While this is a game about the prince of darkness, it is by no means a dark game. It is a very cheerful experience for all ages; specially for the young ones. The art style is very colorful, and it treats the creatures of the night (be it vampires, werewolves or trolls) as more lighthearted characters with cartoony proportions.
The game is also filled with jokes and references, be them in cutscenes or during loading times. This idea of turning classic dark themes into kid friendly ones is all over the game, since you visit mostly ruined castles and damp swamps yet they all feel warm and welcoming. And of course, not all characters are based on monsters.
Story wise, we see our main character Dracula enjoy an evening with his wife, resting from all of the adventures from the previous two installments. While all seems well, he gets unexpected visitors from beyond the frontier; his uncles, cousins and nephews all come rushing in, making themselves at home.
With his manor suddenly crowded, Dracula demands to know why they are all there, and it turns out He-Who-Was-Locked-In-The-Basement has escaped from, well, the basement.
A fated lighting struck right on the padlock blocking His escape, and now he roams free wreaking havoc wherever He goes. The thing from the basement used to be a pet of Dracula’s when he was young, and only he could control it, therefore it fell on him to find it and restore order to the land.
Gameplay wise, this is the classic time management formula. You have a limited amount of workers (zombies in this case) and you have to send them to do a number of tasks on the map, usually clearing the path to perform more and more tasks until the level is complete.
Collecting items has no cost, yet more demanding activities will require food to complete, which can be found on the ground or harvested from fast food locals that you can repair. The food in this case is a type of blood burger, since making it brains would have been less child friendly.
Things that require more effort would be clearing rubble or building something. To build items, you also need the materials to do it, be it wood or stone. These resources also have to be collected, and much like the food you can find them on the ground or harvest them from buildings that constantly make the resource once they are repaired.
The key to mastering the game is knowing what route to take, and planning ahead to know what resources are most valuable at what time. Having a surplus of wood won’t help you much, since it doesn't carry over from level to level.
Finally, you can also collect gems. This is used to make certain buildings, but also to pay for bribes and services; this is where Dracula comes in, since zombies can’t really speak, much less barter. Gems are usually found on boxes and only in them, since it is rare that you would need plenty of it on each level.
The most important aspect of each stage is completing its task, with plenty of ways to go about it. Usually you would be required to get a unique item on the map and use it elsewhere, like a magical seed you need to grow and turn into a bridge.
Yet other times you will need to craft an item, a feature rather unique to this title. You will need to use the same resources you collect normally, but you can craft these items whenever you like, and they will help you achieve any goals you are pursuing.
Incredible Dracula 3 is a fun game for all ages, with its own colorful twist to some of the most classical characters of Halloween history. If you want a way to introduce these characters to your kids, or if you are a fan of them yourself, you should not pass this game up.
If you enjoy these free games, you will love this list of our 10 Best Time Management Story Games!
