Are there any video games that you have a love-hate relationship with? You really love to play it, but the grind feels a little tedious. Or perhaps you need a million Wiki pages open to start playing the title? That is me with Graveyard Keeper. Do not get me wrong, I adore this game and have played it on and off since its launch in 2018. However, keeping a notebook and many internet pages open can be daunting. Therefore, when I heard the tale of a game people considered Graveyard Keeper, but with a vampire, I was overwhelmed and intrigued. So, without further ado, let’s talk about Brocula.
The Plot of Brocula
After a five-hundred-year slumber, you find yourself rudely awoken by a strange vehicle ramming into the side of your castle. Before you can even get the sleepies out of your eyes, you are immediately hit with a large debt to fix your home. What is a vampire to do in a situation like this? Well, get a few part-time jobs, of course. In Brocula, players will do gig work at the local coffee shop, garage, and restaurant to pay off debts. When you are not working under the thumb of capitalism, vampire duties such as managing your cult and delivering sermons must be completed. Plus, we cannot forget the farm chores, fixing up the castle, and exploring this rich world.
Features Unique to Brocula
- Find meaningful work within the community.
- While the pay may not always be great, players can work in town to raise some coin.
- Fight bureaucracy.
- You no longer own your castle since you have been sleeping for five hundred years.
- Face the hurdles of reclaiming your home.
- Repair your dilapidated castle.
- Five hundred years is a long time; your home has become a bit of a fixer-upper.
- Work the land.
- The castle does have a plot of land that can be used for growing crops.
- There is also a fishing hole to test your skills.
- Crops and fish can be used in cooking or sold for profit.
- Do cool vampire stuff.
- Lead a pro-vampire cult.
- Conduct sermons once a week for your followers.
- Drink their lifeblood.
- Adventure.
- Head to the dungeon to take down baddies and find loot.
- And so much more!
Thoughts on Brocula
When I first looked into Brocula, I was apprehensive. This was mainly because of the comparison to Graveyard Keeper, and I was not looking to play an intensive game. However, after I got over my own issues, I downloaded the demo on Steam and dove in head first. Ultimately, I am glad I did because while the comparison is fair, this game is quite fun.
First, the graphics are right up my alley. The pixel art fits this genre nicely, and I think the color scheme is visually appealing. It is a beautiful game to look at, which helps with immersion. Secondly, the job gameplay loop is engaging without being too repetitive. Admittedly, I only worked in the coffee shop, but I found it easy to figure out the rules of coffee making and keeping my bat clientele happy. Finally, we have to talk about traversing this land.
At first, I was slightly frustrated having to walk on sidewalks and keep in crosswalks. I tend to run the quickest route I can in video games, and getting stuck behind pedestrians was not fun. That is until my spouse pointed out that vampires follow the rules. Classic vampires cannot walk into a house uninvited, kill other vampires, or disregard their hierarchy. Therefore, it makes sense that a vampire would follow the rules of the road. I am unsure if this was the developer’s intention, but it is a fun headcannon. Overall, Brocula is an entertaining title that I would recommend to lovers of this genre.
Odds & Ends
Brocula was officially released on Steam in May of 2024. When writing this, a demo is available, and the developer Destroyer Doggo appears to be updating and hotfixing the game regularly. Additionally, I mentioned Graveyard Keeper several times. If you are unfamiliar with that game, I have an article here. Overall, I had a lovely time with this game and look forward to digging even deeper into the world of Brocula.
