Vampire: The Masquerade - Shadows of New York Review

Vampire: The Masquerade - Shadows of New York is the 2020 sequel to 2019’s Vampire: The Masquerade – Coteries of New York, and shares a lot of similarities — art styles, gameplay, characters, and music. Even the basic premise remains very similar at the outset, with the main character, Julia, being newly minted as a bloodsucker. As I played through Vampire: The Masquerade - Shadows of New York I was certain that I would not be reviewing it. I am just coming off of having reviewed its precedent work, and reviewing the games in such quick order felt a bit like retreading ground. Something changed for me as I neared the end of the game, however.

Publisher: Dear Villagers

Developer: Draw Distance

Platform: Played on PC

Availability: Released September 10, 2020 on Steam.

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Beyond the opening embrace, the plot of the game follows Julia Sowinski who has been tasked to investigate a murder under the tutelage of sheriff Qadir al-Asmai. Qadir is not the only returning character for Vampire: The Masquerade - Shadows of New York, as many important characters from the first entry make their return as part of this tale.  For all of its similarities to the previous entry, Vampire: The Masquerade - Shadows of New York comes as an obvious improvement in some notable ways.

The most pressing change seems to be just how much your choices matter. While it is perhaps not the most reactive game ever made, even the small ways in which you can shape events and the character of Julia are a significant improvement over the previous entry, which saw the player have little to no impact on the player character’s personality or the events of the story. Your choices not only affect the specific outcome or flow of each encounter, but also grant the player traits as the game advances which will affect some of Julia’s automatic dialogue and inform her reaction to the things happening around her. As she comes to terms with the ever-shifting kindred political landscape, she is also coming to terms with herself, learning more about who she is as a protégé, as a lover, and as a person.

What hasn’t changed when compared to the first entry, as mentioned earlier, is the game’s art style. This is a double-edged sword for several reasons. First, the consistency does make this feel like a true sequel or sister game to Vampire: The Masquerade – Coteries of New York. The artwork and aesthetic remains gorgeous, with those painted portraits and backgrounds remaining a standout feature of the game. However, many assets are reused from the first title, such as a large number of locations and character portraits. With there being a few years between the two titles (in-game, at least), you would expect some change, at least. Hell, even an outfit change would benefit some of the cast. That said, the new portraits and locations fit right in, forming a cohesive work in this regard.

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The “play” element remains almost entirely the same as the first entry, as well. At night, you can look at the city map and make your way through one or two events of your choosing. These minor events give you an opportunity to flesh out Julia’s character, learn a bit about the world, and meet new and interesting characters. Make your choices in the interaction, see how it plays out, and move onto the next scene until you’re forced into a main story moment. It’s a solid loop, and since you can’t see all of the events in a single playthrough, it adds a bit of replayability to the title that would otherwise be missing due to the lack of impactful choice.

There are some things that prevent this title from being a great game, overall. While it is an improvement over its precedent work in terms of choices and their effects, those moments are still quite sparse. Although I can see why they would continue this design philosophy from Vampire: The Masquerade – Coteries of New York, what with the player being a simple fledgling in way over her head, it does come across as underwhelming as a visual novel. Even negative encounters would be welcome should you say the wrong thing. Instead, Vampire: The Masquerade - Shadows of New York seems content to let Julia (and by extension the player) float through the game undeterred until the final moments. Should we accept that this is simply a set story with minimal interaction, we must find our joy and meaning in-between the “major” choices. The moments where you get to roleplay really matter. In the face of an uncaring and immutable world, at least you get to be you, game be damned. The final moments of the game flip that idea on its head, however.

Should we accept that this is simply a set story with minimal interaction, we must find our joy and meaning in-between the “major” choices.

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I sincerely take umbrage with the categorization of the two different endings as either “good” or “bad”. It simply betrays everything that the game does in practice. Your decisions throughout guide your character arc and the entire experience within the game, and to boil it down to “good” or “bad” is frankly baffling. This is especially true when you actually view the endings and realize that there is no such distinction. They are just different endings. They accomplish very different things, and whether or not one might be a bad ending would entirely depend on the player’s motivations or goals. Putting a stamp on one or the other as the “correct” outcome in the closing moments is narrative malpractice — and it doesn't even happen within the game! These are the achievements!

This nomenclature speaks to a larger problem across not only visual novels, but gaming as a medium. So often in RPGS or games where the “choices matter” players are looking for the best result, trying to win. What collection of choices gives you the optimal ending, which ones give you the highest reward, or which ones present you with the most content — turning the game and its roleplaying into a series of boxes to check, rather than an experience to be had. By codifying these endings into “good” or “bad”, the developers have all but conceded that there is a right way and a wrong way to play the game. I understand that for many, this is a minor thing in the grand scheme of it all. If it doesn’t change the actual game, what could it possibly matter?

For me, it matters a great deal. It reveals the design philosophy of the entire game, and boils it down to a win or lose scenario. I spent every moment up until the ending feeling content with my choices and the path taken, yet I was now forced to reckon with an invisible scoreboard. Every prior moment takes shape as a box to be checked retroactively. Strong moments of writing and characterization wasted. 

Verdict

The totality of my opinion on Vampire: The Masquerade - Shadows of New York is a bit muddied. Strong writing and characterization, phenomenal art, and appropriately moody music are huge boons for the game. However, its lack of choice and similarity to the previous title, combined with the endings being codified as “good” and “bad”, sour the experience.