From Press Release:
London, UK, 10 February 2022 – In Mask of the Rose, you can pursue romantic love or take a different approach: brief liaisons, asexual relationships and platonic connections are all possible within the story, with equal opportunities for all genders to seek whatever kind love they’re after.
“In Mask of the Rose, achieving a trustworthy, enduring friendship can be a final gameplay goal – which gives us more room to illustrate the complexities of relationships,” says creative director Emily Short.
“Not everyone experiences attraction, or experiences it in the same way; not everyone is looking for a romantic connection. And some players simply prefer not to play romantic storylines.
“If Mask of the Rose were simply a romance simulator, it might not be possible to build it in a way that would speak to those players. But it is a game about love, which is a different beast – and we have a lot of kinds of love story to tell.”
Mask of the Rose is a visual novel set in Fallen London, which is already a richly developed setting. Here, Victorian London was stolen by bats and dragged to a cavern underground.
“We’re exploring an intimate view of our setting which we haven’t shown before. The characters are figuring out what they want from life after a seismic change. The fabric of strait-laced Victorian society has started to fray, and we’re able to show how different characters respond. Like your roommate Griz, who is finding a lot more opportunities open to her than when she was pigeonholed as ‘Miss Grizelda’.” adds Communications Director Hannah Flynn.
“Unlike our previous games, we have a first person view of the city; we see inside people’s homes, in their bedrooms. It’s also a more compact story: a marvellous romance, with a whodunnit plot. It’s a perfect introduction to the Fallen London universe.”
The demo will be available on Steam from the 10th of February at 1330 GMT. Mask of the Rose will release on Steam, GOG.com and Nintendo Switch in late October or early November 2022, with PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and XBox Series X/S planned to follow.
