VTM - Swansong - Review @ Gamespot

HiddenX

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Gamespot reviewed Vampire The Masquerade: Swansong:

Vampire The Masquerade: Swansong Review - That Sinking Feeling

Vampire The Masquerade: Swansong is a dialogue-driven RPG that stakes everything on writing that isn't up to the task.

Swansong is a role-playing game that delivers the entirety of its drama through dialogue-there is no combat to speak of. Critical scenes between characters are resolved within conversational set-pieces called "confrontations." RPGs can exist without traditional battles--just look at Disco Elysium, for example--but the dialogue now thrust center-stage needs to sing, or at least harmonize with a deep skill system. Swansong, sadly, delivers neither. Its writing is pedestrian, often incoherent, and its supporting systems are underutilized, adding little flavor to distinguish the three playable characters.

[...]

In moderation these types of puzzles are enjoyable. Skulking around someone's apartment or office, riffling through their files, digging through their secrets; Swansong has these moments that find the right balance between the suspense of espionage and the rigors of a good procedural. But it becomes overly reliant on locking things behind doors and forcing you to find the key. And, worse, much of what you uncover in those emails and post-its and documents you've dug out of filing cabinets is trivial, adding little--if anything at all--to your understanding of the world or the mission at hand.

Swansong ultimately has little to recommend it. Its writing is stilted, its storytelling muddled, and its puzzle design is mostly unimaginative. Sadly, there isn't even any kind of worthwhile payoff if you do manage to see it through to its conclusion. I reached a point where I was thinking I'd hit the close of the second act, and then the game ended. Just like this.

Score: 4/10 - Poor
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From my news-thread many overlook. Sums up the IP perfectly.

The Critical Legacy of Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines - Techraptor
In the intervening time since its release, Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines has been enduringly described as a "cult classic." We can foremost understand this as a polite way of saying that Bloodlines has retained its devout followers even amidst the game's flaws in the face of an ambitious scope. Even Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodline's biggest fans will be first in line to tell you that it could and should be so much better.
 
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