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World of Darkness Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong - narrative RPG from The Council devs - now on Steam

Hellion

Arcane
Joined
Feb 5, 2013
Messages
1,582
The feeding is 100% bloodless. Is it possible that this was done just for the trailers?

I'm playing a review copy right now and the feeding is indeed 100% bloodless. But there's plenty of other blood and gore to be seen around the game's "levels" so far, so it's not really "sterilized" in that regard.
 

Silva

Arcane
Joined
Jul 17, 2005
Messages
4,778
Location
Rio de Janeiro, Brasil


Make your choice in the Interactive Escape sequence!

With the police closing in, guide Galeb through this challenging situation, making use of his powers and, for better or worse, changing the balance of power in the city.

This looks so.... unconvincing. Like those bad acted movies or theather pieces. I loved The Council but my enthusiasm for this game is getting drained with each new revelation.
 

Semiurge

Cipher
Joined
Apr 11, 2020
Messages
6,083
Location
Asp Hole


Make your choice in the Interactive Escape sequence!

With the police closing in, guide Galeb through this challenging situation, making use of his powers and, for better or worse, changing the balance of power in the city.

This looks so.... unconvincing. Like those bad acted movies or theather pieces. I loved The Council but my enthusiasm for this game is getting drained with each new revelation.


It's not triple-A for sure. It looks and sounds like freeware produced by a fistful of interns, with tech from 2007.
 

RaggleFraggle

Ask me about VTM
Joined
Mar 23, 2022
Messages
990
the first thing I want
What is the actual first thing you want?
A game that tries, however loosely, to recapture the atmosphere of playing Troika's Bloodlines, I guess? The problem with Paradox's games is that they've completely dropped the comedy aspect that made Bloodlines' writing bearable and turned into CW shows with obnoxious pretentious dialogue/jargon. Sure, there were tons of dark emo goth moments in BL but it was also broken up by black comedy, campiness, overacting, witty/sarcastic quips, and general self-awareness of their own absurdity. For example, the journals written by doomed people included them writing "aaah!" while they were being assaulted even though that makes no sense (obliquely referencing Monty Python no less). Then there was one sequence where you watched charlatan ghost hunters (their journals outright state they stage the hauntings they record) get butchered by a real monster years before Ghost Hunters and parodies thereof (like Grave Encounters) were even trendy. Little touches like that.
 

Semiurge

Cipher
Joined
Apr 11, 2020
Messages
6,083
Location
Asp Hole
Trying to entertain risks stepping on someone's toes. That's what Bloodlines did well, it almost represents a bygone era of anarchy in its writing, a time when nothing was too sacred for jokes, and when laughter was free.
 

The_Mask

Just like Yves, I chase tales.
Patron
Joined
May 3, 2018
Messages
5,898
Location
The land of ice and snow.
Strap Yourselves In Codex Year of the Donut Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag. Pathfinder: Wrath I helped put crap in Monomyth
These videos come across as the marketing dept. not understanding the product they're peddling. You can see that each non-violent approach costs something, because of the icons AND because if you choose to spare all the cops, you kill the guy you've been escorting at the end. Presumably because of getting thirsty.

This is telegraphed very poorly in these videos.

I'm almost 90% sure this game will be shlock, but I'm ready for a good laugh, nonetheless.
 

Infinitron

I post news
Staff Member
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Messages
97,236
Codex Year of the Donut Serpent in the Staglands Dead State Divinity: Original Sin Project: Eternity Torment: Tides of Numenera Wasteland 2 Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2 A Beautifully Desolate Campaign Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Pathfinder: Kingmaker Pathfinder: Wrath I'm very into cock and ball torture I helped put crap in Monomyth


Leysha is a seeress, with a reputation within the Boston court for being able to see the future. But the thing she's trying to recall is her past. The years have not been kind to her but provided she has her daughter Halsey, then nothing can stop her.

Learn more about Leysha in her character spotlight as the devs go into what it was like creating this unique character.

Leysha is one of the 3 playable characters in Vampire: The Masquerade - Swansong, a narrative RPG where your choices define the fate of Boston coming to Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Epic Games Store on May 19th.
 

The_Mask

Just like Yves, I chase tales.
Patron
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The land of ice and snow.
Strap Yourselves In Codex Year of the Donut Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag. Pathfinder: Wrath I helped put crap in Monomyth
I'm not sure if this was shared, but it makes you laugh out loud that Jessica Chobot is still a thing. How long has it been since Mass Effect 3 now?!? :lol:

https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/vampire-the-masquerade-swansong--primogen-edition

Pre-purchase now and when Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong is released, get the Alternate Outfits Pack. Enhance your experience with the Primogen Edition which includes: Victoria Ash DLC, Artifacts Pack, Digital Soundtrack and a bonus to be revealed later.
Genres
Features

Pre-purchase now and when Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong is released, get the Alternate Outfits Pack DLC, containing 3 alternative outfits for Galeb, Emem and Leysha.
Enjoy the game even more with the Primogen Edition, which includes:
  • Vampire: The Masquerade - Swansong
  • The Victoria Ash DLC - Played by Jessica Chobot, guest star in L.A. by Night, Victoria Ash is the highest-profile Toreador in the Camarilla, and Emem's mawla
  • The Artifacts Pack DLC - 3 personal items for Galeb, Emem and Leysha that can be equipped and provide one bonus and one penalty. You also start with 3 pouches of blood from the Prince's personal reserve… Make sure you use them wisely.
  • Digital Soundtrack - The soundtrack for Swansong, composed by Olivier Derivière.
  • Bonus to be revealed later.
 

RaggleFraggle

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Mar 23, 2022
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990
Look on the bright side. This might inspire other devs to think “I can do better” and make new games with original IPs. I think it’s time to let Paradox’s IP retire and new IPs enter the market. I for one would be interested in seeing a proper crpg set in the wild and mysterious universe of WRF Studio’s Bloodlust games.
 

Storyfag

Perfidious Pole
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Joined
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15,899
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Stealth Orbital Nuke Control Centre


Leysha is a seeress, with a reputation within the Boston court for being able to see the future. But the thing she's trying to recall is her past. The years have not been kind to her but provided she has her daughter Halsey, then nothing can stop her.

Learn more about Leysha in her character spotlight as the devs go into what it was like creating this unique character.

Leysha is one of the 3 playable characters in Vampire: The Masquerade - Swansong, a narrative RPG where your choices define the fate of Boston coming to Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Epic Games Store on May 19th.


Dear Gods Caine, that animation of Leysha going past the police tape cordoning a crime scene off was some next level HOPW ROEWUR NE.
 

Infinitron

I post news
Staff Member
Joined
Jan 28, 2011
Messages
97,236
Codex Year of the Donut Serpent in the Staglands Dead State Divinity: Original Sin Project: Eternity Torment: Tides of Numenera Wasteland 2 Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2 A Beautifully Desolate Campaign Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Pathfinder: Kingmaker Pathfinder: Wrath I'm very into cock and ball torture I helped put crap in Monomyth


"Welcome to the World of Darkness. Welcome to Vampire: The Masquerade - Swansong." We've said this countless times, but what does it actually mean to make a game based on a table-top roleplaying game, and what is Boston like in Swansong.

Find out as our developers walk you through what it means to be a Vampire in our final dev diary before launch.
 

RaggleFraggle

Ask me about VTM
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Mar 23, 2022
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990
Maven of the Eventide got an early review key from the devs. On her discord she said (paraphrasing) “I played for a few hours” and nothing else. Doesn’t sound excited to me, but I don’t know the terms of the NDA.
 

Infinitron

I post news
Staff Member
Joined
Jan 28, 2011
Messages
97,236
Codex Year of the Donut Serpent in the Staglands Dead State Divinity: Original Sin Project: Eternity Torment: Tides of Numenera Wasteland 2 Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2 A Beautifully Desolate Campaign Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Pathfinder: Kingmaker Pathfinder: Wrath I'm very into cock and ball torture I helped put crap in Monomyth
Okay, why does this have a review embargo until tomorrow? Like... I'm getting more and more suspicious now...

I kind of have the opposite opinion. These sorts of AA titles often allow reviews only on launch day, so that indicates at least a certain level of confidence in the game's quality. We'll see though.
 
Last edited:

Harthwain

Magister
Joined
Dec 13, 2019
Messages
4,690
I kind of have the opposite opinion. These sorts of AA titles often allow reviews only on launch day, so that indicates at least a certain level of confidence. We'll see though.
Never forget Assassin's Creed: Unity.
 

Herumor

Scholar
Joined
May 1, 2018
Messages
553
Maven of the Eventide

I was gonna ask if this is the same idiot who bitched about John Carpenter's Vampires because the vampires there weren't portrayed in a good light, but then I saw the video linked and just decided to skip that shit.
 

RaggleFraggle

Ask me about VTM
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Mar 23, 2022
Messages
990
Maven of the Eventide

I was gonna ask if this is the same idiot who bitched about John Carpenter's Vampires because the vampires there weren't portrayed in a good light, but then I saw the video linked and just decided to skip that shit.
That's a complete mischaracterization of her review. She wasn't complaining that the vampires were evil, she was complaining that the human characters were unlikeable assholes and the vampires were almost entirely devoid of any sympathetic or tragic qualities (aside from a certain spoiler key plot point) to make the jerk human characters look better by comparison. Also, she criticized Carpenter for saying in an interview that his vampires would "eat Buffy for breakfast" (paraphrasing) when Buffy vamps are more or less identical in viciousness to his depiction.

Maven's hardly an idiot. She's well-read enough that she loves to point out that in older folklore there wasn't much of a distinction between vampires, werewolves, and witches like there is in modern fantasy. I don't always agree with her conclusions, but she makes thoughtful measured reviews.


Anyway, the metacritic reviews for the game so far are "mixed to average." Not surprising.
 

Herumor

Scholar
Joined
May 1, 2018
Messages
553
she was complaining that the human characters were unlikeable assholes

They weren't though. Maybe to her smooth-brain they appeared that way, they just didn't mope around and bemoan their fates or whatever else she thought they should be doing. They were vulgar, but that didn't make them assholes.

the vampires were almost entirely devoid of any sympathetic or tragic qualities

So what? You don't have to add that kind of background to every vampire or even character.
 

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