Genre: Action / Horror
Developer: Imagic
Publisher: Imagic
Year: 1983
Platform: Intellivision
Dracula places the player in the role of the vampire himself, stalking townsfolk under cover of night to maintain strength before sunrise. Set in a side-view urban environment, the player must bite a specified number of victims—either strolling in the streets or coerced out of their houses—while evading threats such as police officers, vultures, wolves, and the rising daylight.
The control scheme allows for movement and actions such as biting victims or turning them into zombies. Transforming a bitten victim into a zombie allows a second player to control that zombie, targeting the pursuing police officer. Alternatively, the player may transform into a bat to evade capture, though that form risks being snatched by hawks.
Natural phenomena also pose dangers: wolves threaten Dracula on foot, and vultures can carry away the bat form. Once the required number of victims has been fed upon in a single night, a wolf is triggered to chase Dracula back to his coffin before dawn—the player must survive this return journey to complete the round and begin the next night.
The visual presentation includes shifting backgrounds that reflect changes in lighting as dawn approaches, while deadly threats appear with distinctive sprites. The setting conveys a haunting atmosphere through subtle detail and gameplay that revolves around stealth, survival, and timing.
