Vampire: The Masquerade - Swansong Reviews
Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong follows in the vein of narrative games like those of Telltale and Quantic Dream, but cannot reach the same level of quality. The narrative has a tendency to feel too linear and technically wise the game is far from impressive.
Review in Italian | Read full review
I truly wanted to love this game, and beneath the muddled surface lies the bare bones of an awesome detective RPG just begging to be let loose. Unfortunately, it looks like that skeleton will remain in the closet. Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong is plagued by more than just the undead: its systems aren’t fun, puzzles are irritating, and the lack of depth seals the deal. I want to learn more about our protagonists, I want the story to be Criminal Minds but with vampires, however, it simply isn’t. Having waited so long for VTM to return triumphantly, Swansong is quite the letdown. For avid fans it’s a must, but if you’ve been brought here by Bloodhunt we’d suggest just sticking to that.
In the end, despite its penchant for occasionally boring puzzles, rough character animations and wildly varying voice performances, Vampire: The Masquerade - Swansong is nonetheless a roundly fulfilling detective adventure with a vampiric twist that will appeal greatly to anyone that follows the World of Darkness setting. For others, Swansong makes for a fine, if occasionally clunky introduction to that sprawling world of supernatural politics and generation spanning stories.
Despite some interesting situations and engaging puzzles, Vampire: The Masquerade Swansong fails to get off the ground, much less stick the landing. It’s slow and obtuse where it should be visceral and emotional. The writing is pedestrian and the characters are the dullest vampires imaginable. Whether or not they drink your blood, they definitely suck your ability to enjoy the game.
Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong offers a fascinating story and great characters, but pixel hunting and insipid puzzles are really dissapointing.
Review in Russian | Read full review
Vampire the Masquerade – Swansong is a great introduction to the lore of this world, and despite the issues I had with the facial animations I enjoyed my time here.
Swansong offers a successful dive into The World of Darkness with a proposal worthy of the tabletop role-playing game.
Review in French | Read full review
Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong is a little rough in some places, and mechanics aren't as tight as they could have been, but with an intriguing story, complex characters, and decisions that seem to genuinely change the path events took, it's still well worth taking a bite.
Vampire: The Masquerade - Swansong can be a compelling experience, especially for those who are already familiar with the World of Darkness. Its RPG mechanics lend depth to an otherwise standard narrative adventure, as long as you can grasp their meaning. But wonky gameplay balance and even wonkier facial animations, not to mention some of the more overwritten and under-earned emotional beats, can make falling in love with its vampires harder to swallow than a mouthful of blood.
If you’re looking for a solid, story-driven adventure, then Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong is a must-play in 2022, even if you haven’t played the original.
Gripping supernatural subterfuge meets perfunctory mechanics. Worth it to explore the World of Darkness, though.
Vampire: The Masquerade -- Swansong is an intricate narrative adventure game that can be too dense for its own good at times.
Vampire The Masquerade: Swansong, offers a deep gameplay, a rich universe and real consequences to our actions. Unfortunately, the game is counterbalanced by a sluggish pace and technical flaws.
Review in French | Read full review
Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong is a bloodthirsty adventure with a conglomeration of various dialectical aspects, focusing on the essence of self and power.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
It's possible to restart each chapter of Swansong if the player wants a do-over, but that's not the best way to experience the game. Swansong should be treated like an ironman experience, as it is tough on player consequences. Swansong tells an excellent story about betrayal and bloodshed, which can play out in a number of different ways, and the player has a staggering number of options for how they want to proceed. Vampire: The Masquerade - Swansong has some design and technical hiccups, but it offers a dark and compelling story that is told in a unique manner, where situations must be resolved through deduction and intelligence, and each choice puts the player further down the path to victory or defeat.
Ultimately, Vampire the Masquerade: Swansong only partially honors the name it bears. The narrative sector stands on discrete levels, even if the main plot struggles to take off in the initial stages and the characterization of the protagonists can be said to be successful almost only for Leysha. The past of Galeb and Emem do not capture the audience properly, which will hardly feel the due empathy towards the characters, also due to facial animations that are too rigid.
Review in Italian | Read full review
It’s a little rough around the edges, but Swansong can still satisfy your craving for a vampire narrative RPG set in the World of Darkness.
Should you manage to look past the shoddy presentation and dodgy visuals, Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong will reveal itself to be a mildly engaging tale of hidden.