Dracula Twins
Lourdes Vandewerker
Dracula Twins is a platform game developed by Legendo Entertainment and Nerlaska Studio.[1] It was released for Microsoft Windows in October 2006. The single-player game is presented through a third-person perspective. The player controls Drac and Dracana, the twin children of the vampire Count Dracula. The twins have their own special abilities, and earn magic points to cast spells to defeat enemies. The game received generally positive reviews from critics. It received a sequel for iOS in November 2013, with another currently in development for Apple TV, Windows, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One.
Dracula Twins is a platform game. It features two-dimensional movement through a cartoonish three-dimensional environment, including more than 40 stages.[2][3] In the game, Count Dracula has been captured by Doctor Lifelust and his horde of vampire hunters who plan to create a serum that grants him immortality. Dracula's twin vampire children, Drac and Dracana, seek to save him.[4] The player can switch between the twins, who have their own special abilities. The player must collect blood rubies, which earns them magic points (MP) to help cast spells to defeat enemies.[2][3]
Dracula Twins was developed and published by Legendo Entertainment. It was directed and written by Bjrn Larsson, who also co-produced alongside Alberto De Hoyo Nebot, the main programmer. Joe Sharp and Rob Sharp led the art direction, while Alexander Rder composed the original music.[4] The game was announced on 29 March 2006.[2] It was playable at Games Convention in August 2006, alongside other titles by Legendo.[5][6] A trailer and screenshots were released on 1 June 2006.[3] Game development ceased by 12 October 2006, when it was submitted for manufacturing. It was available for purchase in October 2006 in Europe.[7] A demo was also released on 19 October with several language options.[8] Legendo partnered with Meridian4 for the North American publication of the game.[9] Dracula Twins was added to the GameTap library in April 2008.[10]
Dracula Twins received generally positive reviews. After playing the demo, Tetsuya Asakura of 4Gamer.net recommended it for fans of side-scrolling action games, applauding the horror atmosphere.[11] Gamezebo's Joel Brodie awarded Dracula Twins a score of 3.5/5, praising the game's world, music, sound effect, and play style; however, he criticised its 3D environment, controls, and lack of monster variety.[12] Four reviewers at Game Tunnel awarded it a combined score of 6.7/10, with Mike Hommel appreciating the style and genre while noting a "flawed implementation", and Russ Carroll describing the graphics as "really wonderful".[13] Daniel Boll of GBase gave the game 5/10, praising the graphics, gameplay, and controls; however, he found the enjoyment limited to the opening levels.[14] Igromania's Georgy Kurgan applauded the game's Russian port by Noviy Disk.[15]
Dracula Twins received an identically-named sequel on iOS devices in November 2013. It was distributed for free and featured five levels, with more to be made if players contributed financially.[16] It was released for Apple TV in September 2015.[17] Another sequel, Dracula Twins R2: School's Out, is in development for Apple TV, Microsoft Windows (via Steam), Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One.[18]
Like Vampire Circus, Captain Kronos and Countess Dracula, Twins of Evil is a refreshing film in the late Hammer canon. And it is also fascinating due to the role Peter Cushing is cast in, but let me not put the torch before the pier. Sorry that was a bad joke.
The story follows, as I said, twins, Frieda and Maria. Maria (played by Mary) is saintly and kind, while Frieda (played by Madeleine) is rebellious and cruel towards her sister. Frieda and Maria both dislike their uncle, Gustav (played by Cushing), who is unyielding in his religious fanaticism, especially towards his nieces who he feels have been improperly brought up by their now dead parents.
This film may be regarded as sexploitation, but like Vampire Circus, it will defy your expectations. This could very easily have crumbled at the halfway mark, falling into rubber bats and too big false teeth. But it really is thrilling from start to finish, with its dark sensuality, its exploration of male hypocrisy, and the moodiness of its direction and script, both well crafted by John Hough and Tudor Gates (what a name!).
Give this one a go. Allow yourself to enjoy the lack of camp, the atmosphere, the interesting playing out of the story, and most all, Peter Cushing imbuing a lot of complexity in the kind of role that many other, more celebrated actors have played, but not done as well in.
This is my second and final contribution for the Hammer Amicus Blogathon being held by the delightfully devious Gill and Barry of Realweegiemidget Reviews and Cinematic Catharsis. Please read my first post for further details.
Lovely post Gabriela, and wonderful words on Cushing. Only just seen this movie and its quite fun compared to the others and I love the witchcraft plot. Thanks for joining the blogathon with such diverse movies. from Gill at Realweegiemidget Reviews
Still catching up on blogathon articles. I really enjoyed this review. It is an eloquent and well-thought-out piece of writing. I agree that, like The Vampire Lovers, Twins of Evil is much more than the exploitation film it may appear to be on the surface. And Cushing is fabulous! He makes what could have been a one-note character into a multi-faceted, realistic person.
Dracula Twins is a platformer created by the creators of The Three Musketeers, known in Poland as The Three Musketeers. We set off on a journey to the dark world, known for its horrors, to play one of the two children of Count Dracula.
While the Dracula family was neatly tucked away in their cozy little crypt, Dr. Lifelust attacked their Transylvanian castle and kidnapped the old Count! The twins, Drac and Dracana, barely managed to escape. Now the evil doctor has taken control of the castle and installed his evil machines and army of vampire hunters there. Not only that, but the evil doctor have also resurrected a horde of undead that are now lurking in the surrounding graveyards!
In "Dracula Twins," a newly downloadable PC game, players take the role of both Drac and his younger sister Dracana as they seek to save their aging father from the evil Dracula. While quite spooky in premise, "Dracula Twins" offers a pleasantly sweet version of Transylvania with many familiar faces from the land of magic. The game revolves around the conflicts between the good doctor and his arch enemy, while unlocking new locations, items, and people for use throughout the game. In a nutshell, the game involves solving puzzles to find hidden items, fighting dragons, and much more, all while exploring Dracula's castle and attempting to overcome his enemies.
As one of two doctors, Dracula finds himself afflicted with the curse of immortality as well as the inability to leave his castle. To make matters worse, he is locked inside with a young woman who is his daughter, Elena. The doctors then learn that a mysterious serum called "Dagonet" has been created by a scientist named Dr. Reinhart who wishes to use it on the masses to keep them under his control. Dracula then makes a deal with the doctor to give him his blood in return for using the serum, so the two doctor twins must work together to stop the vampire from completing his evil plans.
The game begins with Dracula and his evil twin Dracula twins having a run in with the head of a Transylvanian nobleman named Julian. Upon finding out that he is the father of Elena, Dracula forces the old man to give his daughter over to him so that he can raise her. However, neither of the brothers are willing to leave their hiding place and fight the vampires, so they flee. Later that night, while walking through the woods near their castle, the twins spot a group of vampire hunters. The hunters take the twins captive and while leaving them be taken away, they decide to attack the Transylvanian prince.
Costume Quest brings back fond memories of my Trick-or-Treating days. Combining adventure and role-playing, this game provides an easy-to-learn battle system, witty dialogue, and, of course, a plethora of costumes and candy.
The game begins by introducing the two main characters, fraternal twins Wren and Reynold. I selected to control Wren. The game then attired the twins in Halloween costumes. Wren wore a robot outfit, while Reynold, as the non-playable twin, dressed as a piece of candy corn. While Trick-or-Treating, a candy-loving monster kidnapped Reynold, and I spent the rest of the game attempting to rescue him.
At least it was a quick read. Yeah. I'm a sucker for gothic horror and mix that with some gaslight detective shenanigans and I'm there. This came suggested over social media after I posted my review of Sherlock Holmes vs. Dracula. However, to be honest, I definitely liked that one better than this one. Not to say that I disliked this one, I definitely liked it but it kind of put Dracula more forward than the detective and presented a familial connection between them that I thought was unnecessary and kind of stupid. Although, I liked the twins born of vampire love affairs with human women idea where one is a savage monster in-waiting and the other fully human, poor J.Harker.
I would rather have had holmes facing off with the count rather than Dracula be primarily and somewhat personally involved in the plot which eventually brings together the great detective and the ancient fiend as awkward allies. I didn't buy that part of it at all. The plot to ransom London or unleash plague rats into its sewers was cheesy goodness but seemed to me that maybe a higher-caliber villain (not sure about Moriarty though) rather than a character from Bram Stoker's Dracula would have been more fitting. The plot also involves (however briefly) a monster plague-carrying rat from abroad with a penchant for human flesh. That one is gold mind you and should have had some more to do with the story than it did. I have to tell you, that I was supremely disappointed that a book involving Dracula and a plague-rat plot did not feature a swarm of hideous rats overwhelming some poor clod and munching them down to a bloody skeleton. Ah, what could have been?