Fallen London romantic visual novel Mask Of The Rose begins crowdfunding
London has fallen and perhaps so will you
The folks of Failbetter Games announced the next story-based adventure in their Fallen London universe in December. They're now kicking off a Kickstarter campaign for Mask Of The Rose, a visual novel set in their gothic, underground London setting. It's to be part romance and part detective story following several characters as they navigate the newly underground and destroyed London.
Although they've been writing in this universe for quite some time in Sunless Skies and Sunless Sea, Failbetter say that Mast Of The Rose will be a good starting point for folks new to the setting. It takes place shortly after London's fall, making it a prequel to their other games, which sounds like it may help to ease the less familiar into the weird setting.
"London has been abruptly transported underground. Parliament has sunk into the Thames; the Queen never appears outside the palace; rats have learned to build machinery,” explains creative director and lead writer Emily Short. “Nothing works the way it used to.
"The gameplay of Mask of the Rose extends beyond dialogue," Failbetter say. "You'll open new locations on the map, gather outfits and disguises, work odd jobs and collect resources. Together, this will determine what you can attempt in social situations – and how much you can get away with!" Through multiple playthroughs chasing different aspects of the story, Failbetter say you'll be able to uncover deeper secrets.
Failbetter are asking for a total of £90,000 in their campaign for Mask Of The Rose. They say that "the funding goal is not how much it will cost to make; it's the amount that would convince us Mask of the Rose will appeal to a large enough audience, so that we can safely commit to making it." They add that Mask Of The Rose won't be going the early access route.
I'd explain to you how the Fallen London browser game and setting have been quite popular (Sunless Skies is one of the best RPGs on PC in 2020), but I'll just point you to the Mask Of The Rose Kickstarter page where over 200 backers pledged more than £11,000 in the first ten minutes.
Failbetter say that for PC players they'll be offering Steam and GOG keys to backers. Mask Of The Rose will also be available on consoles when it launches.
