Vampire: The Masquerade – Coteries of New York Review

The world of Vampire: The Masquerade is a deeply interesting one. Set within a sort of mixed contemporary and gothic universe, it’s full of political intrigue, world-building, interpersonal relationships, and intrapersonal exploration. The world and its systems force players to contend with not only their humanity (or lack thereof), but also with the pressures of maintaining appearances, as maintaining The Masquerade is of utmost importance to your own safety and that of vampire society at large. And yet, after having played Bloodlines, trying my hand at the tabletop game, and even starting this title twice before, it has never quite managed to grab me. I’ve never really been able to grasp or remember the differences between clans like the Toreador or Tremere. I’ve never fully understood or engaged with the political system of its society, and I’ve certainly never found myself to be able to contend with all of the names and history of its individuals. However, after starting Vampire: The Masquerade – Coteries of New York for the third time, I’ve found myself enraptured by its presence — able to honestly and earnestly engage with the world and its trappings in ways I had never been able to previously.

Publisher: Dear Villagers

Developer: Draw Distance

Platform: Played on PC (Steam)

Availability: Released on December 11, 2019 for Windows PC (Steam),

January 23, 2020 for Linux, macOS, March 24, 2020 for Nintendo Switch, March 25, 2020 for PlayStation 4, and April 15, 2020 for Xbox One.

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Part of that likely lies with my own evolving preferences and tolerances over the years. Visual novels are not technically a new genre for me, but I haven’t ever really been able to enjoy them in a broad sense until the last few years. There’s also the absolutely stunning artwork, filled with enticing character portraits and gorgeous, shifting backgrounds. In service of that visual novel format, the characterization for the entities you encounter throughout the story are enthralling.

As Vampire: The Masquerade – Coteries of New York is a visual novel, and I am not being tasked with engaging with difficult to interpret mechanical systems. I don’t need to know the ins and outs of the world to craft a meaningful or precise background. While having some familiarity with the world may make the experience a little more smooth, it’s definitely not necessary. This is thanks to the player character starting out as a fledgling themselves, unfamiliar with the vampire society they have been unwittingly thrust into, and assisted by the game’s solid in-game encyclopedia.

There’s also the absolutely stunning artwork, filled with enticing character portraits and gorgeous, shifting backgrounds. In service of that visual novel format, the characterization for the entities you encounter throughout the story are enthralling

For new players, there are bound to be any number of unfamiliar terms thrown out in a given conversation. Those terms are, thankfully, not exposited upon within the dialogue themselves as Vampire: The Masquerade – Coteries of New York opts for a more natural writing style, rather than an expository one. When new terminology appears it is bolded in the text, and it shows up in the encyclopedia where the player can read about it in more detail, if they so choose. At first I found myself stopping to look up the terms every single instance they popped up, which kills the conversational flow a little bit. As I played a bit more, however, I got more comfortable with finishing up a scene or conversation before then going into the terminology section to read a bit more. If you forget how and where the terms were used, there is also a conversation log you can use to refresh yourself on prior events.

This can be useful for guiding your decision-making throughout the game. Your newly assigned vampiric guardian, Sophie, often does a great job of keying you into how people act, or what proper vampire etiquette may be, so having those logs is a great reminder to keep you on the right track for forming relationships and navigating the visual novel’s dialogue trees. Names, clan dispositions, and everything in-between is kept within the log — it's a powerful tool when used appropriately. But what does it mean to use something well in a game like this?

Vampire: The Masquerade – Coteries of New York is breathtaking in its presentation.

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For most visual novels, making the “correct” choices leads to alternative story paths or different endings and romances, but that’s not strictly the case in Vampire: The Masquerade – Coteries of New York. That isn’t to say the choices don’t “matter”. Your main choices stem from choosing what quests you undertake and with whom you spent the nights, but within each of these events exists at minimum several explicit player decisions that shape how those characters view the player character, and sometimes alter the outcomes of those self-contained events. What they don’t do is alter the overarching story events or ending in any meaningful way. In some ways, the freedom of choice in the “side” content can feel a bit misleading when you’re railroaded into events you have no say in, but I actually think it perfectly gels with the events of the game and world at-large.

At its core, Vampire: The Masquerade – Coteries of New York is a story of powerlessness. The opening moments of the game showcase that very well, but if you pay attention, you’ll see that the main character is way out of their depth all the way through. Every single vampire you meet is more powerful than you and most are also more cunning. Each has more connections and soft power, able to leverage their understanding of the masquerade and the coteries in ways a fledgling like you just fundamentally cannot. Most of the people you encounter are using you and the only way to advance is to let them use you in a way that is also beneficial to your goals.

So when that ending does come around and your agency is stripped away, it feels natural. It’s the only way this could have ever played out. You never had a full hand of cards, and you’re at the table with sharks. Your only option was to go all-in, but it should be no surprise to any of us that the chips don’t fall your way.

Verdict

Vampire: The Masquerade – Coteries of New York is an absolutely gorgeous title, with mesmerizing, painterly artwork that showcases the viciousness and beauty held within the World of Darkness. Smart characterization and moody atmosphere color the experience in positive ways, as well. Some may not love the way the ending comes so abruptly, but this is a violent and uncaring world. I’m just here for the ride.

Image Credits: Dear Villagers and Draw Distance