I was sent a free copy of Vampire the Masquerade: Reckoning of New York to review for my blog. While I am very grateful for the opportunity, I won’t let it sway my opinions. This will be my honest review.

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What is Vampire the Masquerade: Reckoning of New York?

Vampire the Masquerade: Reckoning of New York is a visual novel based on the TTRPG of the same name out now on Switch and PC via Steam and GoG.

You are a vampire attempting to live your life and navigate the complicated political space of New York City. The city has been divided, old traditions must be respected, and someone is hunting vampires. To make matters worse, your sire has gone missing, and the council is looking for him. The race is on to find him or become a scapegoat. What secrets will you uncover? Can you find out what you need to know before it is too late? Can you do it while keeping your hunger in check?

Gameplay

Reckoning of New York is a visual novel that occasionally gives its players choices, but most of the story feels like a railroad. Your choices don’t matter except for changing a few lines of dialogue. The player will also encounter skill checks, which seem to have little impact on the narrative. What makes Reckoning of New York a unique visual novel is its hunger mechanic. Eventually, players will have to eat, but they must do so discretely. The idea is that the hunger mechanic raises the risk of failing the investigation and getting caught, but it also seems to have little impact on the narrative.

Review

I was very excited to play Vampire the Masquerade: Reckoning of New York because I have always heard great things about the TTRPG. I am still working on getting my players to agree to a campaign. I will get there one day. Unfortunately, Reckoning of New York isn’t a good entry to the IP.

One of my issues with the game is the poor writing. The dialogue is loaded with cliches that will make your eyes roll, and the tone is too edgy for its good. If the game were good, I could excuse the poor writing. I can even see the cheesy tone being part of the charm of the game. But it’s not, and I can’t.

My biggest issue with the game is that the player doesn’t seem to make an impact on the story. The game offers players options at various stages, but they all seem to lead in the same way. Sure there might be a couple of bad endings sprinkled in for good measure, but there is no reason to try for the good ending. There is nothing to hook readers into any part of the story if I am being honest.

Reckoning of New York is a part of an existing series. I’ve read the other installments are a better entry point to the world, but I have no interest in seeing for myself. Reckoning of New York does feel like it is a self-contained story, so I guess it has that going for it.

If you’re looking for an exciting visual novel about vampires, don’t waste your time with Reckoning of New York. This book is boring, and you have better options.

If you don’t believe me, you can pick it up now on Switch and PC via Steam and GoG