Nearly a year ago, the city of London was stolen away by bats and fell far beneath the surface of the earth. You are a dweller in this new underground realm, the Neath, and mysteries surround you. Who are the “Masters” who now claim to rule London? What happened to the Queen, who hasn’t emerged from her palace since the Fall? Who are the Devils and the Rubber Men, and what do they want with the city? Why did London fall in the first place? You could seek out answers to all of these questions… or you could ignore all that and focus on finding love instead!
Mask of the Rose is a combination murder mystery and dating sim – with a generous splash of both horror and comedy – from Failbetter Games. It is set in the same universe as the free online text adventure Fallen London, as well as the two tie-in role-playing/exploration games Sunless Seas and Sunless Skies. Although the lore of the Fallen London universe is rich and expansive, Mask of the Rose, set in the year directly after the Fall, is designed to serve as both an accessible entrance point to those new to the Neath and a captivating lore/backstory expansion for long-time players.
You take on the role of a Londoner – name, background, appearance, and form of address customizable – living in a boarding-house and struggling to make a living shortly after the Fall. When your neighbor, Griz, asks for help taking a census of the neighborhood’s residents and their various romantic entanglements, you immediately jump on the job as a way to earn your rent and figure out what’s going on. As you take census forms, you’ll meet Londoners, devils, Rubber Men, and even the enigmatic Mr. Pages, your employer – and you can find love with nearly any of them.
But amorous pursuits are not the only avenue available for the intrepid census-taker of the Neath. A fellow lodger at the boarding-house has been accused of murder – despite the fact that his victim seems to not be entirely dead – and you can choose to solve the mystery yourself or curry favor with the powerful in hopes of exonerating him. You can aid the devil Virginia in her political ambitions, publish scathing reports about Mr. Pages in illegal papers, meddle in the love lives of others, attempt to figure out what happened to Parliament as it fell, or simply spend your time shopping for the latest underground fashions in Hogslain Market.
Mask of the Rose is an expansive game that offers quite a lot to do – although billing itself as a dating/romance-focused game, it does not limit itself simply to that. This is arguably the game’s greatest strength, as it makes it endlessly replayable and avoids falling into the repetitive patterns that some romance simulators often do. Each playthrough can be genuinely different, and it will likely take players several playthroughs to truly experience everything Mask of the Rose has to offer. Even upon writing this, having been in possession of the game for over a week and played through multiple times, I am certain there are secrets and outcomes I have yet to discover – and I can’t wait to find them!
Of course, no romance-centric game can succeed without compelling characters. I would say that, for the most part, Mask of the Rose succeeds in this regard. There is a good mix of ordinary humans – all of whom are still adjusting to their new underground lives – and supernatural characters like Devils. I would definitely say that some are more interesting than others: Archie the murder suspect, Griz the Ministry worker, Batachikhan the Rubber Man, and of course the delightfully romance-obsessed Mr. Pages. Mask of the Rose does encourage you to choose someone to romance quickly, although you are able to change your mind later on, which I appreciated.
Mask of the Rose deviates from the standard “romance visual novel” path in that it’s not just about interacting with characters and making the right dialogue choices to make them like you. What dialogue choices and actions are available to you are dependent on the clothes you are wearing during the conversation. Some outfits are given to you depending on the background you choose at the start of the game – another thing that makes each playthrough unique! – while others are rewarded for completing Goals or purchased at the Market. While it can be frustrating if the character you wish to pursue simply doesn’t warm up to you because you aren’t wearing the right outfit, I think the clothing system is an excellent choice that prevents the “have conversations with your love interest until they like you” system from getting stale or boring.
Another unique element of Mask of the Rose is the Storycrafting system. As you explore Fallen London and interact with its denizens, you will learn Storycrafting Ideas: names, actions, possible motives, and more. When you return to your room, you can then use those ideas to form Stories about the people you meet. You can stick to complete truth in your Stories, or make up ridiculous fabrications. While you are certainly capable of making Stories just for fun, you will also be required to as part of several characters’ plots, and the Stories you choose to make will also influence the game’s outcome. I really liked the Storycrafting system, and one of my only complaints was that I wish it was used more – depending on who you pursue and interact with, you may get only a few or very many Story requests during a playthrough, and the lack of it is definitely felt on some paths.
I do, unfortunately, have one major complaint about Storycrafting and its implementation. When you are in the Storycrafting menu, you can make multiple Story variations about a single topic you’ve been assigned, such as Mr. Pages’ actions or who really committed the murder at the story’s heart. I used this feature often, as it sometimes took me several tries to get the sort of story that the character I was giving it to wanted. I would usually end up with three or more Stories to choose from. However, when I went to turn in the Story, sometimes I would not get to choose which one to turn in and the character would just pick themselves. This was at times extremely frustrating, as it could lead to me wasting a precious activity slot and, during one playthrough where I attempted to romance murder suspect Archie, led to me failing entirely to exonerate him and ending the game alone. I wish the game was more clear on this subject, as it can mess up an entire run.
Other than this issue with Storycrafting, my other complaints with Mask of the Rose were extremely minor. You can only save at the end of each in-game day, despite the days being broken up into three segments (morning, afternoon, and supper at the boarding-house.) I often found myself wishing I could save more frequently, as I was often conservative with my dialogue choices and nervous about taking risks because I didn’t want to have to reload my last save and lose an entire day’s progress. I also wish the murder plot was introduced slightly earlier – you can decide to romance a character and make good progress in your relationship, only for them to wind up dead or arrested!
I definitely want to commend Mask of the Rose for working as a standalone title and a great introduction to the Fallen London universe. I was very nervous about this going in – I myself love Fallen London and have played both the original and the Sunless titles, but I hoped this game could appeal to newbies as well. I am happy to say that it can! You can definitely play Mask of the Rose without having experienced any previous Failbetter games, and you will still enjoy it a great deal. If you are familiar, on the other hand, there will be lots of fun little Easter eggs in the form of references to characters and events from the previous games. It strikes an overall great balance and can be enjoyed by fans and newcomers alike.
The “early Fall” setting is a great decision, as many characters are still unused to life in the Neath, which leads to a lot of questions being asked and answered to slowly introduce players to the setting. This is definitely necessary, as there are so many moving parts within Fallen London’s setting (Masters, Devils, Rubber Men, strange new laws, the Queen’s disappearance… the list goes on!) I also like the inclusion of flashbacks to the day of the Fall – you can have one flashback per day, and it does not cause any time to pass – as this provides some key backstory about what exactly is going on. While there are definitely some mysteries that Mask of the Rose does not answer due to its more narrow focus on a specific group of characters and set of events, you likely won’t find yourself feeling confused or frustrated when it to an end.
One final note that I would like to make: as with previous Failbetter titles, Mask of the Rose is completely accepting of queer romance and nonbinary genders, and handles these topics with care and respect. Your player character can be a Mrs./Ms. or a Mr., but they can also be a Captain, Lord, or even Reverend – no gender required! Most characters are open to a romance with the player regardless of gender, and life in the Neath is specifically shown as being more open and accepting of queerness than London Above was. Romance also isn’t required – you can play as an aromantic or asexual character who is looking for friendship rather than love connections! However, Mask of the Rose also delves into realistic issues of gender and queerness during the Victorian era. Constable Harjit is initially forced to hide his relationship with his male partner, while Griz’s arc deals with her frustration at the forced femininity of her previous noble life and her appreciation of the freedoms the Neath offers. Queer players of all sorts will feel comfortable and affirmed in the world of Mask of the Rose.
Ultimately, Mask of the Rose is an extremely fun game that I would recommend to horror fans, mystery fans, and romance lovers alike. It adds just enough unique mechanics to feel distinct from other “dating sim” type games, and the characters and setting are dark, creepy, and genuinely compelling. Anyone looking for a quirky blend of horror and romance should definitely give this game a try. After all, you can’t spell “Lovecraft” without “Love!”
Kate played Mask of the Rose on Steam with a copy provided by the publisher.
