The narrative potential of Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong is wasted

You have to know what you’re getting into Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansonga slow and demanding dive into the universe of a role-playing game created by Mark Rein-Hagen and published in 1991. In terms of narration, the RPG from Big Bad Wolf Studio is of an incredible density, likely to knock out the less informed, the same ones who thought they were discovering a simple action game in the skin of a vampire (a valid argument). Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong rather comes under the test, able to irritate by its many errors and to enthuse by the depth of its story.

Honestly, Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong would undoubtedly be a benchmark for narrative games if the finishes lived up to the studio’s ambitions. Alas, Big Bad Wolf Studio too often gives the impression of having lost itself in a development that is difficult to assume, to the point of making the player wander in a labyrinth that is both fascinating and exhausting. Nevertheless, Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong manages to be haunting enough to cling to, like fangs in a jugular.

Three adventures in one

Code red has been triggered, meaning there is danger within the Camarilla clan in Boston. Prince Hazel Iversen then asks three subjects – Emen, Leysha and Galeb – to quickly stem the crisis at the risk of shaking an entire institution, under the background of vampire hunting. Power struggle, betrayal, corruption, conspiracy, politics… All the themes of the genre pass through it, giving birth to a vast affair with an immense casting, although a little too scattered. The developers are happy to draw on the lore of Vampire: The Masqueradewhich will appeal to purists at the risk of putting neophytes aside a little (who will have to read all the information distilled as they go).

to dive into Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong, it means agreeing to spend long periods of time listening and reading — a little less playing. When we are not stunned by a scenario with bushy arcs, we participate in long phases of investigation. We take turns playing the role of the Prince’s three underlings, all endowed with powers that add a dose of the supernatural to the investigations. We can for example bewitch someone to extract clues from him, take on the appearance of an enemy to sneak more easily or teleport to areas that are a priori inaccessible. In spirit, it is very reminiscent of Life is Strange, whose heroes also have powers to advance.

Emen, Leysha and Galeb also have their own personalities, each with their doubts, their past and their torments. It is necessary to underline on this subject the incredible work of writing, which lets appreciate different levels of reading as for the place of the trio on the chessboard. Leysha, more particularly, bursts the screen with her troubles which plague her personal adventure. By taking the time to develop his characters psychologically, Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong avoid making vulgar pawns without any soul.

Finishes that plague

Way too busy telling a story, Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong completely abandons the action part – whereas we play very powerful vampires. The traditional fights are actually replaced by verbal contests, where you have to choose the right sentences to triumph, using two limited gauges (one of which can be filled by feeding on blood). On this subject, Big Bad Wolf Studio could have been a little less opaque. Some reactions are only accessible if you have enough points in the ad hoc characteristic.

But it is difficult to anticipate, especially since the progression is very slow and never allows you to feel comfortable with this gameplay mechanic. The options are too many, between hacking, verbal skills and powers of persuasion, and one does not evolve enough to be versatile. We must therefore make concessions, and give up being able to do everything. Some would say that it is a way to inflate the lifespan, by offering the possibility of exploring each chapter under different prisms. It’s true, but we would still like to feel a real evolution with each hour spent.

Note also that the notion of choice is essential in Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong. At several times, our actions and our decisions influence the course of the adventure, with negative or positive consequences – or more superfluous (a simple secondary path). We can gain an interesting character trait or, on the contrary, likely to become a defect. To get out of it, it is better to take the time to weigh the pros and cons, after having taken care to search the sets. The perks are numerous in Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong, when you agree to leave the common thread. Also missed opportunities.

The narrative RPG therefore has solid arguments to put forward, in its way of telling, of playing with temporality, of pushing its heroes to their limits or even of relying on puzzles that are neither too hard nor too simple. Unfortunately, it drowns them in a rather undignified form. Visually, Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong blows hot and cold, between its sometimes inspired artistic direction, its too often crude graphics (we played it on PS5) and its very rigid animations.

In addition to these aesthetic defects, there are much more annoying bugs, which block the game and force it to be restarted. We also suffer from a lack of clarity, in what to do and in what we see. So much so that you could lose several minutes chaining back and forth, simply because a tiny key placed on a desk would have escaped you. To enjoy Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansongyou really have to hold on.

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