Developer: Salix Games & Tea Clipper Games
Publisher: Salix Games
Platform: PC
Tested on: PC
Dance of Death: Du Lac & Fey – Review
Dance of Death: Du Lac & Fey is a point ‘n click adventure featuring Sir Lancelot Du Lac and Morgana Le Fey, two heroes from Arthurian legends. The game is set in Whitechapel, London, when Jack the Ripper was active in that district. Follow these immortal heroes on their quest in Victorian London to solve the murders and release the curse on Le Fay. This game has been developed by Salix Games & Tea Clipper Games, and was published by Salix Games.
Story
The story tells of two thousand-year old beings, looking young as ever: Sir Lancelot Du Lac and Morgana Le Fay, both from Arthurian legends. They are immortal, however, Le Fay is trapped into the body of a dog. She and De Lac Travel to London to find Merlin, so the curse on Morgana can be lifted. Most of the story takes place in Whitechapel, a part of London, around 1890. In this time, a horrendous killer was active in this area; nicknamed ‘Leather Apron’.
Du Lac wants to aid the investigation into this killer, and does so together with Fey and her unique skills. They cross paths with a woman wearing a red shawl, who appeared in the vision Fey had, which pointed them to London. This woman, Mary Jane Kelly, is a lone woman struggling to get by on her own, and to do so she sometimes accepts offers from men to spend to night. This does, however, make her a target for the killer, and many of her friends have been killed already. She will not stand by quietly and see her friends be killed, so she also mingles into the investigation of Leather Apron.
You’ll be able to play Du Lac & Fey, and also Mary. You’ll experience their personal stories and see the gritty area of Whitechapel and its people in a different light each time.
Graphics
The graphics of this game look great! The game has a nice cartoon-ish style, and the environments are gorgeously designed 2D painted backgrounds. The character models are beautiful and smooth, and are wonderfully animated. There are many cutscenes which are all beautifully animated and delivered with an ambiance which fits the mood of the scene really well.
The (mostly 2D) environments and the characters therein don’t change over multiple days, which is a bit strange for a street filled with people. These people aren’t animated for the most part, which makes them stand out next to the 3D character models. However, it does make it easier to find everybody when you need to speak to them.
Sound
This game has beautiful background music which fits the atmosphere of the game. Different environments have different fitting music. The whole game is narrated, and the voice work is absolutely fantastic. Especially how Le Fay is voiced is fantastic; she’s rather funny and pretty sarcastic at times. She has so much character!
Gameplay
Dance of Death: Du Lac & Fey is a typical point ‘n click adventure, where you always search for interactable objects and people to talk to. You’ll be able to examine the items you pick up, and read things like newspapers and letters. Even unrelated text is fun to read, and often contains some hints to what will happen or who you’ll meet. However, it’s not just investigation what you’ll do: you’ll also see some action; fights played out using quick-time events where you’ll have to time your strikes at the perfect moment.
You’ll be playing several characters when playing through the story. You switch between Mary and Du Lac & Fey. When you play Du Lac & Fey, you’ll be able to switch freely between them. Sometimes a dilemma can only be solved by either Fey or Du Lac, and often you need the skills of both to help investigating a site. Du Lac can talk to Fey, but other people can’t hear what she says, unless they have some magical ability. However, Fey can talk to other animals, and as a dog, she can use her sense of smell to investigate. Her knowledge of magic also comes in handy. Du lac is a heroic and noble character, always wanting to help those in need. He’ll be able to talk to people, and use his eyes and hands to Investigate. You can make choices during conversations as well, but there doesn’t seem to be that much effect of your choice, although it is possible it does change the story in subtle ways.
The puzzles are very easy and the quests are so guided, that you hardly have any thinking to do. This game feels more like an interactive story. This isn’t a bad thing, since the story is absolutely great and you’ll be able to progress through the story at a nice pace, without getting stuck on annoying puzzles or on small items or clues you’ve missed ages ago.
Conclusion
Dance of Death: Du Lac & Fey is a good point ‘n click adventure, even if the focus of the game is on narrative, not on solving puzzles. The story of this game is quite intriguing, and the characters are fun and interesting. The graphics look great overall, and the soundtrack is nice and fitting to the mood of the scene. If you like story-rich games, you’ll notice you keep coming back to this game to experience more of the story and the characters!
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