Mask of the Rose: Everything We Know

Ever since Failbetter Games lay the foundations for Fallen London, a Gothic universe that's been shelling out tall tales about murder, mystery, and malicious activities for just shy of twelve years, the studio has been longing for a way to cloak it with a second layer—another chapter for its visual novel, you could say. And as luck would have it, such a world has been developed on the sly, which just so happened to wind up being known as Mask of the Rose.

So, what do we actually know about this upcoming mystery dating sim? Well, a fair amount, thanks to its Kickstarter campaign having already forked out a whole bunch of details on its premise, gameplay, and setting. For now, though, here's everything you need to know about it.

What Is Mask of the Rose?

Mask of the Rose is an upcoming mystery romance game by Failbetter Games, an award-winning studio that has previously worked on indie titles such as Sunless Skies, Sunless Sea, and Fallen London. While staying true to its British roots, Mask of the Rose will transport its players to the mid-1800s, a period during which murders are rampant and romance is scarcely existent. It's your role, as a member of this deprived borough of Industrial London, to not only whittle down the possibilities surrounding the death of a local murder, but to also seek love in a troubled time.

“Explore this unique city in glorious, richly rendered 2D,” the officially description reads. “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!”

“Explore the locales, lives, and loves of an impossible city,” the description continues. “Exchange bon-mots with devils. Investigate the first murder where the victim can testify at the murderer’s trial. Dive into the sunken ruins of poor drowned Parliament. And if you’re truly reckless, fall in love.”

Story

London has fallen into a dark and dreary abyss, a place in which the Queen shies away behind her palace walls, the government stands on the precipice of collapse, and the citizens struggle to remember their former lives up on the surface. As just one of the many fleeting souls trapped in the Gothic underworld, you must learn to live, laugh, and love again, doing all in your power to play the matchmaker and reconnect the sunken city.

“The possibilities for personal connection in London are different now,” the description adds. “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.”

Gameplay

At its very core, Mask of the Rose bleeds all the qualities of a compelling visual novel torn straight from the 1800s. Its gameplay, which will no doubt play on this chosen source, will allow players to romanticize stories of their own, craft lifelong friendships, and play the matchmaker in a world that's mostly void of any heart. In short, this means plenty of dialogue, character progression, and fantasy role-playing. You know, all the bells and whistles that you'd typically find in a visual novel video game.

Development

The idea for Mask of the Rose was coined over on Kickstarter back in February 2021, at which point Failbetter Games made it clear that, while the funding for the project had already been accrued, it would rely on patrons and all-round supporters to help ship the product come launch day. And since then, amazingly enough, the game has amassed a little over £171,000 in funding, which has of course given it all the tools to release as a full-fledged video game.

Trailer

The good news is, Mask of the Rose has, in fact, already received its first sneak preview trailer, which was revealed back in December 2022 following its Kickstarter debut. Since then, Failbetter Games has brought several other trailers to the table, all of which have helped paint a fuller picture of the London romance chapter. You can see the initial Kickstarter announcement trailer in the video above.

Release Date, Platforms & Editions

Mask of the Rose will be coming to Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Switch, and PC via Steam on an undisclosed date in April 2023. Will it be coming to Xbox Game Pass or PlayStation Plus? It's hard to say, though at the time of writing, Failbetter Games hasn't mentioned anything on the matter, which leads us to believe that it won't be available on either platform for at least a year. This is, at least from what we've seen with other indie-led games, the usual timeframe in which games shed their exclusivity and plant roots in the aforementioned platforms.

Besides the usual question surrounding Game Pass and PlayStation Plus, another question that comes to mind is will there be any special editions outside of the run-of-the-mill digital copy? And the answer to that, in short, is no. But this isn't to say that Failbetter Games won't be toying with the idea of bringing said editions to the table in the future, though. Typically, if a game exceeds expectations, then its developer usually draws up plans to release special or collector's editions, which usually come bundled with both physical and in-game perks. For now, though, Mask of the Rose will only be available in the one edition. You can add it to your Wishlist on Steam here.

For more information on Mask of the Rose, you can follow the official social handle here. We'll be sure to let you know of any details should they come to light between now and its April launch.

So, what's your take? Will you be picking up a copy of Mask of the Rose when it eventually drops? Let us know over on our socials here or down in the comments below.