World of Darkness Vampire: The Masquerade - New York visual novel series from Draw Distance

[Zombra]

stuff

I didn't ignore anything. The text changes based on your decisions, and the entire game is text soooo it seems there is no point in discussing it further.

 

[True Ukrainian]

stuff

I didn't ignore anything. The text changes based on your decisions, and the entire game is text soooo it seems there is no point in discussing it further.

But the outcome doesn't change. You will get the same outcome no matter what your choices are.

 

[Infinitron]

https://af.gog.com/ru/game/vampire_the_masquerade_reckoning_of_new_york?as=1649904300

 

[S.torch]

So who's the hero that's going to play it and tell us how it is?

 

[Twiglard]

So who's the hero that's going to play it and tell us how it is?

It can work for storyfags, at least the second title.

Coteries of New York has optional questlines (can do 2 out of 4 on a single playthrough) and the most reactivity. You can select out of three clans when making the character and that adds a some flavor as well but your character is a vague blank slate. There's some opportunity to perform suboptimally and it results in learning less about the characters through dialogue. But the entire thing is very bland, as if they didn't actually have a story to tell. If you're starved for VtM content then maybe it could work. The ending is railroaded, chaotic and disappointing.

Shadows of New York has the strongest writing, mature characters, a well-defined and interesting protagonist, and multiple endings. Watch some LP for the first and maybe second episode to see if you actually enjoy the protagonist's internal monologue. There are returning characters from the first title but back in Coteries they were very sparsely defined to the point that you've barely learned anything about them and thus don't need to play it first. Both endings are pretty good in their own ways (your choices add up resulting in either one of them).

Reckoning of New York is made for zoomers. All the subtlety and nuance of characterization from the previous two titles goes out of the window. The returning characters behave like fools to make the story work. The whole thing doesn't have reactivity beyond affecting the next few 1-3 paragraphs after making a (fake) choice. The ironic edgy insecure zoomer narrating the whole thing in the first person is particularly grating in the beginning (there's even extremely-online slang appearing such as "yass queen", I kid you not) but then it mellows down a bit. However, the production values with character portraits and backgrounds are the highest. They're using light and shadow to good atmospheric effect much like Bloodlines. See the image below, no spoilers.



However, there's some blatant virtue signaling. Particularly in Shadows there are some 2-3 cases of really jarring injection of liberal identity politics. You might want to avoid giving the company any money, but the second title is worth getting on the high seas.

With games nowadays I rarely get the vibe of regretting that the story has ended (think PS:T, Witcher 1) but Shadows of New York actually clicked for me.

 

[Twiglard]

I wonder what Storyfag, Heroic Liberator and Roguey think.

 

[Storyfag]

I have yet to, ah, sink my fangs into the series.

However, based on your review, I will play only Shadows and perhaps Coteries, avoiding Reckoning like the plague. Which is a pity, as the visuals, per the screenshot you provided, seem good.

 

[Grunker]

So who's the hero that's going to play it and tell us how it is?

I probably will, at some point. Likely when I’m next caught on a long flight and my Switch is the only device with battery left

 

[ColonelMace]

I discovered Vampire last year by joining a pnp campaign of Vampire The Dark Ages, set in Constantinople. GM's amazing at handling a sandbox, with its myriad of characters and factions, so the setting quickly grew on me, to my surprise, to the point that I'm considering finally playing Bloodlines. I know I'm uber late on this, but to my defense, vampires and werewolves and everything related to WoD never ever caught my attention in the slightest.
So I bought Bloodlines and grabbed this along, eager to play and find out what the contemporary setting feels like. I admit I asked for a refund after an hour.
Maybe I just don't like visual novels, or maybe the Masquerade, as a setting, is tonally immensely different from my own experience of Dark Ages, but goddamn this felt way too much like a teenager tv shows. Protagonist is an angsty childe looking for her sire, but nothing about the premise was interesting or enjoyable.

After reading Twiglard's post, something I should have done before typing that, I guess I should have gone for Shadows of New York instead ?

 

[Twiglard]

I guess I should have gone for Shadows of New York instead ?

Watch the LP I've linked to before buying Shadows. You might not enjoy the protagonist who is a woman with a personality disorder.

 

[Roguey]

I wonder what Storyfag, Heroic Liberator and Roguey think.

Gave the series a pass based on the politics of the writers, though you yourself mentioned these moments

https://rpgcodex.net/forums/threads...series-from-draw-distance.127936/post-6904273

 

[Heroic Liberator]

I wonder what Storyfag, Heroic Liberator and Roguey think.

I 'played' the first one and it was a quite forgettable experience. Boring VN is boring.

 

[Vincente]

They should hire the Muramasa guys to make a Sabbat VN.

 

[Tyranicon]

felt way too much like a teenager tv shows.

I've dipped my toes into several of the VtM-branded CYOAs and yeah, this is the vibe I got. Is that what V5 is now?

Was old WoD different? I got the vibe that it was hyper-edgy and punk, but not specifically made for zoomers, which is what all the new stuff seem to be.

 

[Rean]

This WoD is nothing, NOTHING like what it used to be.

 

[Storyfag]

Is that what V5 is now?

Unfortunately largely yes.

Was old WoD different?

Yes. I like to point out that Bloodlines is original WoD boiled down to its essentials. So compare these... things... to Bloodlines, and you will have your anwser.

 

[Storyfag]

To elaborate, WoD used to be edgy. Now it is full of allies that fight the Patriarchy. Kind of like the recent Dragon Age removing blood magic. Can't have anything that isn't... safe and cushy. Granted, it is not as much sanitised, and there are exceptions still to be found, but the trend is there.

 

[Tyranicon]

To elaborate, WoD used to be edgy. Now it is full of allies that fight the Patriarchy. Kind of like the recent Dragon Age removing blood magic. Can't have anything that isn't... safe and cushy. Granted, it is not as much sanitised, and there are exceptions still to be found, but the trend is there.

Corporate media is toothless, can't risk offending anybody.

That's okay for some things, largely children's entertainment. But for vampires? No.

 

[Heroic Liberator]

To elaborate, WoD used to be edgy. Now it is full of allies that fight the Patriarchy.

Edgier, but it still had some dumb elements working against its very own narrative premises. And on that note, have a critique of how WW developed and implemented Anarchs:

 

[Rahdulan]

To elaborate, WoD used to be edgy. Now it is full of allies that fight the Patriarchy. Kind of like the recent Dragon Age removing blood magic. Can't have anything that isn't... safe and cushy. Granted, it is not as much sanitised, and there are exceptions still to be found, but the trend is there.

I'm not sure if it was posted already, but it's interesting to compare the Disclaimer wording from I think Revised and V5. It says so much about the mindset of the time.