Vampire: The Masquerade - Shadows of New York

Vampire: The Masquerade - Shadows of New York is a standalone feature expansion to the 2019 visual novel game - Vampire: The Masquerade - Coteries of New York. It is based on the fifth edition of the classic RPG system: Vampire: The Masquerade. The same independent studio is responsible for the addition - Polish Draw Distance, once known as iFun4all, developers of such games as Serial Cleaner, Red Game Without a Great Name and Ritual: Crown of Horns.

Plot

Vampire: The Masquerade - Shadows of New York takes place in the fictional World of Darkness created by White Wolf. In the basic version of the game we played the role of a freshly baked vampire from the Camarilla sect, who competed with a group of Anarchists - the player had to decide which side to take in this vampire conflict. In addition, which also takes place in New York, the plot is centred around a member of the Lasombra clan, has a more personal character and touches on other themes.

The heroine, who is a vampire outcast in her own clan, must solve the mysterious and brutal death of the Anarchist leader from New York. The intrigue is more complicated than it seems, and knowing the truth is not an easy task. Murder is only part of a larger battle for power between rival vampire groups.

Vampire: The Masquerade – Shadows of New York is neither a prequel nor a sequel. However, the game refers to the threads presented in the original and we meet some of the side characters found in that game. The game shows a completely different face of New York City, where we meet new, even more eccentric vampires and find ourselves in previously unknown, equally atmospheric locations.

Mechanics

Vampire: The Masquerade - Shadows of New York does not differ from the basic version of the game in terms of gameplay. As is usually the case with visual novel games, the gameplay is about enjoying illustrations of places and characters, reading the statements of vampires encountered, and making moral choices that not only affect the way she thinks, but also how the rest of the story will look. The heroine can no longer remain neutral. Differences in gameplay encourage you to finish the game several times.

Technical aspects

The visual setting - as with Vampire: The Masquerade - Coteries of New York - consists of two-dimensional illustrations. The graphics was kept in a dark and depressing tone, fitting perfectly into the World of Darkness. In addition, the developers have prepared a new, atmospheric soundtrack, which is in line with the overall atmosphere of the game.