Vampire: The Masquerade - Shadows of New York Critic Reviews

Vampire: The Masquerade – Coteries of New York was an introduction to the World of Darkness, whereas Shadows of New York is a specific story with a predefined protagonist, that would allow the writers to really show their craft. And show their craft they did! I was falling asleep playing Coteries, but Shadows held me in its grip for 10 hours straight and finally convinced me that being a vampire is awesome.

Vampire: The Masquerade - Shadows of New York managed to build a compelling and catchy story, but is lacking some core gameplay element, even by visual novel standards. However, while having few negative points, the title works just as well as a standalone one despite an obvious lack of player choices and the evidence of the main intrigue. The narrative is riding on a highly relatable protagonist and a few other vivid characters, which keep your attention from start to finish. While as a visual novel the game is not perfect, it works just fine for newcomers or anyone who wants to immerse themselves in The World of Darkness universe.

Vampire: the Masquerade - Shadows of New York is a good game to spend an evening with. On those Sundays where you have all day to relax or those randomly dreary days when any kind of chore feels like too much. That’s when this game will feel just right. Getting both endings doesn’t take long, so it’s easy to play and move on. The main word that comes to mind is: simple. Some parts are good, others tiring. It works as a way to get into some of the worldbuilding involved with Vampire the Masquerade games, but as a standalone visual novel I don’t think it will appeal to the masses.

Shadows of New York continues on the same atmospheric and well written path paved by its predecessor, but its simplification in choices and mechanisms, as well as the lack of classic QoL gameplay features expected in any visual novel, prevent it from soaring higher than a simply interesting Saturday gaming night.

The New York vampire story continues. Less choice in characters but a more solid experience with a single vampire clan. It would be interesting to see if this continues further.

Don't go into Shadows of New York expecting a choose-your-own-adventure mystery, no matter how much it looks like one. This is a casual dip into another world, a game with big ideas that it doesn't quite follow through on pursuing, but which remains moderately compelling thanks to some strong writing, interesting characters, and gorgeous art. It's far from the definitive Vampire: The Masquerade experience, but it's worth spending at least one long, dark night with.

While Vampire: The Masquerade - Shadows of New York manages to craft a compelling and engaging story, it is lacking severely in the gameplay department, even by visual novel standards. At the end of the day this "game" would have worked better as a spin-off comic book, and is only recommended for fans who really need more of the world of Vampire: The Masquerade before Bloodlines 2 releases.

Shadows of New York is an unremarkable story that tries to hold your attention with relevant themes, but ultimately fails into abyss of triteness and weak presentation. If you crave some good vampire story, just read an Anne Rice novel, instead of wasting your time with this game.

Unless you’re a mad fan of Vampire: The Masquerade, and need to absorb every piece of literature about the universe, this will be a disappointing experience. While the artwork is rich and the music moody, the writing – the game’s backbone and its entire selling point – is weak. Even fans will likely find this a shallow read where decisions rarely feel like they have any significant weight. Give this one a miss.