Dracula: The Last Sanctuary was most widely reviewed for the PC, where it received mixed reviews, with critics praising the graphics, but criticising the nature of some of the puzzles. By 2007, the game and its predecessor had reached combined global sales above 1 million units.
Gameplay
Dracula: The Last Sanctuary is a first-personpoint-and-click adventure game, which employs an "empty" HUD; the player's inventory is accessible through a button press, whilst another button press will bring the player to a screen with options to save their game, quit their game, or load a previously saved game. As such, the entire screen depicts only direct gameplay.[7]
The game uses a basic point-and-click interface to move the player around and manipulate the game world. Within each static screen, the player is free to look around 360 degrees. As the player moves the cursor around the screen it can change into different styles depending on the situation; neutral cursor (no interaction is possible), an arrow (the player can move in the direction indicated), an arrow within a red circle (access temporarily blocked) a hand (the player can take the object), a magnifying glass (an area which can be examined in more detail), a backwards arrow (the player can move backwards from an area with which they have examined via the magnifying glass), a cog (the player must use an inventory item to initiate interaction with the object), a cog with a hand (the player can operate the object without using an inventory item), an object within a red circle (use of the item temporarily prohibited).[8]
The most often encountered symbol in the game is the cog. When the player encounters this symbol, they must enter their inventory and select an item. If it is the correct item to operate the object, the item will appear in a green circle, replacing the cog icon. If it is the incorrect item, the cog icon will remain.[9]
Harker faces one of Dracula's creatures in combat mode. Note the time meter along the top of the screen. If the player fails to act fast enough, the creature will stare the player down, prompting a "Game Over" screen.
The game introduces two new elements not found in Dracula: Resurrection; rudimentary combat and combining inventory items. Combat mode replaces the cursor with a reticle, and occurs infrequently, involving either a revolver or a crossbow. It is usually (but not always) timed, and often requires the player to perform a particular action, such as hitting the enemy in a specific spot to achieve victory. If they fail to do so within the designated time, the player will die.[10] In relation to combining inventory items, unlike in the first game, the inventory screen is divided into two - a full circle, and a small semi-circle on the outer edge of the screen. Items placed within the semi-circle cannot be used directly in the game itself, but must be combined by the player with items placed within the full circle. For example, the player's gun is in the full circle, but their bullets are placed within the semi circle.[11]
The 2012 iOS version adds several new features to the game, such as an optional help feature (which highlights interactive zones on each screen), a "quick inventory" (which allows the player to hold one item and access it without having to enter the inventory screen), an autosave feature, and a "Compass Look" feature (which utilises the gyroscopic-based iDevice accelerometer controls to mimic looking around in the 360 degree environment).[4]
The game opens with the final scene from Dracula: Resurrection; Jonathan Harker (voiced by David Gasman) rescuing his wife Mina (Gay Marshall) from Dracula's castle and vowing to defeat the Count upon returning to London. Harker has come to realise Dracula called Mina to Transylvania precisely so Harker would follow her. Upon arriving in the Borgo Pass, Dracula knew Harker would uncover the Dragon Ring, which Dracula himself could not do as it had been placed under the protection of Saint George. Harker then brought the ring to the castle just as Dracula had planned. Once Harker arrived in the castle, Dracula had instructed his brides to kill him and take the ring, but Harker had been able to rescue Mina and escape, with the ring still in his possession.[12]
As the game begins, Harker has left the Dragon Ring with Dr. Seward (Paul Barrett), and has gone to Dracula's former London home, Carfax Abbey, to search for clues. Inside, he is attacked by several bat-like humanoids. He manages to destroy them, and heads to Seward's insane asylum. Seward tells Harker that Dracula has purchased a cinema in London called The Styx. He also informs him that his research has led him to conclude part of the Dragon Ring is missing - a diamond at its centre which is said to counteract the evil of the outer ring. In an effort to determine how to proceed against Dracula, Seward puts Mina under hypnosis and she describes the nearby Highgate Cemetery. Harker heads to the cemetery, where he see Dracula entering a secret tomb. He attempts to follow, but a light is emitted from some nearby stone gargoyles, and he is knocked out.
He wakes up the next day and heads back to the asylum to find Mina and Seward have been taken by Dracula. In Seward's safe, he finds the Dragon Ring and correspondence between Seward and a colleague, who had found a 15th-century book which details the rivalry between Vlad Tepes and his younger brother Radu. When their father, Dracul, died, he left the Dragon Ring to Radu on the advice of his magician, Dorko. Tepes was furious and locked Radu in his castle, banished Dorko to the dungeons, and split the ring in two, hiding the diamond and keeping the outer ring for himself. Tepes then had a heretical monk, Thadeus, build a "Last Sanctuary" deep within the castle, to which he could retreat in times of crisis. For safe keeping, Harker gives the Dragon Ring to Hopkins (Steve Gadler), a patient in the asylum who was under the influence of Dracula, but who has fallen in love with Mina, and is willing to help Harker save her.
Harker heads to The Styx, but is gassed. He awakens in Dracula's bedroom in Transylvania. Dracula (Allan Wenger) tells him he will spare his life if Harker reveals where the Dragon Ring is, but Harker refuses. Dracula leaves, promising Harker a slow death. Shortly thereafter, Hopkins arrives and releases Harker. When he leaves the room, he realises he is still in The Styx; the room was a set made to look like Dracula's room. As he explores, he encounters Seward, who is turning into a vampire. Seward tells Harker he must destroy Carfax, whilst he himself will destroy The Styx, leaving Dracula nowhere to hide in London. Harker leaves, and Seward blows up The Styx, killing himself before he turns into a vampire.
Harker sets fire to Carfax and heads to Highgate, where he finds a note from Hopkins telling him how to access Dracula's tomb. With the note is the Dragon Ring. Harker enters the tomb and encounters Dracula, who tells him he is returning to Transylvania with Mina. Harker gives chase, using the mines to enter the castle. Underneath the castle, he finds an ancient prison in which he finds Radu's diamond. In the dungeons, he once again encounters Dorko (Gay Marshall), who tells him her previous betrayal of him failed to earn her Dracula's trust. He shows her the diamond, and she tells him she can reassemble the Dragon Ring, but before she does so she is stabbed by one of Dracula's brides. As she dies, she tells Harker he must restore the ring and defeat Dracula. Harker works his way through the traps in the castle, eventually taking a cable car to Dracula's keep.
Upon arriving, a gypsy attacks Harker, but Hopkins appears and sacrifices himself to save him. As he dies, Hopkins gives Harker the key to the Last Sanctuary. Harker explores further, killing Dracula's remaining gypsies, and eventually entering the sanctuary itself, but he is taken prisoner by Dracula's brides. They bring him to Dracula, who tells him Mina is now his forever. Harker appeals to Mina, reminding her they are married in the eyes of God, but she says she cannot remember. He shows her their wedding ring, and she regains her memories. A furious Dracula says both she and Harker must die, but Harker combines Radu's diamond with the Dragon Ring, and Dracula is engulfed in light as the castle begins to crumble. Dracula's brides are crushed by falling debris, and Dracula himself is killed when he is impaled by a statue of Saint George. As the castle ceases collapsing, Harker embraces Mina.
Development
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Dracula 2: The Last Sanctuary was released in September 2000.[13] It was created by Canal+ Multimedia and Wanadoo Edition,[14] the latter company formed earlier in September by the merger of Index+ and France Telecom Multimedia.[15]
The PC version of the game received "mixed or average reviews," and holds an aggregate score of 68 out of 100 on Metacritic, based on fourteen reviews.[16] In North America, its computer version sold 67,776 retail units during 2001,[22] and 21,204 in the first six months of 2002.[23] According to Microïds, the combined global sales of Dracula 2 and its predecessor, Dracula: Resurrection, surpassed 1 million copies by June 2007.[24]
Adventure Classic Gaming's Zack Howe scored the game 4 out of 5, praising the graphics; "As with its predecessor, pre-rendered graphics are solely used for cutscenes and are truly a sight to behold. [...] All of the 3D characters are amazingly detailed. Their faces are expressive and their eyes subtly capture the different personalities." Although he was critical of the "pixel-hunting" nature of some of the puzzles, he concluded "Dracula: The Last Sanctuary is definitely a much better game than Dracula: Resurrection. I recommend this game to any adventure fan without reservation. The excellent production values and thoughtful gameplay makes this game a worthy sequel for the series."[10]
IGN's Steve Butts scored it 7.8 out of 10. He too praised the graphics, saying "Just using flat backgrounds, the game renders the illusion of a full 3D environment better than any game I've seen yet. Even better, the game looked (and ran) just as well on a simple 333MHz with a Voodoo2 as it did on a 600MHz with a Voodoo 5." He too was somewhat critical of some of the puzzles, but concluded "Although some of the situations are kind of a stretch, the story is well done and interesting in its own right. Hell, even the parts that threaten your suspension of disbelief are kind of cool."[9]
Adventure Gamers' Christina Gmiterko scored it 3 out of 5, praising the graphics and calling them "its strongest selling point." However, she was critical of the core gameplay; "I spent a lot of the game waving my cursor across the screen to find a hot spot where an inventory item needed to be used. Once I found it I would just try combining every inventory item I had with the obstacle at hand until I found the one that worked because more often than not it wasn't reasonably obvious what item you should be using or why you should be using it. By the time I reached the end I felt like I had seen the inventory screen almost as much as I had the actual game."[17]
GameSpot's Ron Dulin scored it 5.5 out of 10. He criticised the game for having "huge lapses in logic, no atmosphere, and very little in the way of respect for Bram Stoker's original story." He was critical of the lack of horror in the game; "Dracula: The Last Sanctuary doesn't even manage to maintain a slightly creepy atmosphere. The opening would lead you to believe otherwise, because of its creepy music that sets the stage for a terrifying adventure. Unfortunately, this music is all but absent from the game afterward. The voice acting doesn't help: The confused-sounding actors ham it up like they're auditioning for a part in Mark Borchardt's Coven." He concluded "The puzzles will be enough for those who are content with being limited to the challenge of finding a way past locked doors and blocked passageways. But great games transcend their genre's limitations, while good games work within them. Mediocre games, like Dracula: The Last Sanctuary, only serve to remind us of why such things are limitations in the first place."[18]
Legacy
When asked in late 2000 about the likelihood of a third Dracula game, the team's François Villard noted that writers face "the temptation of the trilogy", but that Dracula 3 nevertheless was not planned. However, he left open the possibility of another entry if player interest was high enough.[25]
Professor Abraham Van Helsing, a fictional character from the 1897 gothic horror novel Dracula written by Bram Stoker. Van Helsing is a Dutch polymath doctor with a wide range of interests and accomplishments, partly attested by the string of letters that follows his name: "MD, D.Ph., D.Litt., etc.", indicating a wealth of experience, education and expertise. He is a doctor, professor, lawyer, philosopher, scientist and metaphysic. The character is best known through many adaptations of the story as a vampire slayer, monster hunter and the arch-nemesis of Count Dracula, and the prototypical and the archetypical parapsychologist in subsequent works of paranormal fiction.
R. M. Renfield is a fictional character who appears in Bram Stoker's 1897 Gothic horror novel Dracula. He is Count Dracula's deranged, fanatically devoted servant and familiar, helping him in his plan to turn Mina Harker into a vampire in return for a continuous supply of insects to consume and the promise of immortality. Throughout the novel, he resides in an asylum, where he is treated by Dr. John Seward.
Dracula: Dead and Loving It is a 1995 gothic comedy horror film directed by Mel Brooks and starring Leslie Nielsen. It is a spoof of Bram Stoker's novel Dracula and of some of the story's well-known adaptations.
Dracula is a 1979 American gothic horror film directed by John Badham. The film starred Frank Langella in the title role as well as Laurence Olivier, Donald Pleasence and Kate Nelligan.
Wilhelmina "Mina" Harker is a fictional character and the main female character in Bram Stoker's 1897 Gothic horror novel Dracula.
Microids is a French video game developer and publisher based in Paris. Founded in 1985 by Elliot Grassiano, it attained early success with games published through Loriciel in France and other partners in international markets. Through expanding its staff and development teams, Microïds generated funds to expand from just development to publishing and distribution and opening international offices. The company merged with MC2 in 2003 to create MC2-Microïds, whereafter it acquired publishers Wanadoo Edition and Cryo Interactive. Grassiano left MC2-Microïds in 2005; under new management, MC2-Microïds was briefly renamed MC2 before returning to the old Microïds name. It was then acquired by Anuman Interactive in 2010, which itself was renamed Microïds in 2019.
Dracula, the Musical is a musical based on the original 1897 Victorian novel by Bram Stoker. The score is by Frank Wildhorn, with lyrics and book by Don Black and Christopher Hampton.
Jonathan Harker is a fictional character and one of the main protagonists of Bram Stoker's 1897 Gothic horror novel Dracula. An English solicitor, his journey to Transylvania and encounter with the vampire Count Dracula and his Brides at Castle Dracula constitutes the dramatic opening scenes in the novel and most of the film adaptations.
The Fury of Dracula is a board game for 2-4 players designed by Stephen Hand and published by Games Workshop in 1987. Fantasy Flight Games released an updated version in 2006 as Fury of Dracula, and a third edition in 2015 by the same name. WizKids Games released a fourth edition in 2019.
Count Dracula is a British television adaptation of the 1897 novel Dracula by Bram Stoker. Produced by the BBC, it first aired on BBC 2 on 22 December 1977. It is among the more faithful of the many adaptations of the original book. Directed by Philip Saville from a screenplay by Gerald Savory, it stars Louis Jourdan as Count Dracula and Frank Finlay as Professor Van Helsing.
Count Dracula is the title character of Bram Stoker's 1897 gothic horror novel Dracula. He is considered the prototypical and archetypal vampire in subsequent works of fiction. Aspects of the character are believed by some to have been inspired by the 15th-century Wallachian prince Vlad the Impaler, who was also known as Vlad Dracula, and by Sir Henry Irving, an actor for whom Stoker was a personal assistant.
Dracula is a stage play written by the Irish actor and playwright Hamilton Deane in 1924, then revised by the American writer John L. Balderston in 1927. It was the first authorized adaptation of Bram Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula. After touring in England, the original version of the play appeared at London's Little Theatre in July 1927, where it was seen by the American producer Horace Liveright. Liveright asked Balderston to revise the play for a Broadway production that opened at the Fulton Theatre in October 1927. This production starred Bela Lugosi in his first major English-speaking role.
Dracula is an adaptation, first published in 1996, by American playwright Steven Dietz of Bram Stoker's 1897 novel by the same name. Though it has never run on Broadway, the author lists it among his most financially successful works, and it is frequently performed near Halloween in regional and community theaters. Closely following the plot of the novel, the play chronicles Count Dracula's journey to England, his stalking of two young women, and his pursuit and eventual defeat by the heroines' suitors and their associates.
Dracula 3: The Path of the Dragon is a 2008 point-and-click adventure video game developed by Kheops Studio for Microsoft Windows, and published by MC2 France under their Microïds label in Europe and Encore in North America. In 2010, an abridged version of the game developed by Tetraedge Games and published by Chillingo was released in a three-part episodic form for iOS. The full version of the game was ported to OS X in 2010, published by Coladia. Also in 2010, the three-part iOS version was made available for PC as the Dracula Series. In 2014, the abridged iOS version was made available as a single game on Steam.
Dracula: Resurrection is a 1999 graphic adventure video game developed by Index+. Set in 1904 Transylvania, the game serves as a follow-up to Bram Stoker's novel Dracula. Seven years after the death of Count Dracula, Jonathan Harker's wife Mina finds herself mysteriously drawn back to Transylvania. Jonathan subsequently travels to Borgo Pass in an effort to rescue her. The player assumes the role of Jonathan and uses a point-and-click interface to solve puzzles and navigate the game's world, often with the help of an object called the Dragon Ring.
Dracula: Origin is a point-and-click adventure game for the PC based on the novel Dracula by Bram Stoker. Released by Frogwares in 2008, it follows the company's catalogue of adventure games such as the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes series.
Dracula: A Chamber Musical is a 1997 Canadian musical adaptation of Bram Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula. The book and lyrics are by Richard Ouzounian and the music and orchestration are by Marek Norman. After premiering at the Neptune Theatre in Halifax, Nova Scotia, in 1997, Dracula in 1999 became the first Canadian musical to be staged at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival.
Dracula 4: The Shadow of the Dragon is a 2013 point-and-click adventure video game developed by Koalabs Studio for Microsoft Windows, OS X, iOS, and Android. It was published on all systems by Anuman under their Microïds brand. In 2013 the game was released on GOG.com, and in 2014 was bundled with its sequel, Dracula 5: The Blood Legacy. Later in 2014, the bundle was released on Steam.
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"Dracula" is an episode of the American radio drama anthology series The Mercury Theatre on the Air. It was performed as the premiere episode of the series on Monday, July 11, 1938, and aired over the Columbia Broadcasting System radio network. Directed and narrated by actor and future filmmaker Orson Welles, the episode was an adaptation of Bram Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula.
↑ "Introduction". Dracula: The Last Sanctuary PC Instruction Manual. DreamCatcher Interactive. 2000. p.3. Retrieved February 23, 2016. London, 20 October 1904. Mina has just dozed off at last! Our long return voyage to England gives me the opportunity to come to terms with this whole sorry adventure. Dracula's plan was truly diabolical. He first ensured that Mina followed him to Transylvania, knowing full well that I would set off immediately to find her. If his plan had worked, Dracula would have won on all counts: he would have regained possession of Mina and before long, she would have become his queen; he tortured me psychologically by delaying my arrival at the castle; me, who had dared to stand in his way seven long years before. But far worse than that, once I was within his lair, he had his female vampires try to eliminate me in order to recapture the symbol of hid devilish power: the Dragon's Ring. This ring had been placed under the protection of Saint George, and Dracula used me to remove it from its holy hiding place because he knew he was not able to do it himself. He went to great lengths to ensure that I came across it on my way, so that I would take it and being it with me to the castle. It had all been planned right from the start, except, of course, our escape.
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