Mask of the Rose
Release date: Jun 8, 2023
Developers: Failbetter Games
Publishers: Failbetter Games
Genres: RPG
Categories: Single-player, Steam Achievements, Full controller support, Steam Cloud, Family Sharing
Supported languages: English

                Welcome to Fallen London: a darkly hilarious gothic underworld where death is a temporary inconvenience, the rats talk, and Hell is only a stone's throw away. Thanks to an unknown bargain, London now resides in a vast cavern under the earth. Down here, the sun doesn't shine, and Parliament has sunk into the Thames. Queen Victoria never emerges from her palace. The fabric of strait-laced Victorian society has begun to fray. New Masters are in charge. Why are they so… tall? And always cloaked? And why are they so interested in love stories?                Even death itself has a twist here: the first murder victim since the Fall is feeling much better, and keen to see justice done. Unfortunately, as the doctor who treated him immediately before he expired, your housemate Archie is the prime suspect... Mask of the Rose is a visual novel, but might not be what you expect of the genre. It’s a complex social simulation, with a huge amount of player freedom. You can pursue love and try to solve David's murder. Or, honestly, you can focus on something else instead. For example: Earn money as a census-taker for the shadowy Masters of the Bazaar and ask people weirdly intrusive personal questions. Use the game’s unique storycrafting mechanic to develop theories about the murder, or just help a friend plot out her novels instead. Shape what others think of you by assembling the perfect outfit for any occasion, or confound them with bold and terrible sartorial choices. Or maybe you’d rather concentrate on matters of the heart? Find yourself a date for the city’s first Feast of the Rose. Seek enduring romance, flirt with devils, have a casual fling, focus on aromantic or asexual relationships, or pursue the affections of that mysterious, looming, taloned newcomer... With all this, we’re confident every playthrough will be different. And we designed Mask of the Rose with replay in mind: you might uncover the true murderer your first time through, but the why of it is a deeper secret. Will you be a brilliant matchmaker, connecting friends and rivals while remaining unattached? Or are you looking for lasting love? Perhaps you're open to whatever comes your way? Every major storyline is accessible regardless of whether your approach to love is romantic or platonic. Use an elaborate, dynamic story-crafting system to create love stories – and murder theories. Are the twists in the tale not to your taste? Then change the motive, the location, even the victim, and see how the stories adapt! Your past will open different doors for you in London. What was your life on the Surface like? Were your family landed gentry? Or did they own a tailor’s shop, or dabble in the occult? Your clothing will also make people think differently of you. Your outfits open new possibilities in conversation: be bolder, more commanding, more flirtatious. Ingratiate yourself with London's inhabitants by changing your style of dress – they won't be able to resist you in that hat! You'll also work odd jobs and collect resources which will open new avenues in social situations. Your housemate Griz has found you work as census-taker for those curious new Masters. Fill your census-taker's notebook with intimate details about your fellow citizens and you'll find you can pursue deeper relationships with them, romantic or otherwise.              The possibilities for personal connection in London are different now. Thrown together in crisis, you might befriend or romance many of the characters you meet, from Griz, your assertive housemate for whom the Fall was a chance to break free of Victorian societal norms, to the infernally well-dressed gentleman at the Brass Consulate with the amber eyes. Archie For your housemate Archie, living in the Neath is terrifying. What is a medical student supposed to believe in when even the laws of death no longer apply? The Tentacled Entrepreneur Appointed emissary to London by the Rubberies, he's establishing commercial interests and extending his tentacles in all sorts of directions. Ivy Not everyone enjoys the Neath. Bohemian seamstress Ivy sees its possibilities, and they give her life. David Destined to be Fallen London’s first murder victim. When he returns from the dead, you can ask him all about it. He'd also like to tell you exactly what he thinks of his sister's new romantic entanglement. Rachel Rachel was halfway through her serialised novel when London fell and everything she was writing about was turned upside-down. Her publisher grows impatient. Fortunately (?) meeting Milton has rekindled her passion – for more than just writing. Harjit When the Fall struck, Harjit stepped up to help anyone who needed it. Now he’s settling into his role as a man in uniform, but the territory is unfamiliar – and, secretly, he has a missing person of his own to find. Griz For your fellow lodger Griz, the Fall of London has been a liberation – the chance to throw off her corsets, dump the dresses and be taken seriously in a position that would have been forbidden to her when she was 'Miss Griselda'. Milton Milton is the amber-eyed host of a literary parlour with a scalding handshake and a prior address in Hell. He’s an excellent listener, but does he only want you for your soul? Horatia For a decade, Horatia has taken in lodgers and turned them into family. Since London fell, people need the security she offers more than ever. So when a man made entirely of clay knocks at the door, offering to pay handsomely for lodgings, she can hardly refuse. Mr Pages One of London's new, mysterious “Masters”, Mr Pages has embarked on the titanic endeavour of conducting London’s first post-Fall census! But why are its questions so concerned with the love-lives of London’s citizens? How do people declare their affection, in this fair city? How lasting are their attachments? Might a Londoner take an interest in a very tall, broad-shouldered, cloaked personage that leans towards the chiropterous, hypothetically speaking?              Explore this unique city in glorious, richly rendered 2D. Experience London through three seasons: the season of Confessions, the season of Yule, and the season of Love. Help establish the first Feast of the Rose, a festival of romance that will be celebrated in London for decades to come! For players of Sunless Sea and Sunless Skies, Mask of the Rose offers a chance to immerse yourselves in the city that founded this deep, dark, and marvellous universe. And for veteran players of the Fallen London browser game, it marks your first opportunity to visit the city just after it fell. But fear not: Mask of the Rose is a self-contained, compact experience and an excellent introduction to the universe we’ve been building for more than a decade. Come on in. Most things won’t bite, unless you want them to. Explore the locales, lives, and loves of an impossible city. Exchange bon-mots with devils. Investigate the first murder where the victim can testify at the murderer’s trial. And if you’re truly reckless, fall in love.

Press reviews: “Failbetter has made each relationship the result of lots of dynamic choices and details—the decisions you made at character creation, what you're wearing, what information you've already uncovered, your current relationship with that character—which opens the door to all these new possibilities, rather than just giving you a dialogue tree that you can power through until you get the 'best' result. The reward is seeing this relationship blossom organically.” PC Gamer “...if the idea of getting your freak on in a world where tentacles slither out of mouseholes and rats build homemade guillotines leaves you a little uneasy, you can opt to pursue a platonic relationship instead. In a place like this, you sense you might need as many friends as you can get.” Edge Magazine “Like, sure, you can romance an octopus man or a bedsheet - or, like, a human I guess, if you're boring - but you also have to solve a murder, weave plausible stories with information you dig up, deal with your memories of the night that London literally fell, dress appropriately for trips out and about, and hold down some kind of job.” RPS