Vampire: The Masquerade - Shadows of New York Reviews

I like the change of setting and protagonist. Julia is definitely the cool, stylist main character and knowing she’s from the Lasombra clan! I like that she is accepting and welcomed (sorta) into the Camarilla. Whereas I’m used to a lot of the games where the embraced is not authorized. So I like the new vampire that doesn’t have to worry about being destroyed just because of the sire. I like her relationship with the other kindred and her trying to figure out the mystery.

A very disappointing ‘sequel’ to Coteries. The writing is weak and boring. The protagonist is daft and unlikable. The embodiment of whiny, insecure angst. The tasteless attempt at repartee between characters falls horribly flat. It manages to render previously interesting characters cringeworthy. I was looking forward to an intelligent and interesting exploration of the Lasombra. Instead I got inane and tedious. All that said, the artist is talented.

The story is pretty linear overall, as others have said. I enjoyed the writing and it kept me engrossed for the 5 hours it took me to beat the game.

This is just a interactive visual novel and it does have some small degree of choice within it. The first one did't grab me as much but had its moments, where as I do miss the idea of having potential companions and wished they had done a more in depths job with that in this one it still works well enough as is, playing as a more fleshed out character where you have some say in directing her moral compass and watching all the intrigue unfold as you go. Play the first one if you are interested as they do have some over arching themes that link up, Julia has her own path in this world of darkness, you have 2 potential outcomes and the "bad" ending is just bad if you think of it as a Camarilla would but thats all I will say on that. It is a nice little peek into VtM and its world, definitely worth a bit of time if you have the patience for a nice interactive read. All in all, far from perfect but still worth your time.

Wonderful story! A treat for a long-time V:TM player who's had few chances to play the pen-and-paper game during the last few years. This game is my favorite of the three New York V:TM games.

A delightful little story about our favorite politically charged underworld featuring a new protagonist with an even more intensely acerbic attitude than our protagonist from Coteries of New York. As the long-form description details, this is technically a standalone, but you will probably enjoy it more if you play Coteries of New York first. This is a much smaller, more contained game than Coteries of New York. Some of the mechanics of the game have been 86'd, but that's probably for narrative reasons as much as anything (note that this game came out while the pandemic was still in full swing and we were all doing our part to try and avoid infecting each other). Unlike the first game, you do not get to choose your character (admittedly, Coteries of New Yorkk offered you a choice of three). You are Julia, a Polish immigrant to New York whose investigative journalism serves as the backdrop for her unlife. I found Julia a well-realized and despicable character. The writing in this one is even stronger than Coteries of New York, but I will also add that it does feel like the writers were exorcising some personal demons through the characters. I can respect that. Who doesn't use art for that purpose? If you're curious about these games, which are decidedly visual novels and fun ones at that, but you don't want to commit too much time to playing one; Shadows of New York is probably the shortest and simplest of the three to sink your teeth into. Might as well Embrace it. ;)

Very cool little game, basically a visual novel but a ton of fun

Of all the V:tM vampire clans, the Lasombra are my favorite. I also don't really get into visual novel games. That being said, Shadows of New York is an absolute banger of a story. You can tell the Draw Distance writers for these games know their stuff when it comes to the World of Darkness and put a lot of effort and detail into their work.

I've tried playing this game three times, and each time I am turned off by its *profoundly* unlikable protagonist. Julia is bitter, rude, ungrateful, self-pitying, and none of it in an interesting way. I'm interested in the politics and other characters in the story, but I have to experience it through the lens of Julia, and that is just not a pleasant experience. When you're a VN, there's not really anything else for it to stand on.

The game is short and sweet for a VN. There are few, if any story branches, but I found what there was incredibly enjoyable. I'm just waiting to forget the plot so that I can replay it.