Vampire: The Masquerade – Shadows of New York

Vampire: The Masquerade – Shadows of New York is a visual novel video game in development by Polish studio Draw Distance, planned for release in 2020 as a stand-alone expansion to their 2019 game Coteries of New York. It is based on the tabletop role-playing game Vampire: The Masquerade, and follows Julia of the vampire clan Lasombra, who investigates the death of the Anarch movement's local leader. Throughout the game, the player makes decisions that cause the narrative to branch.

Vampire: The Masquerade – Shadows of New York
Key art
Developer(s)Draw Distance
Publisher(s)Draw Distance
Composer(s)Resina
SeriesVampire: The Masquerade
Platform(s)Linux, MacOS, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
ReleaseQ3 2020
Genre(s)Visual novel
Mode(s)Single-player

Gameplay
The player reads dialogue and narration, and makes decisions that cause the narrative to branch.

Vampire: The Masquerade – Shadows of New York is a visual novel, in which the player reads dialogue and narration, set to background images and character portraits, and makes decisions by selecting different choices.[1] These cause branches in the narrative, leading to two different endings, with multiple playthroughs required to see everything;[2][3] they also shape the player character's personality and outlook.[4] Taking the role of a vampire of clan Lasombra, the player investigates a death and explores New York, making connections with other characters while needing to satiate their character's blood thirst. As a Lasombra, they can use shadow-related abilities, and can communicate with inhabitants of the Other Side.[2]

Synopsis

The game is set in New York, in the World of Darkness,[5] several months after the previous game, Coteries of New York.[6] It takes place following the events of the Vampire: The Masquerade tabletop game's sourcebook Chicago by Night, in which the vampire clan Lasombra, former rulers of the Sabbat sect, left the Sabbat and joined forces with its enemy the Camarilla,[2][4] who are working on keeping the existence of vampires a secret from humans.[4]

The player takes the role of the Lasombra vampire Julia,[3] a dissociative immigrant woman who is an outcast within the Camarilla, and who has been tasked with investigating the death of the Anarch movement's New York leader.[2][7]

Development

Shadows of New York is developed by Polish studio Draw Distance,[8] and is based on the fifth edition of the tabletop role-playing game Vampire: The Masquerade.[2] It is developed as a stand-alone expansion to Draw Distance's earlier game Coteries of New York, and as such features some returning characters,[5] but has an independent story,[8] and features new locations and music.[2] Newly added characters include ones brought over from the tabletop game's sourcebooks, such as New York by Night.[6]

While Coteries of New York was designed as an introduction to the setting, with a focus on introducing basic concepts and different vampire clans, Shadows of New York is written as a more personal story with themes of personal and political horror, while still being developed both for Vampire: The Masquerade fans and newcomers to the series.[5]

The soundtrack is composed by Resina, and includes vocals, cello, and electronic sounds. The developers described her compositions as haunting and moody, which they thought made for a good fit for the World of Darkness setting and the game's story.[3]

The game was announced by Draw Distance in April 2020 with a trailer,[9] and is planned to be released simultaneously for Linux, MacOS, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One in Q3 2020.[2][6]

References
  1. Kleffmann, Marcel (2020-04-09). "Vampire: The Masquerade - Shadows of New York angekündigt". 4Players (in German). Computec. Archived from the original on 2020-04-14. Retrieved 2020-04-09.
  2. Romano, Sal (2020-04-09). "Vampire: The Masquerade – Shadows of New York announced for PS4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC". Gematsu. Archived from the original on 2020-04-09. Retrieved 2020-04-09.
  3. Craddock, Ryan (2020-07-29). "Vampire: The Masquerade - Shadows of New York Gets A Haunting New Trailer". Nintendo Life. Gamer Network. Retrieved 2020-07-29.
  4. Caicoya, Bea (2020-04-14). "Shadows of New York: What to Know About the Vampire: The Masquerade Game". CBR. Valnet. Archived from the original on 2020-04-14. Retrieved 2020-04-14.
  5. Tiraxa (2020-04-09). "Vampire : The Masquerade – Shadows of New York annoncé sur consoles et PC pour 2020". Jeuxvideo.com (in French). Webedia. Archived from the original on 2020-04-14. Retrieved 2020-04-09.
  6. Wald, Heather (2020-06-25). "Vampire: The Masquerade - Shadows of New York sees you try to "solve an unsolvable crime"". GamesRadar+. Future US. Archived from the original on 2020-06-26. Retrieved 2020-06-26.
  7. Moyse, Chris (2020-04-09). "Vampire: The Masquerade: Shadows of New York coming to PC and consoles later this year". Destructoid. Enthusiast Gaming. Archived from the original on 2020-04-14. Retrieved 2020-04-09.
  8. Smoła, Wojtek (2020-04-09). "Vampire: The Masquerade – Shadows of New York zapowiedziane!". IGN (in Polish). Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on 2020-04-14. Retrieved 2020-04-09.
  9. Marchetto, Claudia (2020-04-09). "Vampire: The Masquerade - Shadows of New York è l'espansione standalone annunciata per PC, Xbox One, Switch e PS4". Eurogamer (in Italian). Gamer Network. Archived from the original on 2020-04-14. Retrieved 2020-04-09.
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