Vampire: The Masquerade - Swansong

The storytelling is king in Swansong and players will find a world that is full of complicated politics, a deep lore, relationship juggling that can be overwhelming. Luckily the game does an excellent job of slowly revealing this world to players, but those who are not a fan of slower, adventure games they should look elsewhere. While there isn’t much in the way of the tradiontial vampire violence that some players may be looking for; those that give this a try will find a journey through a world of darkness, intrigue, murder and decisions that can shape the outcome of the narrative leading to multiple endings. While I am still waiting with bated breath, hoping that Bloodlines 2 will see the light of the moon, 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.

Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong is a bloodthirsty adventure with a conglomeration of various dialectical aspects, focusing on the essence of self and power.

If the teeming universe of Vampire: The Masquerade - Swansong is a tedious entry for newcomers, it does not become less exciting once mastered. Fans of the Big Bad Wolf studio will probably be delighted by the formula "The Council way World of Darkness"; Mean by that a system of dialogues of choice revisited by the controlled addition of RPG mechanics. Swansong unfolds a story consisting, sometimes too much, led by three protagonists with an impeccable style whose progression remains fairly linear.

Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong feels like a bit of a flat, confused mess. The story has some intrigue about it and the characters are interesting but some of the conversations had in the game are so serious that it sometimes feels mundane. If you like detective games with a twist then there is some joy to be had here but I feel it is a bit of a disservice to vampires.

Those looking for an original story-based, fully realised, world with loads of vampires should get playing Vampire: The Masquerade - Swansong.

Despite the interesting premise, Vampire: The Masquerade-Swansong, its messy story and empty characters may not be entertaining at all even if you're a fan of the series.

Vampire: The Masquerade - Swansong is certainly a super-stylish narrative RPG, and it's one that gets off to a strong start, offering up a truly intriguing premise, before falling victim to tedious investigative gameplay, undercooked conversational aspects and a host of bugs that make progress frustrating at points. There's just too much jank here, levels are too rigid, there's not enough freedom in how you go about your investigations or use your vampiric powers to really make things sing and, as a result, we're left with a game that fails to fully live up to its early promise. It's not a bad effort, but with a little more care and polish, it could have been so much more.

Vampire: The Masquerade - Swansong is sure to be enjoyed by fans of the genre who will enjoy their time with a narrative heavy experience. At the same time, seasoned RPG players might have higher expectations than they will receive from Swansong. To be more specific, if you're a fan of tabletop RPGs or have pre-existing knowledge of the predecessors then I'm not sure Swansong will be for you. I have overall enjoyed Swansong despite all my complaints as it has a well thought-out storyline and great mystery to it, which ultimately is what truly kept me interested in continuing the journey but it is quite expensive when not on sale.

Vampire: The Masquerade - Swansong should have been fantastic, but it wasn't. It has some excellent characters and an array of interesting missions. Somehow, though, it still falls short. With bland conversation and a flat atmosphere, every task is an uphill struggle. It's a real shame as it could, and should have worked well.

Swansong promised a lot but delivered what I felt to be a severely flawed gaming experience. Quality cut-scenes alone cannot carry a title and that has been proved out here. With boring, glacially paced gameplay, janky controls and far too many technical issues wiping out any sense of pleasure gained from playing through to the games anti-climax, I was left wanting.

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 bloodsuckers, unravelling a mystery brimming with murder and betrayal. Beauty, in this case, really is more than skin deep.