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Being a vampire isn\u2019t always quite as glamorous as the movies would have you believe. At least, according to the Vampire: The Masquerade universe.<\/h4>\n

The latest game in the long-running series is Vampire: The Masquerade \u2013 Swansong<\/em>, putting you in charge of three different vampires. They may be sophisticated, but with a strict council in place that dictates practically everything they do and an elite government agency hunting them down, eternal life isn\u2019t exactly peachy. And quite how things pan out depend on you and the choices you make while playing.<\/p>\n

Swansong\u00a0<\/em>is described as a \u201cnarrative RPG\u201d, which feels pretty apt. It\u2019s missing the action and combat that you might expect from a standard role-playing game, but it does feature skill points, upgrades and player-led development typical of the genre. It\u2019s also part exploration adventure, part puzzle game; you\u2019ll spend an awful lot of time exploring your surroundings, searching for clues and solving environmental puzzles.<\/p>\n

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The narrative part, though, is perhaps the most important element of\u00a0Vampire: The Masquerade \u2013 Swansong<\/em>. Based on a long-running tabletop RPG series, the rich lore of the world you find yourself in is at the forefront. It can be a little overwhelming at first, in fact; if you\u2019re not already well-versed on the customs and factions of the Vampire: The Masquerade universe, don\u2019t expect to be eased in gently. You\u2019ll be thrown head-first into the thick of things, and you have no choice to hit the ground running, hoping that the pieces of the puzzle will come together later.<\/p>\n

Thankfully, they will \u2013 just about. There\u2019s a built-in encyclopedia of sorts where you can look up certain things about the world, from terminology to key characters. It\u2019ll no doubt come in handy. And the longer you spend with each of\u00a0Swansong<\/em>\u2018s three characters, the more you\u2019ll come to know them, their motivations, and their struggles.<\/p>\n

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Each character you play as \u2013 Emem, Galeb or Leysha \u2013 each has a very different backstory. As such, they each have different skills to be used, all of which can come in useful. Leysha can mask herself, for example, making herself invisible when the situation calls for it. And, as you progress, you\u2019ll earn skill points for each character, allowing you to strengthen their abilities in certain disciplines. Maybe you want them to be master hackers, or perhaps you want them to be able to overpower any conversation with the power of persuasion. It\u2019s up to you \u2013 but some skills are undoubtedly more useful than others.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll spend a chunk of time in Vampire: The Masquerade \u2013 Swansong<\/em> in \u201cconfrontations\u201d with NPCs. The game\u2019s verbal answer to combat, these heated discussions give you several options to choose between, but many of them come at a cost. Certain choices cost energy points, of which you have a finite amount, while others will increase your bloodlust. As such, you\u2019ll need to consider each choice carefully; weighing up your likelihood of succeeding in the confrontation against the cost of it isn\u2019t always easy. And sometimes you\u2019ll find yourself in a situation where it\u2019s impossible to win.<\/p>\n

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That\u2019s perhaps the worst thing about\u00a0Swansong<\/em>. With multiple outcomes and branching narratives for each character depending on the choices you make, sometimes it just feels out of your control. Depending on how you\u2019ve spent a character\u2019s skill points, for example, or even depending on what you\u2019ve been doing leading up to a confrontation, you may be destined to lose. And if you do, you\u2019re stuck with that outcome. There\u2019s no retries or do-overs here \u2013 well, not unless you want to replay the entire level, which could be over an hour or more.<\/p>\n

So, coming to terms with your failures is part and parcel of the\u00a0Vampire: The Masquerade \u2013 Swansong\u00a0<\/em>experience. And once you accept that you simply can\u2019t win every single element of the game, you\u2019ll have a much better time with it. After all, that\u2019s life; not everything goes our way. The same goes for vampires.<\/p>\n

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You\u2019ll jump between all three characters as the narrative calls for it, each one completing their own parts of a larger picture. With instructions being given by the powerful Prince of Boston, Hazel Iverson, each playable character has an important role to play in protecting the Masquerade and ensuring their clans can escape the wrath of the unstoppable vampire hunters. Each chapter feels suitably different; maybe you\u2019ll be infiltrating a rival clan, or perhaps you\u2019ll be disguising yourself as a police officer to investigate a murder scene.<\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t a game that\u2019s afraid to be dark and grizzly; be prepared to see decapitated bodies and people being tortured, amongst other things. If you\u2019re squeamish, you might want to give this one a wide berth. But if you revel in the macabre, you\u2019re going to love it. An early chapter that sees you investigating a massacre at a vampire party perfectly set the tone for us. Hunting down clues amongst some truly gruesome scenes is peak\u00a0Swansong<\/em>.<\/p>\n

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There\u2019s much more to it than blood and guts, of course. If you enjoy strong narratives, you\u2019re going to love\u00a0Vampire: The Masquerade \u2013 Swansong<\/em>. It\u2019s been developed by Big Bad Wolf, who made episodic adventure The Council.\u00a0<\/em>If you\u2019ve played it, you\u2019ll recognise some of the same gameplay systems here. But everything feels tighter, more refined and more polished. Well, in terms of mechanics, at least; Swansong<\/em>\u2018s visuals aren\u2019t quite up to scratch, with character models in particular looking a bit rough around the edges. It\u2019s easily forgiven though, once this dark tale gets its fangs in you.<\/p>\n

For fans of vampiric tales, dark narratives and grizzly visuals, there\u2019s a lot to love about Vampire: The Masquerade \u2013 Swansong<\/em>. You may be thrown straight into the deep end, but once you acclimatise yourself with the fascinating, macabre world around you, you\u2019ll feel right at home. It blends intriguing storytelling with investigation, skill-building and player agency, leading to a game that you\u2019ll most likely struggle to put down.<\/p>\n\n

Vampire: The Masquerade \u2013 Swansong\u00a0<\/em>Review \u2013 GameSpew\u2019s Score<\/strong><\/p>\n

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This review of Vampire: The Masquerade \u2013 Swansong is based on the PS5 version of the game via a code provided by the publisher. It\u2019s available on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X\/S and PC.<\/h5>\n

Buy on Amazon<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Being a vampire isn\u2019t always quite as glamorous as the movies would have you believe. At least, according to the Vampire: The Masquerade universe. The latest game in the long-running series is Vampire: The Masquerade \u2013 Swansong, putting you in charge of three different vampires. They may be sophisticated, but with a strict council in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":18369,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.gamespew.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Vampire-The-Masquerade-Swansong-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[568],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18368","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-reviews"],"yoast_head":"\n