Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong | Game Brain

Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong Game Cover

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Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong is a single player role playing game with a horror theme. It was developed by Big Bad Wolf and was released on May 30, 2023. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

Based on the cult role-playing game and developed by specialists in the genre, Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong is a narrative RPG in which your every choice determines the fate of the three main characters and of the Boston Camarilla. Features WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF DARKNESSWhat if vampires were real? What if these bloodthirsty predators lived hidden among us, meticulously and skilfully hatchi…

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Single-Player

Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong screenshot

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67%

Audience ScoreBased on 104 reviews

story38 positive mentions

stability7 negative mentions

Engaging story that appeals to fans of the Vampire: The Masquerade franchise, with well-developed characters and intriguing plot twists.
Unique gameplay mechanics that emphasize investigation and dialogue choices, allowing players to explore the world and uncover secrets.
Visually appealing environments and a strong soundtrack that enhance the overall atmosphere of the game.

Numerous bugs and glitches that can disrupt gameplay, including game-breaking issues that require restarting entire missions.
Poor character animations and facial expressions that detract from the immersive experience, making it feel outdated.
Frustrating save system that forces players to replay large sections of the game after failing, leading to a tedious experience.

story
113 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
34%
59%
7%
The story in the game is generally praised for its depth, character development, and engaging plot twists, particularly for fans of the Vampire: The Masquerade lore. However, many players express frustration with the execution, citing issues such as game-breaking bugs, a convoluted narrative structure, and a lack of clarity in character arcs. While the storytelling is compelling and immersive, the gameplay mechanics often detract from the overall experience, leading to mixed reviews on the story's effectiveness.
- “The story grabs hold of you right from the get-go and with it being told from three points of view, it's able to stay fresh and interesting throughout.”
- “The story is deep, exciting, and mature, and the characters are believable and compelling, though the high level of assumed knowledge about the VTM world may be a little off-putting to newcomers.”
- “Overall, I recommend this game for being reasonably faithful to the tabletop medium from which it came, for the various ways in which you can play (opening up new things on separate playthroughs), and being an overall awesome vampire story.”
- “Leysha is a cool character, but her storyline is garbage and it can't justify being part of the storyline.”
- “Now speaking of story, there isn't a clear or muddied one to be found for any of the characters or the overarching story.”
- “The design of the story element is screwed over by being able to choose chapters in the first half of the game, and then mid-way through three stories, you have to play the game in the order the developers decided.”
gameplay
31 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
67%
10%
Gameplay reviews are mixed, highlighting both engaging exploration and frustrating mechanics. While some players appreciate the interesting gameplay loop and character abilities, many criticize the clunky controls, lack of save options, and tedious puzzle segments that detract from the overall experience. The game offers a rich narrative and lore, but the execution of its mechanics often leads to frustration rather than enjoyment.
- “The gameplay consists of an interesting loop with a world that is fun to explore.”
- “I also appreciate the care taken to represent vampiric disciplines in gameplay - some of the POV characters have access to powers that help in conversation, and I think this is balanced in interesting ways.”
- “The lore is great, the story is deep, and the gameplay involves one of three investigators, each with different capabilities, winding their way through a conspiracy.”
- “Those are the 2 dominant gameplay modes that you can't miss, which constantly fight over how to punish you next.”
- “There are a number of strong points and several issues, but the main thing that I walked away with was how the restrictions of the save system and the glitchy gameplay make the whole experience increasingly frustrating as you go.”
- “Sometimes gameplay can be frustrating because you don't know what to do; some puzzles or investigations are very hard, and you have to go with a trial-and-error strategy and explore the scenery with no clues.”
graphics
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
36%
21%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players finding them good and atmospheric, while others describe them as dated and lacking polish for a 2023 release. Although there are moments of beauty in the environments, issues like stiff animations and glitches detract from the overall experience. Overall, while the visuals may not be groundbreaking, they are still enjoyable for many players, especially when paired with immersive audio.
- “Personally, I find the graphics stunning, and the environments beautiful.”
- “Especially the visuals and the atmosphere - some of the parts are so beautiful, I would simply stop in my tracks just to have a look around.”
- “The sound and graphics are great, especially paired with high-quality wireless earbuds for a fully immersive experience.”
- “The graphics are quite dated for a 2023 release.”
- “The graphics are standard as the face animations are wonky, but the story is solid.”
- “Graphics and animations are not the best, but still quite good and enjoyable.”
stability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
88%
The stability of the game is a mixed bag, with some players encountering severe game-breaking bugs that necessitate mission restarts, while others report minimal issues, noting only minor graphical glitches. However, many users express frustration with the game's design, which can lead to feeling "locked out" of content due to obscure puzzles and a flawed save system. Overall, the experience varies significantly, with some players deeming the bugs refund-worthy, while others find the stability acceptable.
- “No glitches or bugs, as far as I can see. The game runs smoothly, providing a stable experience throughout.”
- “The stability of the game is impressive; I haven't encountered any crashes or significant issues.”
- “The performance is solid, allowing for an uninterrupted gaming experience that enhances immersion.”
- “I say at first because eventually and inevitably you will run into at least one of the many game-breaking bugs and glitches this game has, which force you to restart the whole mission from the beginning without any guarantee it won't happen again and again.”
- “I managed to hit scene 6, but after multiple restarts, I never managed to get past this level because of a certain door that glitches out every single time.”
- “But between the XP traps, the glitches that lock you out of missions or just trap you in limbo, the poor reset/save system, and the insane amount of walking back and forth in circles to complete simple objectives, it drags on and on.”
music
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
25%
25%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews; while many praise the soundtrack as an "absolute banger" that enhances immersion and complements the story, some note a detachment in the dialogue and voice acting. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a strong point, effectively elevating the gaming experience.
- “Music: absolute banger of a soundtrack, it shouldn't go as hard as it does.”
- “Incredible story and a soundtrack that will get you into the character's skin in an instant.”
- “The music and sound ambiance were very immersive and the environments looked absolutely stunning as well.”
- “The music is detached, as is the dialogue. You can actually hear that different voice actors are reading their lines in detached sections and sometimes even using different microphones.”
- “The music is fine.”
replayability
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
20%
60%
The game's replayability is heavily criticized, with some players feeling it was artificially marketed as having replay value despite a lack of compelling reasons to revisit it. While there is potential for replay through learning from failures, many reviewers find the overall experience lacking in polish and true replayability, leaving much to be desired.
- “There is plenty of replay value if you can stand to go through it more than once.”
- “This is a hyper-deceitful tactic that management likely employed to have evidence for replayability in pre-release marketing, and it mortally wounded this game, because there is zero reason for it.”
- “My final verdict is 'a decent visual novel/investigation game aimed at the existing VTM audience, but the lack of polish and true replayability leave a lot to be desired.”
- “Or maybe the game expects you to 'do better' on another playthrough, to learn from failure, for 'replay value'.”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, particularly due to the need to restart entire chapters for minor mistakes or missed details. This leads to repetitive gameplay and significant time loss, detracting from the overall enjoyment of the experience.
- “A major annoyance was the tedious restarts of entire chapters because one detail was missed or failing a single conversation.”
- “I replayed a couple of the scenes I majorly bungled and probably lost a couple of hours replaying what I'd already done, trying to mend mistakes or find alternative solutions, and that can get tedious or repetitious.”
- “But playing through these missions is tedious when it works, and incredibly frustrating when it bugs out.”
emotional
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players acknowledge the developers' efforts to infuse emotional depth into the game, but many express disappointment, particularly those with high expectations from previous titles like Bloodlines. While some scenarios, such as Leysha and Hilsey's, evoke genuine emotional responses, overall, the game may not meet the emotional depth that fans were hoping for.
- “Leysha and Hilsey's scenario - I felt some emotional depth.”
- “I want to cry.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players noted that while there were some amusing bugs encountered during gameplay, they were not overly disruptive to the overall experience.
- “The game is filled with hilarious moments that kept me laughing throughout.”
- “I loved the witty dialogue and clever puns sprinkled throughout the gameplay.”
- “The humor in this game is top-notch, making even the most mundane tasks entertaining.”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Character development is highly praised, with reviewers noting that the storytelling and atmosphere significantly enhance the depth and complexity of the characters.
- “The storytelling, character development, and atmosphere are top-notch.”
- “The depth of each character's backstory adds layers to the overall narrative.”
- “I love how the characters evolve throughout the game, making their journeys feel authentic and relatable.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its stunning visuals and immersive storytelling, with players often pausing to appreciate the beautiful environments. The combination of character development and atmospheric design creates a captivating experience that enhances gameplay.
- “The storytelling, character development, and atmosphere are top-notch.”
- “Especially the visuals and the atmosphere - some parts are so beautiful, I would simply stop in my tracks just to look around.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The optimization of the game is mixed, with strong vocal performances from the main actors, but initial character designs and animations are criticized as unattractive, potentially detracting from the overall experience. However, the art direction is noted to be good and neat, suggesting some positive aspects in visual presentation.

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17h Median play time

17h Average play time

17-17h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs

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Frequently Asked Questions

Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong is a role playing game with horror theme.

Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong is available on PC and Windows.

On average players spend around 17 hours playing Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong.

Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong was released on May 30, 2023.

Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong was developed by Big Bad Wolf.

Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong has received mostly positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its stability.

Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong is a single player game.

Similar games include Vampire: The Masquerade - Coteries of New York, Call of Cthulhu, The Council, Blacksad: Under the Skin, Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 and others.

Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong

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