Dark Romance: Vampire Origins Collector's Edition > iPad, iPhone, Android, Mac & PC Game

Overall rating

5 / 5

23 of 27 found this review helpful

Relax and play

PostedSeptember 18, 2020

Dragmire

fromWheeling WV

Skill Level:Expert

Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object

Current Favorite:

Dark Romance: Vampire Origins Collector's Edition

(37)

Fun Factor

5 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

5 / 5

Level of Challenge

5 / 5

Storyline

5 / 5

this game gives a whole 'nother meaning to "casual". the challenge is still there but it's not to worry. I'm in chapter 5 sitting back with a drink and just letting the game roll on. graphics are first class, storyline sweet. It's one of the few games I could play again when I'm done. I am 71 Y/O and have had a stroke that paralysed my left arm so that I only have one finger to do this review. I ...Show more

this game gives a whole 'nother meaning to "casual". the challenge is still there but it's not to worry. I'm in chapter 5 sitting back with a drink and just letting the game roll on. graphics are first class, storyline sweet. It's one of the few games I could play again when I'm done. I am 71 Y/O and have had a stroke that paralysed my left arm so that I only have one finger to do this review. I wish I could say more but I'm tired and can't wait for the rest of this game. zzzzzzz. Show less

I recommend this game!

+19points

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Overall rating

5 / 5

52 of 72 found this review helpful

Love a good plot twist!

PostedSeptember 3, 2020

luvmy3bigboyz

fromState of Christmas

Skill Level:Expert

Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Card & Board, Hidden Object

Fun Factor

5 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

5 / 5

Level of Challenge

5 / 5

Storyline

5 / 5

The first thing I noticed about this game is the beautiful graphics! The colors are so jewel tone and the images are sharp and life-like! Interesting to see how this entire plot plays out since I've only played the demo, but I'm eager to see what happens next!

+32points

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Overall rating

5 / 5

28 of 39 found this review helpful

A really good HOPA game for a change!

PostedSeptember 3, 2020

abarrett

fromUnknown

Key Contributor
This "Key Contributor" plays, rates, and reviews a lot of games. We think you'll trust their thoughts and opinions about games.
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Skill Level:Intermediate

Favorite Genre(s):Arcade & Action, Hidden Object, Match 3

Fun Factor

5 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

5 / 5

Level of Challenge

5 / 5

Storyline

5 / 5

I really liked playing the demo of this edition of Dark Romance. There hasn't been a good vampire storyline for some time now. I won't go into more of the storyline since others have already described it, but I enjoyed it. The voiceovers were very good, the graphics were clear, and the colors were nice. At least in the demo, there wasn't a gadget or helper animal, other than the trusted owl.

I recommend this game!

+17points

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Overall rating

5 / 5

13 of 18 found this review helpful

Wonderful

PostedSeptember 5, 2020

tesamoine

fromJersey Girl

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This "Key Contributor" plays, rates, and reviews a lot of games. We think you'll trust their thoughts and opinions about games.
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Favorite Genre(s):Hidden Object, Large File, Time Management, Word

Current Favorite:

House of 1000 Doors: Family Secrets Collector's Edition

(278)

Fun Factor

5 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

5 / 5

Level of Challenge

3 / 5

Storyline

4 / 5

I love the Dark Romance series. Even though the games are on the very easy side, there's something about them that holds my interest and I must buy one as soon as it comes out. This latest game was very good. Played the whole game over a whole day. Lots of back and forth. This one took some thinking, however little, but some :) Game explanations were a little on the rough side, but I do love their ...Show more

I love the Dark Romance series. Even though the games are on the very easy side, there's something about them that holds my interest and I must buy one as soon as it comes out. This latest game was very good. Played the whole game over a whole day. Lots of back and forth. This one took some thinking, however little, but some :) Game explanations were a little on the rough side, but I do love their HOS in these games. The bonus chapter was kind of weak. I'm still giving this a 5 star rating which doesn't happen often. Please put your favorite game where the space is provided. I love looking up older games that I haven't played and checking them out. Show less

+8points

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Overall rating

5 / 5

22 of 38 found this review helpful

Sink Your Teeth Into This Juicy Tale

PostedSeptember 3, 2020

HeavenBound7729

fromOcala, Florida

Key Contributor
This "Key Contributor" plays, rates, and reviews a lot of games. We think you'll trust their thoughts and opinions about games.
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Skill Level:Expert

Fun Factor

5 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

5 / 5

Level of Challenge

5 / 5

Storyline

5 / 5

I love vampire stories and my armchair trip to Transylvania awaits me. No danger involved, thank goodness! Why are vampires always so handsome, anyway? Well, I finished the demo and purchased this Dark Romance gothic tale right away. It has been very entertaining so far and there is so much to take in visually, that I am playing especially slow. Don't want to miss anything.

The graphics have ...Show more

I love vampire stories and my armchair trip to Transylvania awaits me. No danger involved, thank goodness! Why are vampires always so handsome, anyway? Well, I finished the demo and purchased this Dark Romance gothic tale right away. It has been very entertaining so far and there is so much to take in visually, that I am playing especially slow. Don't want to miss anything.

The graphics have that notorious Domini touch and they are excellent. Nice and clear, saturated in rich color, yet still giving the feel of gloom and darkness that sets the atmosphere for this kind of story. I got hooked on the old Hammer productions with all their atmospheric beauty and creepiness. This Dark Romance tale has some of those touches. I do hope it also has a good, solid ending as well.

It is a busy game with lots of tasks to undertake, a moderate amount of collectibles to find, and music that fits the theme. The characters are attractive, good voice-overs and costumes are beautifully done. I think the music works well with the story and the sound f/x nicely depict the creepiness.

The HOPs are very good and I love them all to this point in the game, I am in Chapter 2. The puzzles are not terribly complex and the challenge is comfortable for me. Even at Expert Level, puzzles really perplex me at times. So, I am enjoying these and truly appreciate the reasonable quantity of mini-games, but still wishing there were more HOPs. I am an incurable hidden object piggy! A great big thank you to Domini for not filling this game with a ton of puzzles!!!

The special features are great as usual and the choice of game modes is especially nice, since it allows all skill levels to enjoy the fun. Adjusting the wait times for hint and skip is another feature I love. The map makes travel less of a pain in the rear, I am the impatient sort and don't enjoy lots of back and forth. So, all in all, this is proving to be the perfect game for me. Try the demo and maybe, you too, will enjoy this vampire fantasy. Show less

I recommend this game!

+6points

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Overall rating

5 / 5

102 of 184 found this review helpful

ETERNAL LOVE TAKES A BITE OUT OF A VAMPIRE’S PLANS

PostedSeptember 3, 2020

sunnyglow

fromLocation? “Staking” out the evil inhabitants residing in the Carpathian Mountains.

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This "Key Contributor" plays, rates, and reviews a lot of games. We think you'll trust their thoughts and opinions about games.
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Skill Level:Expert

Fun Factor

5 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

5 / 5

Level of Challenge

5 / 5

Storyline

5 / 5

REVIEW BASED UPON THE ENTIRE GAME
6 Chapters Plus a Bonus Chapter – Strategy Guide: 49 pages

STORY: Welcome to Transylvania! Enjoy your stay in the Carpathian Mountains as you help two star-crossed lovers fight an ancient evil. Play the tag team duo, Gabriel Dracula and his fiancée, Sabrina as they try to thwart a vampire, Tamash, and his evil plans. After his mother was bitten by Tamash, ...Show more

REVIEW BASED UPON THE ENTIRE GAME
6 Chapters Plus a Bonus Chapter – Strategy Guide: 49 pages

STORY: Welcome to Transylvania! Enjoy your stay in the Carpathian Mountains as you help two star-crossed lovers fight an ancient evil. Play the tag team duo, Gabriel Dracula and his fiancée, Sabrina as they try to thwart a vampire, Tamash, and his evil plans. After his mother was bitten by Tamash, Gabriel was born half human and half vampire. Now having reached adulthood, his hidden vampire self is emerging. Tamash’s ambition is to release Gabriel’s vampire self to help fulfill his dastardly plan. However, this couple has other plans on how they plan to spend their eternal bliss! Will their love conquer all and defeat this ancient evil?

OPINION: What a fantastic “horromance!” This Gothic, action-packed thriller is a fantastic addition to this series. It is reminiscent of the Hammer vampire movies from the past. The graphics are creepy and spooky - set in the vampire infested area of Transylvania. It is chock full of bats, garlic, coffins, spider webs, all set in a gloomy castle set high above town in the Carpathian Mountains. It is a lengthy game filled with plenty of activities. With the ability to choose the difficulty level for the puzzles, this game should appeal to both those who want an easy-breezy game as well as those who want more challenge. It is also chock full of collectibles. There are three collectibles with at least two per scene. I found most were easy to locate.

MECHANICS:

• Four (4) levels of play including a customized version.
• 39 achievements.
• Collect 15 pieces of jewelry and 15 morphing blood samples
• Collect 70 coins to purchase items for a salon
• 15 wallpapers along with concept art, music, and video sequence
• Replay 17 HOP scenes and 18 mini-games

BONUS CHAPTER: It is a prequel. Join Dr. Diana Helsing (character from the main game) as she battles another vampire, Marku. After her mother arrives home with tell-tale bite marks on her neck, Dr. Helsing is off to battle the vampire behind this. I found this a nice addition to the game. The game is worthy of the collector’s edition designation. There are five (5) HOP scenes and seven (7) mini-games. I found the story behind the game decent. However, I did feel that activities in this chapter were not as creatively designed as those in the main game.

HOP SCENES: There are seventeen (17) HOP scenes. All can be replayed at the end of the game. There is a Match-3 game which can be played instead of the searches. There is a nice variety of scenes as well. Most of the scenes are lists of items or silhouette scenes. However, there are matching scenes and storybook scenes as well. They are creatively designed and highly interactive. Most have some creative element which makes them unique. One of the scenes has the player searching for items in a vampire’s coffin. Many have multiple scenes in which to do the searches. Some of the silhouette scenes require rotating disks to combine two halves of an item before it can be removed.

MINI-GAMES: There are twenty-seven (27) mini-games, eighteen (18) of which can be replayed at the end of the game. Most have the option to be played in either an “easy” or “hard” mode. This option can be set within the menu; however, the puzzle difficulty can be changed if the puzzles seem too difficult or too easy. I found most of the puzzles thematic and well-designed.

SPOILERS: HERE ARE SOME OF THE MINI-GAMES AFTER THE DEMO: (E=Easy; H=Hard)

A. Switch puzzle. Slide two rows of candles – red and blue, so that the candles of each color are bunched together within their designated places
B. E/H Matching puzzle. Match up playing cards. Easy version has less cards to match
C. E/H. Maze puzzle. Ride a horse. Navigate a horse through snowy Transylvania avoiding obstacles in your path. Hard version has more obstacles.
D. E/H. Maze puzzle. Move a key through a maze within a lock. A big-eyed cat will appear as you move in the maze. If the cat sees you move, He will swipe at you and you must restart. Easy version has a lazier cat who does not seem to care.
E. E/H. Matching puzzle. Match up icicles to climb a mountain.
F. E/H Matching puzzle. Choose the correct tools to create a design on a loaf of bread. Easy version has less designs.
G. E/H. Assembly puzzle. Recreate an image on a grid by coloring in the cells. The easy puzzle has an easier image to recreate.
BONUS CHAPTER:
H. Strategy puzzle. Trap a racoon. Place bags within a honeycomb grid to enclose and entrap a raccoon.
I. E/H Lock puzzle. Using 3 arrows, move 3, 4, or 6 spaces clockwise or counterclockwise to land on symbols as per a given guide. The easy version has less symbols
J. Connection puzzle. Connect wires to light up all lights on a grid.
K. E/H. Strategy puzzle. Arrange tiles with numbers on them to plot out the number of steps needed to move the character to its destination ending with the exact number of spaces needed. Easy version requires fewer moves. Show less

I recommend this game!

+20points

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Overall rating

5 / 5

2 of 2 found this review helpful

Dracula isn't always the bad guy...

PostedFebruary 11, 2023

Old_Sepp

fromAhrensburg, Germany

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This "Key Contributor" plays, rates, and reviews a lot of games. We think you'll trust their thoughts and opinions about games.
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Skill Level:Intermediate

Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Match 3, Time Management

Current Favorite:

Connected Hearts: The Musketeers Saga Collector's Edition

(28)

Fun Factor

5 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

5 / 5

Level of Challenge

5 / 5

Storyline

5 / 5

... because in this game Dracula and his son are the victims of a lousy vampire.
You take turns playing as Gabriel Dracula or as his fiancé Sabrina to hunt down the vampire. And you get unexpected help, but not from Dr. van Helsing, but by a beauty named Diana Helsing.
The plot is exciting and pretty scary, and the appropriate background music also contributes to this. As usual, the protagonists ...Show more

... because in this game Dracula and his son are the victims of a lousy vampire.
You take turns playing as Gabriel Dracula or as his fiancé Sabrina to hunt down the vampire. And you get unexpected help, but not from Dr. van Helsing, but by a beauty named Diana Helsing.
The plot is exciting and pretty scary, and the appropriate background music also contributes to this. As usual, the protagonists are beautifully drawn and the rest of the graphics are really pretty dark and worth seeing.
The HOs are mixed, there is a mandatory search by list or there are items to be inserted. Some of the mini-games are easy to solve, but some require a certain amount of patience. There are a number of sliding puzzles that are not to my liking and that require a lot of time and patience to solve.
For example, you have to move two rows of colored candles to get a certain picture. Then there are the obligatory rings that need to be rotated to piece listed animals together. Or there are always two identical bats to be found from a whole swarm.
There are also 15 blood samples, 15 pieces of jewelry and 70 coins hidden in the scenes/images, which can be used to set up your salon.
Due to the sometimes difficult mini puzzles, the game was quite long for me. The bonus part, in which the plot revolves around Diana Helsing and her mother, isn't particularly long.
I really liked the story and most of the puzzles and I never got bored. Show less

I recommend this game!

+2points

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Overall rating

5 / 5

50 of 91 found this review helpful

ONE OF THE BEST GAMES IN THE DARK ROMANCE SERIES. DOMINI NAILS THIS ONE!

PostedSeptember 3, 2020

biscuitsmama

fromI’m not generally a fan of vampire games but I really loved playing Vampire Origins. Bravo Domini!

Key Contributor
This "Key Contributor" plays, rates, and reviews a lot of games. We think you'll trust their thoughts and opinions about games.
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Skill Level:Expert

Fun Factor

5 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

5 / 5

Level of Challenge

5 / 5

Storyline

5 / 5

Over the years I have played many of the Dark Romance games and some were great while others were not. I am happy to say that Dark Romance Vampire Origins is a terrific game. I enjoyed everything about the game beginning with an excellent storyline that developed as the game moved forward. The ongoing theme in all of the Dark Romance games is that the story develops as it is told by each of the ...Show more

Over the years I have played many of the Dark Romance games and some were great while others were not. I am happy to say that Dark Romance Vampire Origins is a terrific game. I enjoyed everything about the game beginning with an excellent storyline that developed as the game moved forward. The ongoing theme in all of the Dark Romance games is that the story develops as it is told by each of the “lovers” while switching between the two. In this case we have Gabriel who is a half human-half Vampire and then his human sweetheart Sabrina. Early in the game we are introduced to Tamash who is the original vampire but he needs the power of Gabriel to become the most powerful vampire of all time. The one thing that stands in his way is Gabriel’s love for his human sweetheart, Sabrina. As you play the game you will need to overcome obstacles to reunite with your beloved and hopefully have a happy ending.

I loved everything about this game, which was a bit of a surprise. I’m not a huge fan of vampires or other ghoulish type characters but I was determined to find a way to overcome the evil vampire so that my lovers would have their happily ever after.

As you may know I’m not a fan of puzzles, but I found the puzzles in Vampire Origins to be much better than the HOS. I found the HOS to be watered down with many of the being rather different than the norm. I am a fan of the original list type HOS and don’t care much for the simplistic mini-HOS where we must find a limited number of items to complete an item we need and, IMHO, there were too many scenes that were that type or ones where we much match items. I did enjoy the HOS where we move various rings to complete various fish to match the ones we need to find. That one was fun as were the larger list find HOS.

Every puzzle I played in Vampire Origins was great. There were several that I really enjoyed and maybe one or two that I’ve not previously seen. One puzzle that I haven’t seen in ages is the one where we had to move candles so that all of the red ones were inside with the blue ones on the outside. This has always been a favorite puzzle of mine and even though it took me a while to get it right, I finally did it. So much fun! Bravo, Domini Games because I think you have created a game that I not only enjoyed playing today but one that I will enjoy just as much when I play it again in the future.

When CE games were first introduced sometime around 2010, I was thrilled because they had the in-game strategy guide. Those were the days when I was fairly new to playing HOPA games and often needed the strategy guide to get me through the tricky parts in the when I was stuck. It made sense to purchase the CEs, so I didn’t have to leave the game and then open the strategy guide to find the help I needed. It wasn’t too long before the developers began adding collectibles and other extras to their games, which made the CEs even more valuable. Domini Games is still a developer who adds so much value to their games with all of the collectibles and extras. Generally there are several different types of collectibles to find and, of course, I want to find them all and that adds more enjoyment to the games.

With Dark Romance Vampire Origins, I don’t think it will matter which version of the game you decide to purchase because the game is great whether it is a CE or a SE version of the game. After playing the beta for the game, I didn’t want to wait another three weeks for the SE game to be released so I hit the buy button as soon as the game finished installing. I’ve played the game all day and finally completed the main game but have yet to begin the Bonus Chapter so it will wait until tomorrow. I am looking forward to playing that chapter as we learn a bit more about Dr. Diana Helsing who is a character in the main game. Even though I believe that Dark Romance Vampire Origins is one of the best games in the series, I always recommend that you try the demo to see if it is a game you will enjoy as well. Happy gaming! Show less

I recommend this game!

+9points

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Overall rating

5 / 5

11 of 27 found this review helpful

THIS WAS A FUN SOLITAIRE GAMMDDDDDDM

PostedSeptember 5, 2020

SHANNON_D

fromPARK HILLS, MO.

Skill Level:Intermediate

Favorite Genre(s):Card & Board, Hidden Object

Fun Factor

4 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

4 / 5

Level of Challenge

4 / 5

THE GAME IS SOMEWHAT CHALLENGING AND FUN

I recommend this game!

-5points

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Overall rating

4 / 5

29 of 37 found this review helpful

Cool game!

PostedSeptember 3, 2020

rhn2015

fromChristchurch, New Zealand

Skill Level:Expert

Favorite Genre(s):Adventure, Hidden Object, Large File, Puzzle, Time Management

Current Favorite:

Mystery Case Files ®: 13th Skull ™ Collector's Edition

(159)

Fun Factor

4 / 5

Visual/Sound Quality

5 / 5

Level of Challenge

4 / 5

Storyline

4 / 5

Based on the demo: I really enjoyed this game, you get to play as 2 different characters (interchanging between the two) which is a nice point of difference and the story itself is interesting and easy to follow. There's lots to do in each scene - jewellery, coins and morphs (blood samples) to find - and nice detail in the graphics. You can buy things with the coins you collect. It's a nice ...Show more

Based on the demo: I really enjoyed this game, you get to play as 2 different characters (interchanging between the two) which is a nice point of difference and the story itself is interesting and easy to follow. There's lots to do in each scene - jewellery, coins and morphs (blood samples) to find - and nice detail in the graphics. You can buy things with the coins you collect. It's a nice colourful game (but not garish or overly purple like some games are). There are also a lot of things you can interact with in both the game and the menu, which I find really fun (eg click on a person and they wave at you, click on a pile of books and they fall off the shelf). There are lots of puzzles and some nice interactive HO scenes. So far this seems like a cool game worth buying Show less

I recommend this game!

+21points

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	, share your thoughts about this game! Dark Romance: Vampire Origins Collector's Edition When the dead return with a vengeance... Heres what your review will look like once it’s posted. Click Submit if you’re happy. Your review should appear soon. To make changes, use the Edit or Cancel buttons. Thanks for sharing your thoughts about this game! You’ve already shared your thoughts about this game. Thanks for submitting the review below.