Milky Way Prince is a first-person interactive visual novel about an abusive relationship between two individuals, one of whom suffers from Borderline Personality Disorder. A love/erotic story, between a guy and a “shooting star” that follows players’ decisions, Milky Way Prince suggests that falling in love with somebody who suffers from BPD is like falling in love with a star. The more intense the move, the more unstable the person. The game’s key themes are idealization, self-annihilation/sacrifice for the beloved, and codependency. Reaching the Milky Way by helping the Prince seems to be the main goal of the game. But what is the price one has to pay? The character you interact with morphs his behavior/reactions onto the player’s “strategy”. This could lead to rage tests, love bombing sessions or ways to move compassion and to make the player feel guilty. The main narrative elements are based on variables such as the player’s submission or interest in the partner. Sex is both a narrative artifice and a way to investigate the other person’s body and psyche. The player can use three of his five senses during an erotic interlude. Dialogue slowly disappears and sex becomes the only way to have a “conversation” with the beloved.
Milky Way Prince was featured at Game Happens 2019 (Genoa, Italy) and Game On: El arte en juego (Buenos Aires, Argentina).
