Vampire: The Masquerade - Swansong

 PC
User Score
3.2

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 79 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 18 out of 79
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 79
  3. Negative: 54 out of 79

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  1. Pagan
    Jun 30, 2022
    5
    I'm a huge fan of VtM setting and I really wanted to love this game. It has a great atmosphere and dives into interesting aspects of the Kindred society. I had several hours of fun (mixed with frustration due to the puzzles and exploration being tedious), but then I got fed up with the bugs. I narrowly avoided one game-breaking bug, just to get stuck on another one two hours later.I'm a huge fan of VtM setting and I really wanted to love this game. It has a great atmosphere and dives into interesting aspects of the Kindred society. I had several hours of fun (mixed with frustration due to the puzzles and exploration being tedious), but then I got fed up with the bugs. I narrowly avoided one game-breaking bug, just to get stuck on another one two hours later.
    Currently, certain portions of the game are barely playable, so I give up, I'm going to watch the rest on YT. However, I still believe VtM:S is salvageable and when they finally patch it up (maybe in a year), it's going to be a pretty decent (if a bit clunky) game for the fans of the World of Darkness setting.    … Expand
  2. SamePerson
    Jun 12, 2022
    6
    Like the game so far. Graphics and animations give away that the game's budget was likely rather limited, but I still find it a decent addition to the VtM series. Of course it can't stand up to the first Bloodlines' writing, but I've had little to no expectations for this game to begin with in light of all news related to the Bloodlines 2, so I was pleasantly surprised. Swansong isLike the game so far. Graphics and animations give away that the game's budget was likely rather limited, but I still find it a decent addition to the VtM series. Of course it can't stand up to the first Bloodlines' writing, but I've had little to no expectations for this game to begin with in light of all news related to the Bloodlines 2, so I was pleasantly surprised. Swansong is definitely a piece of good news to me since they announced a VtM battle royale, and Bloodlines 2 got stuck in the development hell. At least it actually feels like Vampire the Masquerade despite characters looking goofy.

    A small (or not really) update after beating the game. I still like it, but I think ambiguous could the best way to describe it. Visually, it looks as if the game can't quite decide if it wants to be realistic or cartoony, and we end up with environments that actually look appealing, but with character models and animations which remind me of GTA "Definitive" Trilogy, it's more or less bearable in the beginning, but the longer you look at them, the more you cringe. The parts of the game where you have to play a vampire detective and confrontations are what I liked the most in this game, though I wish dialogues were treated similar to Disco Elysium, so that failing a check was also an interesting outcome rather that just a plain failure that doesn't lead to anything worth even trying if you don't have a 100% success chance. And most of the puzzles were really annoying, at least to me. Also, It would be nice if endings had epilogues that would show you more long-term consequences of your choices. There are a couple of those, actually, but they don't reflect like 90% (if not more) of the choices you've made throughout the game, and they are just plain text on a black (and red) screen, which is rather disappointing. I mean, is it so hard to at least put some artwork instead of plain text? But despite all that, this game somehow managed to convince me that this is actually a game set in the World of Darkness universe, you can feel that the devs cared about the lore and the atmosphere despite the lack of resources and likely experience. It's not able to fill Bloodlines' shoes by any means, not even close, but it's definitely better than 0. I think the developers of this game have potential. I would like to see what they would pull off if they were given a ton of money and a team of experienced artists and the like.    … Expand
  3. Alsajad
    May 21, 2022
    7
    Vampire the masquerade is a new addition to the battle royal formula that excels in doing things a little bit different then other competitors and it dose it well in some areas but not vary well on others there is alot of room for improvement in this game world that need to be addressed

Awards & Rankings

69
#69 Most Discussed PC Game of 2022

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
66

Mixed or average reviews - based on 55 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 55
  2. Mixed: 31 out of 55
  3. Negative: 4 out of 55
  1. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Jan 29, 2024
    40
    It's a never-ending story, a game with too many half-baked ideas, where the story and mood of the series just hold the door to correctness and superficiality without a deeper gameplay experience or at least uniqueness. [Issue#320]
  2. KeenGamer
    Jun 20, 2023
    70
    Vampire The Masquerade: Swansong offers a captivating story with some truly rewarding moments when you figure out the more difficult and obtuse puzzles. The story and lore holds the game together, as without it the game could be quite boring. It's a visually strong game with some flair to the cinematography. It's certainly not for everyone, as the game has no combat and is driven almost entirely by reading and dialogue. However it's sure to be enjoyed by fans of investigative storytelling.
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  3. Softpedia
    Jun 6, 2023
    75
    Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong is a good game for fans of World of Darkness who are willing to invest time and energy to solve its puzzles and experience the narrative. The game can be needlessly complex and the writing isn’t always as evocative as it aims to be. The three main characters offer a nice variety of personalities but they sometimes feel like novices rather than hundred years old vampires with a deep pool of abilities to draw on. The presentation is too ambitious for its own good, although there are moments when it makes this vampire-dominated universe come alive. I found that Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong is more enjoyable if I abandon the idea of optimizing my character and the goal of getting the best result out of all situations. Play the game once, accept outcomes, and see where the story of these three vampires and their effort to protect the Boston Camarilla take you.
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