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Murder Mystery Mask of the Rose Officially Releases June 8th

Mask of the Rose Screenshot

Developer Failbetter Games has announced that Mask of the Rose is nearing completion and will finally launch on June 8th for Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam and GOG. This gothic romantic visual novel takes place in the Fallen London universe, just like Sunless Sea

Preview the latest trailer below:

The independent games studio decided to push back its original April release date by two months to guarantee that the game will run flawlessly and add more surprises. Postponing the launch also means more testing as well as a healthier work schedule for the team.

In case you haven’t heard, Mask of the Rose is a romantic prequel to the Fallen London universe. It’s a shorter game that takes place in a new genre and will offer a different experience compared to its predecessors. There will be numerous key endings, which means multiple playthroughs for players.

Overview of Mask of the Rose

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. Cats spy on their owners and whisper their secrets abroad. 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?

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.

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…

Key Features

  • (Re)invent yourself: who were you before the Fall? Who will you be now?
  • Create outfits from a selection of clothing and unusual accessories to unlock different story options
  • Fall in love with a cast of diverse Londoners, each with their own secrets
  • Matchmake among your friends, or seek love for yourself (by any definition you like)
  • Write love stories in a delightful minigame, and use them to impress the new Masters
  • Pick up odd jobs to earn money and gather resources. How are you at rat catching?
  • Solve the first murder since the Fall, with the assistance of the victim
  • Discover cosy, mysterious and magnificent locations in a dark and delicious version of Victorian London
  • Seek deeper and deeper secrets over multiple playthroughs

Looking for Love

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!

Media Screenshots


Solve mysteries and seek love from potential matches in Mask of the Rose when it releases for Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam and GOG on June 8th. Stay tuned to RPGFan for more indie game announcements.

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Tin Manuel

Tin Manuel

Tin is a designer and a writer by day and an adventurer in whatever game she is playing at night. She gets giddy talking about RPGs (specifically JRPGs), new releases, and reveres almost every female protagonist. She has two cats and two dogs, whom she loves dearly. She’s forgetful at times, but she will always remember Aerith’s death frame by frame in 480p.

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