Milky Way Prince – The Vampire Star

A visual novel about an abusive relationship, idealization, and intimacy.

An emotional whirlwind

Live a summer of dysfunctional love through branching storylines, twists, sudden changes, and a special mechanic where you choose which senses to use with your boyfriend. In these moments, you will learn about him, his personality, and his past, making you question everything.

Based on a true story

Milky Way Prince is entirely designed, programmed, illustrated, and scored by a very young author, Lorenzo Redaelli. The story itself is partially autobiographical.

"During my experience with a borderline partner, I thought that falling in love with him was like becoming part of a binary star system. It’s the rarest, most precious thing in the universe – but the closer they get the more unstable they become. My idea was to create an immersive experience where the player is asked to try to understand the dynamics of this unusual relationship. The character you interact with adapts their behavior to yours – using academic terminology, they could set up “rage tests”, “love bombing", or otherwise guilt trip you. The plot's branching storyline is guided by variables such as “submission” and "interest” that fluctuate at each interaction."

HIGHLIGHTS

• Semi-autobiographical dark romance story
  
• Branching narrative paths with multiple endings
  
• Intimate new sensory gameplay system
  
• Character art inspired by Suehiro Maruo and Masaaki Yuasa
  
• 3D environments influenced by the stage design of Robert Wilson
  
• 30+ minutes of baroque electropop original soundtrack

AWARDS

Part of the 2019 Game On (Argentina), Codemotion (Italy), and Game Happens (Italy) selections.

WARNING

This game contains representation of abuse and borderline personality disorder that some may find distressing or disturbing, including those who may have had similar experiences.