Some games pay homage to the Metroidvania style. The upcoming Romancelvania: BATchelor’s Curse, however, recognizes the tropes and clichés of the genre, and, to borrow a phrase, takes the piss out of it. Developed by Deep End Games, Romancelvania “marries classic action RPG gameplay with base building, reality TV, and romance”, and will launch for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Switch, and PC in late 2021.
The project also recently launched a Kickstarter campaign to offset the development costs. As a bonus, those who support the campaign at the “Let’s Get Physical” pledge level will receive a Limited Run Games-produced physical edition of the game for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, or Switch.
According to the game’s description (which reads like a parody), you play as the legendary playboy vampire, Drac, as he “slays and lays” his way across Transylvania. Reluctantly recruited by the Grim Reaper to star in a “reality dating show,” Drac is now on a mission to find the world’s most eligible monsters, get them to move into his party mansion, and restore his former glory by killing everything in his path.
Featuring traditional Metroidvania action, Romancelvania also features a castle-building aspect where you convince more cast members to move in, resulting in stat and skill bonuses. There’s also dating sim aspects thrown in, where you can date cast members (if you’re into that).