2.xml, 3.xml, 4.xml, 5.xml, 6.xml, 7.xml, and 8.xml). You may
need more than one of these files if for any reason you want to transfer
saved games. I'm guessing save.xml is the save you get when you exit the
game, while the 0.xml, 1.xml, etc. correspond to saves that appear on
the Load Game screen.
Puzzles
Most puzzles are inventory type, though there are
some set piece puzzles, especially towards the end of the game. One
puzzle I particularly disliked involved a Geiger counter. I didn't like
it because it had no feedback and I didn't even realize there was a
puzzle connected to using it. I thought my game was malfunctioning when
I couldn't find an exit from the game area. As it turned out, the
"puzzle" involved was essentially an inventory item combined with pixel
hunt – and pixel hunts are never a good thing.
Just as in Dracula 4, Ellen must pop pills to
survive because of her mysterious fatal blood disease. Certain
combinations of pills will give optimum results.
Grade: C
I give it the same grade I gave Dracula 4. It's
essentially Part 2 of the same game, takes about the same time to play,
and has the same shortcomings. Both Dracula 4 and Dracula 5 together are
still shorter than the games we used to get from Kheops and older
companies that used to make first person games – games which allowed a
manual save.
System Requirements:
OS:
Windows XP/Vista/7/8
CPU: 2
GHz
RAM: 2
GB
Video
card with 1 GB video RAM
DirectX
9.0c/OpenGL
The listed system requirements are exactly the same
as for Dracula 4. It may be the case that a 512 MB video card will be
sufficient (as was reported with Dracula 4).
I played the game on a computer with:
Windows
8 Professional, 64-bit
AMD
Phenom II X4 905e processor 2.51 GHz
8 GB
RAM
AMD
Radeon HD 7770 with 2 GB VRAM
ATI
High Definition Audio Device (onboard sound)
