VtM: Shadows of New York - Review @The Reticule

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Vampire: The Masquerade - Shadows of New York has been reviewed by The Reticule.

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Shadows of New York is a game about politics and the way politics is infused into every facet of our beings. The boldness of its narrative impressed and enthralled me, and I want more of it in my games in these oh-so-urgent times of ours.

That being said, it's a difficult prospect writing a story of 'now', and one I've always been inclined to stay clear of. It runs the risk of trying to capture those defining moments, those shocking turning-points in the historical narrative unfolding in real-time, and rendering them shallow, even cringe-inducing, as some level of distance is always necessary to properly understand it.

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As a visual novel, the narrative-driven Shadows of New York offers choices throughout the story, leaving interactions with the city's inhabitants in your hands, at least to an extent. I don't feel like there were nearly enough possible routes to take, with conversations mostly being moulded by decisions you had made earlier. That's fine in the sense that it shows your (sparse) choices are shaping Julia's traits, but a lot of the time it felt like it was out of my control and the path thoroughly predetermined. The game's well-written enough to coast on by, but more input would've been welcome.