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Vampire: The Masquerade - Shadows of New York

Plattform: PC Veröffentlicht: 10.09.2020

10,79€

Preis Update 18.09.24

You’re a nobody. An outcast in your own vampiric sect. A political prisoner of no particular value. An immigrant who never found her roots in a city of immigrants. A chainsmoker whose favorite pastime is staring blankly at the streets through the windows of a fast food joint at 4AM. The sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach tells you that you’re doomed, and distorted voices from the shadows seem to agree. The curse of your clan makes interacting with everyday technology difficult. Dissociation is your natural state.

But when New York’s Anarch leader meets a gruesome end, out of all the bloodsuckers in the metropolis, you’re the one picked to investigate. Make no mistake: this is obviously a trap, yet another move in the horrible game of Jyhad, the eternal struggle for power between warring vampire generations. But you’re Lasombra, and if there’s one thing you know, it’s this: if the Ventrue Prince and her followers underestimate you, they’re going to deeply regret it.

Vampire: The Masquerade – Shadows of New York is a visual novel set in the rich universe of Vampire: The Masquerade. It acts as a stand-alone expansion and a companion piece to our previous title, Coteries of New York. While Coteries was a general introduction to the world depicted in the 5th Edition of the hit tabletop role-playing game, Shadows presents a more personal and unique tale.

If it’s called Vampire: The Masquerade, does that mean you have something in common with World of Darkness, Bloodlines 2, Redemption, the cult tabletop RPG system, or...?
Yes. Shadows of New York is set in the same shared universe, but offers stand-alone experiences and stories. You may spot some connections with the other titles, but Shadows is not a sequel to any existing products. The World of Darkness is a media franchise and shared universe, shaped by various creators and participants, meaning: all stand-alone stories play into a greater whole. Berlin falling to the Anarchs during an official LARP, the Lasombra clan joining forces with the Camarilla in the Vampire: The Masquerade - Chicago By Night 5th Edition sourcebook, Sophie Langley’s plot to take control of New York in Coteries of New York – all of these events subtly influence and interact with each other.

Deutsch (3)
Englisch (59)

589 Produkte im Account

9 Reviews

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971 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 01.12.20 15:09

Das Spiel ist ein gelungenes Stand Alone zu vampire the masquerade coteries of new york.

Die Texte sind echt gut geschrieben und erzeugen eine Atmosphere die typisch für WoD ist.

Die Story ist um einiges besser als in coteries of new york, da dieses mal auf eine ausgebaute Figur wie Julia wert gelegt wurde die einen nihilistischenCharakter darstellt der schon seid einem Jahr unter den Vampieren weilt.

Gameplay ist es genauso wie CoNY , ihr erhaltet also ein gutes storydriven Visual Novel. Und wie im Vorgänger gibt es keine Srachausgabe Audio, der text bleibt English und das Save system beitet kein erneutes laden wenn ihr irgendwo game over geht.

174 Produkte im Account

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560 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 24.09.20 18:38

interesting game

336 Produkte im Account

33 Reviews

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484 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 10.09.20 19:41

Ok. Dieses Chose your own adventure Buch ist sogar noch besser geschrieben als das letzte. Nehm ich.

257 Produkte im Account

2 Reviews

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79 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 27.03.22 16:30

This game is so God-Dammed boring as hell. mostly dialogue, little interaction. Truly a step down, no a plunge down, from the first one.

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941 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 06.02.22 16:56

This visual novel is more interesting than any trailer of Mascarade 2 .

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25 Reviews

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511 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 01.02.22 21:25

This is a clear sequel to Vampire: the Masquerade – Coteries of New York, so do be sure to play that game first.

Like Coteries, I think Shadows of New York is an excellent introduction to Vampire: The Masquerade for any curious fledglings. Unlike Coteries, which features your choice of three almost identical, blank-slate characters, Shadows focuses on one interesting story with an edgy, queer, female protagonist. That's definitely an improvement in my book.

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14 Reviews

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207 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 20.01.22 09:13

I've read a lot of criticism regarding this game, which I guess is all fair: it is a bare bones, quite short and linear visual novel with two possible endings. The story is quite simple and takes place during and after the events of Coteries of New York, which does a better job fleshing out the secondary characters and the world they live in, but fails in delivering a satisfying ending after the extremely good expectations set during the first half. Shadows offers two endings, both satisfying, which is a huge step forward. Choices kinda matter in the end, but don't expect a complex branching storyline.

Despite their flaws, these games stuck with me. Shadows in particular manages to nail the Vampire atmosphere perfectly, something I haven't felt since the good old Bloodlines days: the soundtrack and artstyle are perfect, the writing is good, the characters charismatic. It's not a masterpiece, but it's just the perfect thing I needed to dive back in the World of Darkness and enjoy every second of it. It might be the perfect thing for you too.

345 Produkte im Account

10 Reviews

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427 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 31.10.21 13:03

This game is a love letter to clan Lasombra and a wonderful one at that. The writing is excellent; it shows that it was written by someone who understand the essence of being a Lasombra wholly. And although it's very similar to Coteries, this one is far less all-over-the-place, simply because your character is preset. This made it more concise, focused and emotionally powerful. Terrific VTM visual novel - if you're into Lasombra, you should not miss it.

119 Produkte im Account

10 Reviews

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586 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 22.10.21 02:51

If you don't mind being defaulted into objectively the best vampire clan this one's for you

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153 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 13.10.21 01:31

I'm new to the Vampire: The Masquerade franchise. I really enjoyed learning about the world and the court intrigue at the heart of the game. I appreciated the glossary, and it made it accessible for me.
I understand that a long running vampire franchise must have the experience of becoming a vampire in depth in their various games and media. The moral dilemma at the heart of being a vampire- having to consume human blood to survive- may very well seem trite to the creators at this point. However, it's a question that is absolutely essential if you want to establish a character with some credibility.
Because Julia comes off as a huge hypocrite. She detests the media agency she works for because they are unwilling to stand up to a shadowy corporation- only to join a cabal of vampires that is every bit as menacing and controlling the entity they posed as once she has a taste of power. She is set up as a decent person, so the decision to not question her turn is a bizarre one. Yes, she's suffered a lot, but her last human act was fighting for good. This is a character who should be fighting for independence or refusing to work for pretentious elites- even if it ends in her destruction. She mentions her family and girlfriend being used as hostages, but never whether she truly needs hostages to stay in her position. If she's going to change, show us the path of that change. Don't just plop her into the power structure involving some truly detestable characters and show her desire to work her way up.
And I found it hard to care about anyone. These are rich, powerful people with superpowers without much emotionally vulnerability to make them interesting. I didn't feel like there was being risked except Julia's place in the hierarchy, which I didn't think she should care about anyway. It felt more like chance to pretend to hang with the rich, cool vampires than any examination into what could be a truly interesting culture.
Also, while there were some non-white characters, I have lived in New York and it's far, far more diverse than this, to the point where you wonder what the explanation is. If you're going to set a story in NYC, have it reflect the city. This isn't even a politically motivated point- it just makes the story seem inauthentic.
I think this story would have been a lot better if we were able to direct the personality of the character more. That way if she were to engage in hypocrisy, it would be our own. It would make it a lot more engaging and immediate.

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63 Reviews

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419 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 10.09.21 14:39

Like the first game this is a lavish production with incredible art, atmospheric music, and a beautiful dynamic background system. I only wish other visual novels were as well produced.

Unfortunately, that's where the good ends. The game feels like a step back from the first through being almost entirely linear far more than its predecessor, with few choices of side-content, and that content never tying back into the main story. The feeding system is also seemingly abandoned and your powers a seeming irrelevance. It attempts to rectify this with the traits system, where choices you make predetermine things that happen later, but it culminates in another deeply unsatisfying ending and doesn't come close to making up for the lack of impact you otherwise have.

It commits the ultimate sin of being an investigative story where nothing except the last 15 minutes matters, and the key discovery happens off-screen and is something you character knows and you don't. It was further let down by trying to reveal a twist, but I was at an utter loss what the author was trying to convey and had to look it up in the wiki. The game has a dictionary to explain universe terminology, and then decides to stop using it at this key juncture.

Ultimately, if you didn't like the first game you probably won't like this either. While the first ends in an unsatisfying way, I enjoyed the journey and shaping my own story, but here I was too much a passenger.

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286 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 07.09.21 14:11

I don't understand why this is a game. Coteries of New York was bad enough, but this game doesn't even have the illusion of choice. You can easily spend half an hour not making a single choice and just clicking through endless dialogue.

The music and the art are really the only things worthwhile about this title, but if you're looking for an interactive novel or Vampire: The Masquerade game, do yourself a favor and check out Night Road instead. That game might be mostly text with a few character portraits here and there and no music, but at least the story is engaging and feels like playing Vampire: The Masquerade. I've played Night Road five times and yet just finishing Shadows of New York once felt like a massive chore.

If like me you're still holding out for Bloodlines 2 and this is something to tide you over, move along. You're not missing anything by skipping this one. At best, just buy the soundtrack and listen to it while reading V:tM books or playing Night Road.

254 Produkte im Account

2 Reviews

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272 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 05.09.21 15:48

Better than Coteries of New York. Starts kinda slow but picks up pace quickly. The protagonist is well written.

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356 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 29.08.21 22:34

Lovely art and a great story. If you liked Coteries of New York you'll definitely like this one.

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23 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 18.08.21 07:14

An entrancing beautiful narrative about hanging out in a coffee shop, getting fired and dying in an alley under mysterious circumstances. Not sure what it has to do with vampires, but a nice short game and a good read.

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413 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 04.08.21 22:06

A stand-alone expansion to Coteries of New York, Shadows of New York invites you to revisit the amazing World of Darkness and spend a few more bloody nights in V5 New York. The story follows a newly turned Lasombra vampire. That's right you are playing a member of the night clan this time, making this I believe the first time in a video game. Yes true, the game offers minimal gameplay so mechanically it doesn't really make all that much of a difference. Story wise though it allows for some nice extras. It allows for the more prominent role of shadows for instance. Also being a member of this widely mistrusted new addition to the Camarilla does put the player character in the fairly unusual position of the necessary evil. A catalyst for certain interesting dynamics.

The game takes place, for the most part, about a year after Coteries. Most of the cast from the previous game is back and we get to explore somewhat what happened in their unlives in the meantime. The familiarity this breeds is one of the game's strongest elements. There is some new characters too, including the protagonist. The biggest name here is easily Katherine Weise, aka Ecaterina the Wise. Yes, the agitator of Prague. Now that's what I call fanservice. The main plot is basically a murder mystery. It's nothing to write home about. The resolution is a tired cliché that has been done to death. At least it doesn't offend. I did quite enjoy the powerplay behind the murder mystery, unfortunately though both available endings underwhelmed me. I couldn't really quite accept either as plausible.

The game is extremely short. It can be finished in a couple of hours. It's also pretty far from great. It's no more than passable. If you are not a fan of the World of Darkness setting you may skip this. I'm pretty sure there are much better visual novels out there for you. On the other hand, for the fans, this is the short and sweet kind of experience. I do recommend it. As a fan, I had fun with it and I wish they'll make more. I certainly will keep buying them.

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214 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 04.08.21 13:47

5/10: So-So.

A direct sequel to Coteries, Shadows of New York dispenses with the protagonist of Coteries and replaces them with an established persona. Gone is your chance to select an origin story and explore a new vampire world, rather you’re already an established member of the political ladder now.

There are two endings this time (big woop) and they all focus on your actions (aggregated) over the course of the storyline. I can confirm, whatever actions you choose the story outcome is mostly the same, with changes being superficial. Again, fairly disappointing. Even the optional sections are just there to pad out the story.

Really, they should dispense with the pretence of writing a choice driven novel and just make it a generic kinetic novel in my opinion, because this route is fairly mundane, it doesn’t really embrace the strengths of the visual novel genre, which is partially why I’m throwing it in as a choose your own adventure genre.

Again, it is very short, clipping in at three and a half hours, which is fairly disappointing. There’s not enough new art, a lot of it is recycled from Coteries – heck, the entire cast is recycled here, so considering they had a lot of assets already in place, I was hoping to see something of a 20-30 hour epic with the resources on hand. I guess for me, having read many visual novels, epics and shorts, I need to be seeing more from this to elevate it beyond being just vanilla.

The story is okay, it’s a personal one, a political one with vampires, a few modern references, sometimes it tries far too hard, sometimes it is pompous, unbearably so. But in the end, it is just flat, which is a great shame.

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3704 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 31.07.21 20:27

Vampire: the Masquerade - Shadows of New York is a good game to spend an evening with. On those Sundays where you have all day to relax or those randomly dreary days when any kind of chore feels like too much. That’s when this game will feel just right. Getting both endings doesn’t take long, so it’s easy to play and move on. The main word that comes to mind is: simple. Some parts are good, others tiring. It works as a way to get into some of the worldbuilding involved with Vampire the Masquerade games, but as a standalone visual novel I don’t think it will appeal to the masses.

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58 Reviews

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477 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 19.07.21 20:37

I surely did make the right choice by waiting for some chill summer nights to play the game. Smoothly flowing story, superb music and Julia- who not just looks hot but also acts hot. 10/10

This one turned out to be a lot more enjoyable than Coteries of New York. The events in this game take up after the incidents of Coteries of New York, It was great to see all the familiar faces once again but mostly what hooked me was the main character, Julia. Though Coteries seems as if it's offering 3 different characters to play as ,none of them actually make any significant difference. And what's more is that all of them were dull sounding and looking characters, so I think focusing on only one character and making them so that they're potentially remarkable to the player was a good choice in Shadows of NY. Though writing might seem simpler in this one compared to the previous one, I gotta say that I prefer the recent a lot more. I remember forcing myself through some parts of Coteries to finish and be finally done with but in Shadows I finished the game in just 2 sittings, it went on very smoothly and it was a relief to not being obliged to go through pragaraphs of trivial stuff. I wasn't expecting there to be a lot of branching where we'd have to make major choices once in every 4-5 blocks of text so the amount of choicemaking that was present in the game was enough for me. I played Bloodlines prior to these two VNs and that's pretty much it for my VTM lore knowledge and this one did introduce me to some lore bits to those I was a total stranger of, which was quite pleasant. My only negative remark would be about the game's art. Not to the quality of it but the quantity. There were few scenes which were recycled straight from Coteries, why? You are making a new game, New York surely didn't remain the same way as it was back in Coteries. I'd like to also see more of character art, and more variety in general. It's a visiual novel after all and a short one at that.

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151 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 03.07.21 09:34

...I couldn't even finish it. I wanted to love it. Coteries, despite its flaws, made me want to continue the saga. However, the main character is so unbearable, I couldn't continue. She acts far too erratically, being overly emotional in inappropriate situations. It's frustrating and ruins the gameplay when all your choices get negated in a single moment. The overall plot and side stories are intriguing, but the dialogue and character choices are too discouraging to recommend the game.

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263 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 02.07.21 23:09

Excellent music and art, good characters and story. Kept me entertained for 4 hours. It has replayability, at least one more time.

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12 Reviews

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190 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 27.06.21 16:32

Something about Shadows annoys me endlessly. I think it’s because I don’t feel as if I have any control over the main character whatsoever.

Lack of substantial player choice (in a visual novel, no less) was already a problem in the first title after it became apparent that choice of clan, dialogue options, allies and so forth had no bearing on the story, but at least that game gave you plenty of flavor choices. In Shadows of New York the protagonist is so set in stone, more often than not, you don't even get to pick dialogue options at all. The game will just roll along, dialogue after dialogue where you do nothing but press the 'next' button to advance the story, sometimes for 20 minutes stretches.

That our main character is semi-annoying in all of her try-hard, goth vampire, fanfiction-y glory obviously doesn’t make the lack of input afforded me as a player any less annoying.

I realize a set protagonist can work in story driven RPG's - see The Witcher - but that is only if the player is given some agency in how they mold the details of said main character. In Shadows, no such thing is possible. You're just a powerless spectator in a narrative the developers apparently loved so much they decided it was better without my input, and so this interactive novel, like its predecessor, feels like it’s all novel and zero interaction, albeit for different reasons.

Because yes, I realize Shadows is supposed to have two endings which obviously implies some amount of choice, but after three and a half hours of scrolling through investigation scenes where the main character does all the investigation, sees all the clues and draws all the conclusions, I simply did not care to even reach them.

I actually prefer Coteries, which at least let me pretend I was behind the wheel for a while. Both games are, when scrutinized, all style and no substance, only worth a few dollars or so when on sale.

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566 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 24.06.21 16:17

Great writing, great art, great music, the price is a bit much for a text game, if you get it on a sale its worth it.

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69 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 21.06.21 06:58

I truly tried to give this a fair chance (about three times I started over), but I simply couldn't make it past the bloated edgy pick-me-girl writing style. On top of that, if someone actually managed to relate to the overbearing, navel-gazing, abusive, absolutely entitled hag of a main character, let me give this woman/man a medal.

Compared to the first game (especially right after finishing it four times), this feels like some garbage Mary Sue Wattpad fanfiction. It didn't feel honest, hating on it without finishing, but when the main character (yet again) pulled an unnessesarily complex string of insults out of her ass in an attempt to casually pick on an NPC, my frustration got the better of me. No one, I promise you, no one in real life speaks that way.

A special stab in my heart was Qadir, who in the first game radiated menace and danger, but as you progressed, slowly softened towards you. It was beautiful. Here though, Julia just straight out calls him an ass kisser in the first ten minutes of the game and he is fine with it.

And it’s not the only occasion when Julia gets away with calling names, insulting, or straight up abusing other characters. Considering she is a newcomer, and almost all the rest of the NPC’s are well known to those who played the first game, she becomes really annoying really fast.

It's just embarrassing. There’s one word to perfectly characterize this game: a disappointment.

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9 Reviews

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269 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 06.06.21 23:40

If you bought Coteries of New York, then you probably already bought this. But it is worth knowing that Shadows of New York is much shorter - 4 hours to finish, instead of 7 or 8 hours. It's also feels more like a novella in which your responses don't really matter much, even though the marketing claims it does. It's a lot of click-and-read, not a lot of decision-making or options. Overall, it's atmospheric and neatly captures the vibe of Vampire: The Masquerade and its clans of vampires. But it's a little overpriced for a game which only lasts 4 hours and has limited replay value.

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303 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 28.05.21 19:16

to much talking i didnt read anything story is good though

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315 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 30.04.21 00:06

Eh. It has a nice presentation and I personally enjoy Julia as a protagonist. But it's very short, especially for the price tag, and a mystery story where neither the player nor the character do any meaningful investigating. I also personally dislike the way in which whether or not the mystery gets resolved is determined by your moral choices instead of your ability to find and interpret clues, and, more nitpickingly, how the game objectively labels the 'evil' ending the 'Good End' and the 'kind' ending the 'Bad End', as if you're playing Vampire (or at least Clan Lasombra) wrong if you're not catering to the trite stereotype of being smugly, one-dimensionally evil.

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358 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 22.04.21 20:02

not nearly as well written as the original, a lot of slightly clumsy dialogue and fewer options and interest.

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279 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 13.04.21 17:59

Lots of navel-gazing here. Lots. Could not relate to the protagonist; I haven’t been a teenager for a long time unfortunately.
The story arch has its fair share of arbitrary leaps, and the game fails to build a proper Masquerade atmosphere.
Still, it starts with its own feel of neon noir and manages to keep it alive for a while.
The last chapters look rushed, lacking the nice faux animated background of the beginning, at least in the story line I ended up with.
Fairly short, get it if you’re a fan of the VTM universe, but at a strong discount or in a bundle like I did.

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379 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 12.04.21 01:01

I've felt immersed in the vampire underworld of New York and It's colorful characters; not to mention the beautiful artwork in the game. There's ample narrative content for the reader to be lost in the shadows of this visual novel. Give it a chance and you might enjoy your stay or the latter in which to leave the dubious world of the unlife.

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316 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 17.02.21 06:56

Built on the assets of Coteries of New York, including most of the characters and environments, this game played better than the predecessor mainly because of its focus on a well-defined character rather than the world around them. As before, the good was in the road to the end rather than the - once again - disappointing end itself. Going into the game, don't expect twists to the point of surprise or for your choices to matter. Approach it as a short book and you may like it.

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499 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 11.02.21 03:28

This one is finally good.

Introduction

Shadows of New York is the follow-up of Coteries of New York. You play as Julia, a young vampire who has been looked down upon, investigate the death of a high-up vampire. Many characters from the previous game return and are involved in the main plot. If you play the first game, you will have more knowledge of these characters but it is not necessary. Skipping the first game is perfectly fine since it does not require any knowledge of the previous game.

Coteries of New York is a bad game. In that review, I wrote about what problems it has: an unengaging story that hardly involves the MC (main character); too many unnecessary subplots (topics) with the focus shifting too often; inconsistent writing and characteristic; lazy artwork; ambiguous choice description; inadequate clues to pick the best choice; only one ending causing choices meaningless. As if the dev read my review before it is even written, all mentioned issues are addressed in Shadows of New York, making it a genuinely satisfying experience.

Improvement

For starters, the story is all about the MC Julia, not those side characters you care nothing about, which is so great since it addresses the fundamental issue I have with the previous game. There are some subplots in the game, some are kind of like hints of the main plot, some feel like portrayals of New York (or say big city) life. But unlike Coteries of New York shifting focus from topic to topic so often, the main focus of this game is always what Julia thinks and feels and it is coherent throughout the whole game. These subplots serve as a way to consummate the personality of Julia, so I don’t think they are superfluous as the first game.

Additionally, some inconsistency is addressed. Despite much fewer use of exquisite words as the last game, the writing is consistent with beautiful and easy to digest language. In both games, different characters use certain tones in their conversations depending on their personalities and social statuses. While the first game has some inconsistency when it comes to tones, this game does not have such a problem. What is more impressive is that even the dictionary (a mechanic that explains Vampire the Masquerade terminology) has the same tone as Julia, just like reading Julia’s note.

Artwork is as aesthetic as the last game. With animation added, this time it is much better in terms of number and variety, presenting the scenarios quite well. For choice design, on top of the clearer description, the dev removed the meaningless feeding mechanic in the last game and added the trait system: certain choices will determine Julia’s traits which further determine which ending you have. In this way, the dev made choices meaningful with different endings and worked around the choice design as these key choices are based on your free will instead of provided clues.

The Good & Flaws

I actually don’t have many negative opinions on this game. I like it a lot. That said, there is something I think they could have done better.

Julia is a typical movie rebellious lesbian character. It is a little cliché, but the dev pulled it off and made her a vivid character.

The dev handled two endings in a quite interesting way. [spoiler] The bad ending, as far as I am concerned, is actually the good one, whereas the so-called good ending is actually the bad one. [/spoiler]

This game and the previous game both have superb sound effects. On top of that, this game has a great soundtrack. However, it suffers a minor problem that the music ends abruptly in a few scenes.

I like a lot about the sweet conversations between Julia and her girlfriend Dakota and it is my favorite part of the game, but the conflict [spoiler] (single white femaling) [/spoiler] between them is not that believable. In my opinion, it is one of the two major weak points in the script. I mean, I freak out if a stranger pulls this on me, but since they are already a couple, their reactions do not make much sense to me. I watched the referred movie. Why it is creepy and unacceptable in that movie is because of the relationship between the protagonist and antagonist, which is completely different from Julia and Dakota. So expecting a similar reaction as the movie is unreasonable. Fortunately, one ending redeems this flaw by showing a rational and reasonable response, though the damage is already been made.

Another weak point in the script is the secret of Katherine in one of the endings. The game never mentioned anything about it in the process, like forgetting this character even exists. But at the end, the game suddenly shows Julia knows everything about it with a rushed and sloppy explanation, which makes no sense.

Verdict

It took me 7 hours for the first playthrough, another 1.3 hours for the second ending and full achievement with most dialogues skipped. I say it is a reasonably long visual novel and an easy pickup to kill time. Shadows of New York is certainly not perfect, but it is an easy recommendation to those that interest in visual novels and Vampire the Masquerade universe.

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511 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 08.02.21 21:50

If you like visual novels, and don't mind them being extremely light on gameplay (even for the genre), this may be for you - especially if you're at least casual fan of the setting. Otherwise, it's not worth a play-through or your time unless there's nothing else engaging, as a time-sink, AND you get it for free or next-to-nothing. I played through Coteries, and after about two or so hours into this one, decided it wasn't worth seeing through.

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571 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 08.02.21 16:18

My playtime: 9.4h (based on Steam, 100% achievement)
Grindy Achievement(s): No.
Optional Achievement(s): Yes (11 achievements).
Difficult Achievement(s): No.

Intro

Vampire: The Masquerade - Shadows of New York is a sequel of Vampire: The Masquerade - Coteries of New York (my review), telling the story of what happened one year after the first game. It's still a visual novel in the Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition universe, with a new main character and improved features from the previous game. However, despite the improvements, some features in the first game are neglected in the second one. More on the review.

Pros:
- 2+1 endings that tell different story

Cons:
- A lot of filler monologues
- Side quests act as fillers
- Newcomers might have a problem understanding the game

Should you buy this game?

No.
Unless if you want to experience more of the [i]Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition universe and/or okay with reading a lot of monologues that have nothing to do with the story, I suggest you not buy this game.[/i]

In-Depth Review

Graphics

The game reuses a lot of assets from the first game with the addition of some new ones. Backgrounds still have the realistic look with slight animation on some people or objects to make it more alive while portraits are retaining the painting-like style with a more polished look. Some recurring characters from the first game also have their portrait redone, giving a different vibe from how they used to be.

Some improvements are also noticeable if you played the first game. Detailed scenes are added at certain points of the game, allowing you to see what was told in the narration instead of imagining it with the usual backgrounds and portraits. Some characters also have more than one portrait compared to the static, single portrait in the first game. While it's not needed most of the time, sometimes they prove to be useful, especially when you see someone opening his/her mask.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2388744723

Story

Basics
A certain degree of understanding the Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition universe is needed to understand the story, unless if you want to refer to the dictionary section often. A lot of vampire-exclusive terms will be introduced as you play the game without explaining what they mean, forcing you to visit the dictionary section to learn about it - there was even a point where the game mentioned a new name out of nowhere without context. People who have played the first game will recognize the person, but those who aren't will be left in the dark until the game introduced the person, vaguely. Some characters and events from the first game will also be connected to this game that you won't be able to enjoy the game to its fullest if you didn't play the first one beforehand.

Fillers
For a story-driven game, filler monologues fill 80% of the story. Julia, the main character, seems to talk a lot in her head, to the point that she kept on bringing topics that have nothing to do with the story. Not only that it unnecessarily makes the game longer, but they also tend to be hard to understand, especially with the heavy use of exquisite words. Most dialogues also tend to be long that I had to re-read the full paragraph just to understand the context.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2388722937

Side stories act as a filler to make the game last longer, nothing else. There are no chain side stories, meaning that everything will become of no value once you finished them. There is also nothing interesting unless if you want to know more about Julia's friends and what's happening to the world, which doesn't do much in the first place.

Endings
There are 2 endings excluding one where the game ends its story abruptly if you choose the wrong choice. The game seems to note the lack of decision making in the first game and introduces two different endings based on your previous decision. Trait is introduced as a component that will affect Julia's inner monologues, and with it, changing her decision that will lead to two different endings. Both endings are completely different from each other, with one revealing a twist.

Despite the unique endings, the conclusion feels like a joke. The game starts with a murder in place, making murder mystery to be the theme of the game. You'll gather some clues from the crime scene and interrogate every suspect at first although everything doesn't seem to matter in the end since all clues that you gathered won't be used for solving the case. The main character will state some facts that were never mentioned throughout the game out of nowhere, making it impossible to deduce the perpetrator. There is some kind of twist in it, but the ridiculous conclusion to the murder mystery gave a bitter taste to my experience.

The Game

Choices
Different dialogue choices are available throughout the game, although not necessary. The game allows you to answer from a series of options sometimes, which don't seem to affect anything. Most choices only affect the next few dialogues in the game and unlike the first game, you won't get any extra info out of it - all choices will lead you to a slightly different answer from each other. There are only several dialogue choices that matters, which are related to the Trait mechanic that I had mentioned previously.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2388722888

Length and Replayability
I finished the game in 6.2h and spent the rest of my playtime obtaining the other endings. The game can be finished faster if not for the useless monologue and side quests, which doesn't affect the main story. It's still worth playing the game for a second time though to unlock the other ending, or maybe a third time if you want to unlock all endings.

Specs

Intel Core i5-9300H 2.40GHz, 8GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650

Conclusion

The lack of relationships in this game makes the story feels empty. I enjoyed the relationships between all characters in the first game, despite what happened in the ending. However, most conversations in this game come from your inner monologue with a lot of fillers in it. There's another person that the main character interacted with, and although I enjoyed their private time together, it feels too short, especially with their conversations being redundant at first.

This game doesn't interest me as much as the first game, somehow. Sometimes, the wording feels alien to me, especially with the use of exquisite words and references that I didn't get. Additionally, some people are talking too much that it took a lot of dialogue boxes just to explain something - I had to reread the whole paragraph after losing focus most of the time due to the wording. It makes me feel that the story was written by someone else because of it.

Zitat:

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664 Produkte im Account

106 Reviews

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214 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 08.02.21 14:47

buy it on sale or on a fanatical bundle. i was expecting better writing and a lot more branching paths than what we eventually got.

3154 Produkte im Account

165 Reviews

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185 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 07.02.21 12:02

Coming back for seconds after not being impressed by Coteries of New York does sound like me, but in this case I was pleasantly surprised by Shadows of New York. I think playing more to its strengths as a Visual Novel was what ended up working in game's favor. Top shelf production for the genre notwithstanding, of course.

Following her stint as a very mortal journalist we see Julia Sowinski get embraced into a newly-minted Camarilla clan Lasombra. Provided you have any familiarity with Vampire: the Masquerade this is already a hook beyond belief seeing as clan switched allegiances and narratively you're a solitary Turncoat in New York. What follows is Julia getting assigned a task to resolve a murder mystery of a disliked elder and seemingly set up for failure by the Prince. I wouldn't say playing the previous game is mandatory, but you'll strongly benefit if you have seeing as almost all characters make a return and current crisis is set after Coteries. If anything it's once again a showpiece of Camarilla politics and World of Darkness itself.

So what actually sets Shadows of New York above the last game for me? How it really isn't trying to deliver crunch-based mechanics only to half-ass them in the attempt. Protagonist is fixed and has a fleshed out personality of her own. Not that I'm a fan of this whole “alternative, whiny millennial” mindset, but it grounds a character who has a lot to say about the contemporary world. Strawberry jam aka Hunger mechanic is a non-issue here which in turns leads to more liberal use of Disciplines and not worrying about feeding crippling your options. I was surprised by how decisions you make throughout the game actually build up to one of the two endings, though. This time around endings truly ARE meaningfully different.

Some surprising callbacks to Redemption of all games perhaps endeared Shadows of New York to me more than it deserves, but in a sense it embodies the new roleplaying edition rather well – an intimate journey with your own shadows.

575 Produkte im Account

28 Reviews

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396 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 04.02.21 09:21

I got this game off of Humnle monthly and as a fan of Vampire The Masquerade: Bloodlines i booted it up.

The game is a competent visual novel with murder mystery / slice of life vibe and i can say i honestly enjoyed it. I enjoyed it enough to grind out both endings to see what the differences in choices make. So definitely worth your time.

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606 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 27.01.21 07:42

All in all, a truly decedent vampire tale from start to finish. So far I've unlocked both bad and good endings and honestly? I'm hooked. In this game you can expect a visual novel style approach with the occasional decision to make. Some decisions unlock different story lines to read while others will mark your character based on what you choose. Will you cower in the shadows or rise to grasp all the power you can imagine? One way to find out.

1316 Produkte im Account

66 Reviews

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7 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 21.01.21 01:06

Clicking, Clicking sounds, lots of type lots of pages, background noise, no dialog speaking sounds, no music, Clicking, Clicking sounds, and more Clicking... ... ...

87 Produkte im Account

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460 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 19.01.21 21:58

Superbly written, illustrated and scored, love the characters, there are some nice twists and satisfying endings, criticisms of not enough branches in story may be valid, but as a visual novel it is gripping and drenched in atmosphere. Absolutely loved it, though those looking for a lot of game play options rather than great story may be less impressed.

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260 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 16.01.21 15:32

Fun story and it did a good job of helping and explaining things to those brand new to this world.

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55 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 15.01.21 13:28

Just a few minutes in and the writing seems to be done by a thirteen year old. The writing is not only very colloquial and grammatically poor, but the attempt to be edgy with a very rudimentary sense of justice makes the story seem very juvenile from the start. The overuse of Deus Ex Machina, and other logically shallow turn of events leaves one desiring more depth. That being said the artwork is quite beautiful, and is unique, but past that the user interface has not been transformed to set it apart from other works of the same nature. The game is not so much a game, but more of a visual novel, which is perfectly fine; however, a visual novel is two key components of the story and the art, and misses the mark on the narrative.

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7 Reviews

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228 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 09.01.21 20:40

~15 backgrounds only for 16:9. Only 2 plot branches.

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2 Reviews

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197 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 06.01.21 15:24

Interesting novel/text based game.

Not exactly addictive but definitely interesting. Personally I play for relatively short bursts before playing something else but the style/aesthetic is good and the characters intriguing (some more than others).

If you like grungey/goth aesthetic, vampires & lore then I recommend this.

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253 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 06.01.21 06:09

well written, at the very least you'll get some good japanese movie recommendations

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77 Reviews

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241 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 05.01.21 22:21

Wow, that was an interesting story and a surprisingly good experience. I'd say it's much better than the first game, and I liked that one too back then. I'm happy with the small nodes to the previous story and characters too, not too intrusive and you can enjoy the game without playing the prequel. In the end I guess I got the good ending, if there's such a thing in Masquerade. Hope there's a sequel one day.

831 Produkte im Account

3 Reviews

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251 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 24.12.20 10:27

Visually it's an improvement over Coteries of New York, animated backgrounds just make the already stunning art really pop out. Characters also look more defined, as if the artist matured into working with VtM material.
Music is almost on par with Coteries but feels like it's lost its bite. It's there but it's dangerously close to generic while Coteries made me think I'm playing something Bloodlines adjacent.

The gameplay is identical to Coteries, its a visual novel, you read a lot of text and make a few choices here and there. The introduction of traits was a nice touch that IMO replaced character creation quite well. You develop your nosy kindred along the way, always a plus.
Storywise, hey, not bad, cute little sequel to Coteries, shows us a side of the Masquerade not many know about. Kindred accountants anyone?

If you read this far then you think 'Ok so why did you give it a thumbs down if you like it so much. Well, the reason is quite annoying. Just like the 5th edition this game is based on, there's the inevitable preachy moment to make sure you conform to the current social situation. In this case the story takes a sharp turn into 'Religious country bad. Persecuting homosexuals bad. Religious country bad. BAD.' Yes... we are aware of it. Sure there's people that still live in the 1860's but for the love of Cain, read my pixels.
WE. DON'T. NEED. PREACHY. GAMES.

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4 Reviews

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340 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 15.12.20 10:27

★★★☆☆

After playing through the first game of the series, I was super excited to get my hands on the sequel. Unfortunately, it's not as good.

[+]⠀The story is quite interesting as it revolves around a strange murder investigation. The main character, Julia, is as badass as you would expect a Lasombra vampire to be. The backgrounds, while being mostly recycled from the first game, are all spectacular.

[-]⠀Shadows of New York plays more like a kinetic VN with seemingly insignificant choices that actually matter since they determine which of the two real endings you'll get. The side stories are very short and forgettable. The other characters are not nearly as fleshed out as they were in Coteries of New York.

172 Produkte im Account

1 Reviews

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262 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 13.12.20 12:37

I just finished my first full playthrough.
I like the story and how it progresses.
I will definitely be playing it again.

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1055 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 03.12.20 23:40

You don't have much Control over the story but it does Tell you a good one

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263 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 30.11.20 13:45

+
Great art style
Amazing Soundtrack
Interesting overall story

-
'Characters' feel bland. All charatcers (no matter if hobo or Prince) are super eloquent. All the time. You couldn't point out who you are reading atm if you didn't have a picture and the name on the screen, because everyone speaks in the same way. I made snippets of text and gave them to my friends, they could not tell me who is speaking as there is nothing to differentiate the characters with
A LOT of pop culture references. A LOT. it is really annoying, especially when they are just placed in every third sentence. Half of them I didn't even get as I don't follow popular tv shows or music...
Very little choices. You are there to investigate a murder and question people, but you can't pick really what to ask, who to question and what to look for in the murder room
Even after the conclusion, I still don't understand what really happened with the victim
I also didn't really get what the problem with the ghoul was (aside fromthe bad pop culture refs she splurted out every second sentence)
I often zoned out because of the amount of text in the game, that says absolutely nothing. It's like reading a very boring novel.

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2 Reviews

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456 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 29.11.20 09:13

Great story, art and soundtrack. Satisfied my hunger for VtM games.

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70 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 26.11.20 04:35

Chilling game for rainy days.

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612 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 26.11.20 00:11

Shadows of New York takes place after the events of Coteries of New York and continues that overarching plot of vampire high society scheming in the shadows with the fledglings being little more than pieces on the board. Shadows, in my opinion, is much better than Coteries. How is it better? The narrative is better, the protagonist is more interesting and relatable, and the Lasombra are a far more interesting clan than anything on offer in Coteries. Shadows also introduces multiple endings that are determined by certain choices that end up giving you character traits. The traits themselves are minor but they do contribute to the development of Julia as a character with free will caught in a game she has little chance of winning.

All of this said, I would recommend playing both games just to get the full story from multiple perspectives and at multiple points in time. If you have to choose just one I'd choose this one but expect to be in the dark about some past events.

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45 Reviews

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751 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 01.11.20 20:45

Vampire: The Masquerade – Shadows of New York weaves a familiar tale. Yet it is not a tale familiar out of triteness, but rather in its bleak and despairing contemporaneity. Shadows of New York artfully depicts our 2020 hell-scape, holds it up as a mirror and doesn’t so much ask whether or not we’re fucked as yell it in our faces.

It is a tale of a debauched, grotesquely wealthy elite presiding over a city of broken, desperate people, haunted by an impending apocalypse—climate-induced, technological, viral, pick your horror—precious few seem inclined to curtail, let alone prevent.

And this apocalypse cares not a whit for whether you’re human or vampire; after all, Kindred were once human themselves, and its ruling body, the Camarilla—so intent on maintaining the status quo at all costs—a potent metaphor for a global system that refuses to change, adapt, or evolve.

Even when everything is at stake (soz).

Shadows of New York is a game about politics and the way politics is infused into every facet of our beings. The boldness of its narrative impressed and enthralled me, and I want more of it in my games in these oh-so-urgent times of ours.

That being said, it’s a difficult prospect writing a story of ‘now’, and one I’ve always been inclined to stay clear of. It runs the risk of trying to capture those defining moments, those shocking turning-points in the historical narrative unfolding in real-time, and rendering them shallow, even cringe-inducing, as some level of distance is always necessary to properly understand it.

Somehow Shadows of New York avoids these pitfalls, managing to feel at one with both the lore of the vast world it takes place in and our own fraught, ruptured reality.

Sadly, that’s all just texture for the most part. Whilst the writing is solid, demonstrating a strong understanding of the culture wars currently being fought across the digital landscape and gratifyingly skewing towards the inclusive and progressive, it’s the narrative itself that struggles to assert itself.

Polish developer Draw Distance’s Shadows of New York is billed a “stand-alone expansion” to their Coteries of New York, which was released last year. It’s a visual novel, meaning the story is told purely through text and the captivating backdrops each character scene provides.

The expansion takes you back to the Big Apple, but this time you’re playing as a newly-inaugurated member of the Lasombra Clan, one Julia Sowinski. The Lasombra, an aristocratic clan that derive pleasure in exerting power over others, are known for casting no reflections—they are visible only to the naked eye. In an increasingly digital world, that’s quite an interesting wrinkle, especially for someone so self-absorbed as Julia.

When a local vampire bigwig is found dead—the ‘Final Death’, as it’s known—Julia is cast into the unenviable role of investigator. Given the deceased was the leader of a rival faction to the ruling elite, well, the investigation is going to be a tricky one. A chain-smoking nobody afflicted with a deeply vampiric form of ennui, Julia isn’t exactly thrilled with the role, but it’s an opportunity to climb the ladder—providing no one kicks it down, first.

And you just know they will.

As a visual novel, the narrative-driven Shadows of New York offers choices throughout the story, leaving interactions with the city’s inhabitants in your hands, at least to an extent. I don’t feel like there were nearly enough possible routes to take, with conversations mostly being moulded by decisions you had made earlier. That’s fine in the sense that it shows your (sparse) choices are shaping Julia’s traits, but a lot of the time it felt like it was out of my control and the path thoroughly predetermined. The game’s well-written enough to coast on by, but more input would’ve been welcome.

See, Julia isn’t a blank slate. It’s about how you want to take Julia forward from where she’s at at the beginning of the game; how will you use those base materials to crack the case?

She starts out as a down-on-her luck freelance copywriter barely able to pay rent, her entire life going to shit around her. She’s bitter and jaded, tired of seeing the powerful thrive and everyone else rot in the gutter. Social mobility? Forget about it. You’re a cog in a machine, Julia thinks. Hard to disagree with her there.

The tragedy is that once she’s inaugurated into vampire society, she finds it’s no different from the world she’d grown to hate, if only because it decided from the outset to hate her. The same hypocrisies, the same greed, and the same self-interested power-brokers. Only with a taste for blood, and lots of it. The game’s about how you choose to navigate this quagmire, but it’s only half successful in its aims. I never felt like I had much of a grip on the Julia I was shaping, which led to the credits rolling without my even realising we’d come to the end of the story.

The murder mystery itself is underwhelming and unfulfilling, even if that’s the very point (and I suspect it is). There’s a potent point there and one I will not spoil, but it’s simply not enough to justify itself, which left me feeling pretty disappointed by the whole affair. It may be that’s just a consequence of the path I had taken, but I have my doubts about that: there weren’t enough divergent options to take me to a truly shocking place, as the case is clear from its earliest stages.

The journey itself is visually enchanting, at least.

The World of Darkness is where the Masquerade stories take place, but for all its thematic gloom whenever it takes shape in the video game medium it is rich in colour, mood and texture. Troika Games’ beloved Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines was a murky, humid, noirish L.A, and next year’s follow-up—forget it, I ain’t typing the title—looks to accomplish something similar with its wet and dreary Seattle.

Shadows of New York, on the other hand, is an enticing mix of pink and blue neon hues—the night illumined by technological interfaces that won’t ever register Julia’s face again. And, every so often, the golden glare of an Upper East Side mansion where she’s never really going to be welcome, not now, and perhaps not ever.

A most vampiric form of ennui indeed.

Vampirism has seen many critical interpretations over the decades, one of which being infection, disease, something that’s eating away inside of you. Shadows of New York acknowledges this, but at its most audacious it compares it to the growing existential dread that permeates all of us in our divided, fragile twenty-first century. If only it had gone even further with it.

I wanted to love Shadows of New York. Its atmosphere is intoxicating, its imagery gorgeously seductive, and the writing sharp. I’ve even been listening to the soundtrack by Resina, with its dangerous, moody tunes that bring the imagery to life. The ingredients are all present and accounted for, but it just isn’t able to bring itself to a cohesive statement, which is so frustrating when it’s so, so close to taking hold of something more.

Maybe next time.

Originally published on the The Reticule.

111 Produkte im Account

3 Reviews

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252 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 20.10.20 13:54

If you're looking for a character driven, immersive, and well rounded story to introduce yourself to the World Of Darkness and Vampire: The Masquerade, well then play Coteries of New York. If you are already familiar with the base lore, current metaplot, and have a basic understanding of how things work in the world, I cannot suggest this game enough.

From the mortal introduction to the final scene, I felt like I knew Julia and was able to see a believable shift in her actions due to the Traits you pick up as you go. The story was interesting enough to carry you along for 4 hours or so, but really it's the decisions mattering for once in a game like this that kept me playing, and playing a second time.

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7 Reviews

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673 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 07.10.20 00:41

I quite enjoyed my first play through, However I attribute that more to my rampant WoD fanboyism than the quality of the title.

Second play through brought to light that the writing is pretty bad, and the fact that as far as I can tell you get 1 (ONE) choice throughout the entire thing.

I think the thing that annoyed me the most was the bringing back of the original coterie, leading one to believe that there would be some more light shed on the goings on of the previous title. (the opening of the first title certainly suggested that there was more to that particular story.)
Alas, that thought led only to disappointment.

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7 Reviews

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523 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 23.09.20 22:50

TL;DR: Clearly better than Coteries of NY, which I strongly recommend you play first, but not ground-breaking. Still, would definitely recommend.

PROS:
- They kept the dictionary function like in Coteries, which makes the game easier to understand for people new to Vampire: The Masquerade. A fun thing about it is that this time, the definitions are written from Julia's perspective instead of in a completely objective tone.
- It has a skip function for when you want to re-play the game or in case you lost your save files.
- Gorgeous art, just like in the previous game.
- The writing is better than in the previous game in my opinion. It's not just the style that seems better, but the plot as well. The ending did not feel as rushed as the one in Coteries, and it felt [spoiler]satisfying in the Good Ending even though the case you investigate does not actually reach a definite answer, because in a way it's better for it not to. [/spoiler]
- There are two endings this time, if you don't count the one where you die prematurely, which is not really an ending.
- Because there are two endings, it does feel like your choices impact the game more than in Coteries.
- Julia is, unlike the plain and boring playable characters in Coteries, a character with a strong personality, virtues and flaws, that feels relatable and actually goes through some character development throughout the story, which you influence.
- Just like in the previous game, the Camarilla characters aren't always seen as the bad guys and the Anarchs as the good and courageous ones. Each character has their own morals, motivations and agendas, regardless of affiliation. It's a perspective I think some people sometimes fail to approach.

CONS:
- Just like with Coteries, there is no Save function for saving your progress before taking on a side-quest or making a decision. This is a very big flaw for a visual novel.
- Another big flaw for this type of game is the lack of more endings. Two is definitely better than one, but doesn't quite explore all the nuanced possibilities. Three or four actual endings would have suited this game and story better.
- Your choices matter more than in Coteries, but not by much. Many dialogue options lead you to the same outcome. I would have at least liked the characters to act and talk differently to me depending on my choices, even if it didn't influence the outcome, but the ending you get really depends on 5 key moments in the game. Any other choices besides those 5 do not have any real importance.
- Even those options are very few and far between. It might not occur to you if you're playing for the first time and if you take your time to read and take everything in, but when you replay the game you find yourself holding down the skip button for ages until you have to make a choice. Even if you don't give the player a meaningful choice to make, even an unimportant one like an answer to a trivial question can at least give the illusion of choice to the player. But we do not even get that.
- This being a story revolving around solving a crime, we should have had more points in the game where we could try to come up with deductions and theories ourselves that could either be proven as wrong or right, but Julia's answers and findings regarding the crime are out of the player's hands and can't be influenced.
- Some character interactions don't make sense. Julia manages to fool and outsmart vampires way more powerful and experienced than her with little to no effort, to which those vampires respond unusually calmly and with too much understanding and patience. This basically acts as plot armor for her in order for the game to move forward.
- This might just be an isolated case, but my game crashed a few times, freezing my computer, making me lose my save file and have to start over each time.
- You won't recognize a lot of references and characters that show up in the game if you haven't played Coteries of NY first. Shadows of NY essentially takes place after the events in Coteries.

Despite its flaws and shortcomings, I would still recommend this game to anyone interested in another VtM game and especially people who enjoyed Coteries of NY in the least. Julia is a solid protagonist for her age in my opinion, and the story did not disappoint me. Not a lot of replayability to this game, but it sure is worth playing once.

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21 Reviews

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490 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 19.09.20 13:06

Cons:
- too short
Pros:
- everything, I wished the missions never ended

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15 Reviews

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210 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 17.09.20 23:42

I tentatively recommend this game. Weirdly, I feel exactly the opposite to many other reviewers here - I think that Shadows of New York is a far, far stronger title than its predecessor.

Coteries of New York offered more 'choices', but almost all of its choices were hollow and meaningless. This title's choices are also mostly hollow and meaningless with one exception - you acquire 'traits' which determine the ending. I found both endings to be wildly better than the ending to Coteries of New York, but that's an extremely low bar, since an ending where you're forced to dig a shallow grave in the woods would be superior to the ending of Coteries of New York. Let me clarify then, that the Shadows of New York endings are both quite good even in a vacuum.

The reason I hesitate about recommending this game is primarily because of its dependence on its predecessor. Coteries is a game that I wouldn't recommend (well, it's right on the border for me, which is why I won't leave a negative review for it). Its writing was far weaker than Shadows, and it paced itself horribly. However, almost all of the characters are shared between the two titles, and without playing Coteries, Shadows is probably harder to understand.

If the studio makes a third game, I hope they continue the much higher level of writing they showcased in this game and make it unconnected to the previous two titles. I think it would work much better that way. Also, based on the other reviews, they should add some more choices (even if they don't change anything) because the illusion of choice is apparently important to some people in their audience. I think this is because the franchise appeals to the Vampire: The Masquerade audience primarily (which has often been spearheaded by player choice), whereas normally it'd only be picked up by people like me, who are visual novel enthusiasts.

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245 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 15.09.20 04:53

Vampire: The Masquerade - Shadows of New York is great as a novella, but not much of a game. The sheer amount of clicking to read each new bit of dialog, with so few choices along the way, means I can't bring myself to play again. And even those few choices seem pointless. Its precursor, Coteries, allowed character personalization and a choice of side quests to make it worth replaying, with an introduction that could be clicked through fairly quickly. Shadows feels like a hundred just to get to the embrace, and a thousand to reach the ending, at which point the text leads you to believe you'll be allowed a climactic decision, but there is none. The character has already made it for you. Coteries led me to purchase Shadows; Shadows leaves me unwilling to risk buying any more products from this publisher. I say that with no rancor. It's just a disappointing fact.

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488 Std. insgesamt

Verfasst: 11.09.20 02:10

My biggest complaint with the previous game, Coteries of New York, was that none of your choices ever matter. They've doubled down on that with this game. It feels more like reading a short story one sentence at a time. The art, characters, music, and general atmosphere are all absolutely wonderful. I just wish the player was involved beyond turning the pages.