World of Darkness Preludes: Vampire and Mage
- February 16, 2017
- 5h median play time
"World of Darkness Preludes: Vampire and Mage" is a single-player Horror Role Playing game that combines the classic tabletop games Vampire: The Masquerade and Mage: The Ascension. The game, told through a mobile messaging perspective, follows the story of a new vampire navigating their first nights as a predator, with a sharp and mature plot filled with terror, humor, and choices that can lead to terrible power, but always with a price. Amazing graphics and soundtrack enhance the experience.
Mac OS
PC
Phone
Android
Linux
Mobile Platform
Tablet
Reviews
- The game features a unique storytelling format through text messages, which enhances immersion and modernizes the narrative experience.
- The Vampire storyline effectively captures the themes of personal horror and the struggles of losing humanity, resonating well with fans of the World of Darkness.
- The art and music contribute positively to the atmosphere, creating a compelling backdrop for the unfolding stories.
- Many choices lead to instant death without clear indications, resulting in frustrating trial-and-error gameplay that detracts from the overall experience.
- The Mage storyline is criticized for being overly political and lacking depth, with characters feeling like stereotypes rather than fully developed individuals.
- The writing quality is inconsistent, with some dialogue feeling forced or juvenile, which can undermine the serious themes the game attempts to explore.
- story186 mentions
- 18 % positive mentions
- 78 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The game's storytelling has received mixed reviews, with the vampire storyline generally praised for its immersive text message format and compelling characters, while the mage storyline is criticized for its heavy-handed political themes and lack of meaningful choices. Players found the vampire story engaging and well-written, despite its linearity, whereas the mage story was seen as convoluted and poorly executed, often feeling more like a political manifesto than a cohesive narrative. Overall, while the vampire story offers a more enjoyable experience, the mage story struggles to resonate with players due to its execution and thematic choices.
“The vampire story is told exclusively through messages exchanged between the characters.”
“The vampire story in particular is excellently written, interesting characters, oozes tone and tension even with much of the action being described after the fact because it is told through text messages.”
“The cell phone text message format of the vampire story is surprisingly immersive and it's incredible how well the authors were able to present a thrilling story with this limitation.”
“The game is three long hours of nonsensical text messages between a bunch of idiots who barely act like actual characters; it means nothing, there's no actual story that can be understood from that mess.”
“The protagonist has no agency in the story at all; everything just sort of happens around her regardless of her existence.”
“What actually made me regret purchasing this game was that it's not a game... it's a story (I use that word loosely) with very little in the way of choices.”
- music25 mentions
- 56 % positive mentions
- 32 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally praised for its atmospheric quality and effectiveness in enhancing the overall experience, with many reviewers noting its ability to create a haunting and immersive environment. While some find the soundtrack limited and repetitive over time, others highlight its beauty and suitability for the game's themes, often comparing it favorably to previous titles in the franchise. Overall, the combination of music and art is seen as a strong point, contributing significantly to the game's mood and storytelling.
“Very well written, fantastic music, and the art is surreal which adds to the grit and gore of the story.”
“The surreal art and moody music help transport you into a parallel underworld filled with monsters and paranoia.”
“The music combined with the art creates the perfect atmosphere, and with the story being told via a mobile phone you get choices and messages from new contacts which keeps things fresh - pacing is very good.”
“While I did like some of the writing, art, and music, the tedium really ruined the fun.”
“This product is composed of two interactive stories nicely packed, but the background music is just decent.”
“The music in each manages to be comfortingly familiar in feeling to VTM: Bloodlines while not sharing any artists.”
- graphics17 mentions
- 59 % positive mentions
- 24 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the unique and captivating artwork that enhances the overall aesthetic and storytelling. While some users appreciate the colorful visuals and thematic consistency, others find the graphics chaotic and difficult to interpret. Overall, the artwork is highlighted as a strong point, despite criticisms regarding the game's design and clarity.
“Fantastic artwork too!”
“Nice graphic adventure, with great white wolf atmosphere and captivating stories.”
“The artwork has two different, chaotic looks and different artists for each story and contributes to the differing tone.”
“The graphics aren't good; the story, from what little I've seen, is not good, and at least one of the authors is a manipulative jerk.”
“The artwork has two different, chaotic looks and different artists for each story, which contributes to the differing tone.”
“An excellent introduction to the world of darkness, well-written and aesthetically pleasing in general, but with unforgivable game design.”
- gameplay13 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
The gameplay is primarily text-based, resembling a visual novel format that some players find tiresome and lacking in traditional gaming elements like character creation or interactive mechanics. While the simplicity allows for easy accessibility, many users express disappointment over the limited gameplay experience, which consists mainly of reading and selecting dialogue without significant interactivity. Overall, the game may appeal to fans of the genre but may not meet the expectations of those seeking a more dynamic gaming experience.
“It's simple but effective text-based gameplay made it very quick and easy to pick up and play.”
“I enjoyed the artwork and the overall design concept, as I'm a huge fan of this style of gameplay.”
“I would say that the mage story has about 8-10 hours of 'gameplay' (a.k.a. reading) in it including replaying it to get different scenes and endings.”
“As the game goes on, the texting format becomes more and more tiresome from a mechanical perspective and a writing perspective.”
“If I'm playing a text adventure, I don't want trial and error gameplay.”
“Honestly, I really wanted to like this game, but there's no real gameplay; it's just a bunch of texting on a phone.”
- atmosphere13 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for effectively capturing the gritty, immersive essence of the Vampire: The Masquerade universe, enhanced by atmospheric music and engaging storytelling. Players appreciate the interactive elements that contribute to a sense of being a fledgling vampire in a dark, chaotic world, although some critique the trial-and-error gameplay that can detract from the overall experience. Overall, the combination of visuals, audio, and narrative choices creates a compelling and memorable atmosphere that resonates with fans of the franchise.
“It does a decent enough job setting up the atmosphere of being a fledgling vampire in the world of darkness, and there are even some hidden stats you can affect with in-game choices.”
“The music combined with the art creates the perfect atmosphere, and with the story being told via a mobile phone, you get choices and messages from new contacts which keeps things fresh.”
“Fans of Vampire: The Masquerade will appreciate the dark, hectic atmosphere and sensations of panic and confusion in the main character.”
“How do you achieve that signature VTM atmosphere in a world so much cleaner, more streamlined, and connected than the 1990s?”
“The ending is pure trial and error, takes forever to figure out, and kills the little atmosphere they build before.”
“While the game generally stays true to the gritty atmosphere of WOD, I'm not entirely sure what the writers were smoking when they composed the story and dialogue.”
- humor9 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is highly inconsistent, with some moments being unintentionally hilarious due to poor writing and grotesque art, while other instances showcase clever and believable wit. Players experience a mix of cringe-worthy dialogue and occasional funny scenarios, leading to a chaotic blend of humor that can feel both vicarious and detached. Overall, the comedic elements range from laughable attempts at intellectual humor to genuinely funny moments, but often fall flat due to a lack of coherence and character development.
“The writing is believable and clever, at times funny.”
“I'd also be remiss if I didn't mention just how funny it is-- it's not every game that lets you scream 'you were the worst Batman' at someone.”
“To be honest, it feels like four or five people having a roleplaying game while you relive their fun and humor, which is good but vicarious.”
- emotional3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Reviews highlight a mixed emotional response, with some players feeling a strong connection to the game's narrative, reminiscent of past experiences, while others express indifference and a lack of relatability to the characters, ultimately feeling relieved when the game concluded.
“Made me feel like I was right back in the heart of Bloodlines.”
“This is the only one that made me feel glad it was over.”
- replayability3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is considered limited due to the lack of progression carryover between chapters, despite some users noting that the mage story offers a degree of replay value. However, the short length of the game further diminishes its replayability potential.
“Ten dollars may be a bit high, but there is replayability to the mage story.”
“A big problem is that it seems there is nothing carried over between chapters, which also means that the replayability seems quite limited.”
- character development2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate a significant lack of character development, with players noting that choices feel repetitive and inconsequential, leading to a stagnant narrative experience. The absence of meaningful character growth and engagement detracts from the overall enjoyment of the game.
“The jokes fall flat, there is no tension (you just repeat choices over and over with no real consequences), no character development, the art is childishly bad and laugh-out-loud funny (I honestly couldn't tell that some of them are meant to depict people, for example), and the worlds of the games have only a namesake relationship to the IPs of mage and vampire.”
“It's all text, you can't change the outcome, no character development, no combat system.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Users express frustration with the grinding aspect, feeling overwhelmed by others imposing their personal views and experiences, particularly regarding sexual orientations, in a way that feels excessive or intrusive.
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The Linux port of the game has been reported to be somewhat unstable, with issues such as consistently high CPU usage that leads to increased fan activity, indicating a need for optimization and bug fixes.
“The Linux port is quite buggy; it runs the CPU at full speed all the time, which causes the fans to ramp up. That's definitely a flaw.”
“The game crashes frequently, making it nearly unplayable at times.”
“I've experienced numerous stability issues, including random freezes and long loading times.”
