For Valentine's Day, try a dating sim that values friendship as much as attraction

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. Offering a condensed version of Act I of Mask of the Rose, you’ll be able to explore select locations across the city, introduce yourself to some key characters and encounter Mr Pages, one of the mysterious Masters who have recently taken over London.

Mask of the Rose will release on Steam, GOG.com and Nintendo Switch in late October or early November 2022, with console releases for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and XBox Series X/S planned to follow.

Notes to Editors
Useful Links
 

• Mask of the Rose on Steam
• Mask of the Rose Trailer on YouTube
• Fallen London, the original browser game

• Mask of the Rose is a prequel to Fallen London, Sunless Sea and Sunless Skies, set shortly after Victorian London was stolen by bats.
• It was funded on Kickstarter in February 2021 and is currently in development for PC and Nintendo Switch.
• Console releases are expected to follow for PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Series S/X.
• The demo of Mask of the Rose is available on Steam from 10th February, for Windows, Mac and Linux.
• It features a cast of romanceable characters which includes a priest, a doctor, a constable and a devil. Which sounds like the setup for a joke.
• Even death itself has a twist here: the first murder victim since the Fall is feeling much better, and keen to see justice done. Unfortunately, as the doctor who treated him immediately before he expired, your housemate Archie, is the prime suspect…